The one-year partnership with FloDance started in Stuttgart in 2018. A year has rolled and WDSF has heard the fans, and as a result established a new meeting point for the GrandSlam Series and World Championships at DanceSportTotal.com.
DanceSportTotal.com is all about DanceSport: main competitions, athlete interviews and backstage footage, archives from the past and livestreams of tomorrow, all in one place. More fans on the platform means more content, and we are expecting it to grow with some other main events during the upcoming years, together with the fanbase.
To bring all WDSF main competitions closer to the fans, we lowered the subscription plan from 6,99 EUR / month to 3,99 EUR / month as an opening offer. The subscription is renewed automatically, but you are able to cancel at any time.
The first live events on the platform will be in Stuttgart, starting with WDSF PD Super GrandPrix Standard, WDSF GrandSlam Standard and WDSF GrandSlam Latin. WDSF PD Super GrandPrix Latin will be available few hours after the live event. From there on, only three weeks later, the 2019 World Championship Latin in Moscow will be streamed at DanceSportTotal.com. And more big events will follow.
The second leg of the 2019 WDSF PD Super GrandPrix Latin will take place in Stuttgart on August 13th.
The first leg of the Series in Pieve Di Cento in March saw the reigning World and European Champions, Gabriele Goffredo – Anna Matus (MDA) continuing their amazing winning streak with scores that left a clear margin before the runners-up, Vincenzo Mariniello – Sara Casini (ITA) and Hou Yao - Zhuang Ting (CHN).
Yao – Ting are not on the preliminary starting list, updated on August 6th. Instead, we find the Latvians Marts Smolko – Tina Bazykina, the first runners-up of the 2019 European Championship on the list, which will surely bring some nice electricity to the center stage at Beethoven Saal.
39 couples have registered for the event by August 6th. The registration has been extended from the original and the starting lists are subject to change. Nevertheless, out of the top twelve couples on the World Ranking List and the Pieve Di Cento event, we are expecting to see many of them on Tuesday afternoon starting the competition with their number cards securely attached on the men’s shirts. GOC will start with fireworks!
Hsinchu in Chinese Taipei, hosts a WDSF Open Under 21 Standard and Latin on Saturday, August 10th. There will be a live stream, and the links are below.
On the preliminary starting list of August 6th there are 64 couples registered for the third leg of the 2019 WDSF PD Super GrandPrix Standard Series.
The previous two events took place in Tokyo (JPN) and Pieve Di Cento (ITA) in March. The Moldovans Nikolay Darin – Natalia Seredina (in photo) won the event in Tokyo, and ranked second after Bjorn Bitsch – Ashli Williamson (DEN) (in cover photo) in Italy. The following two positions have been tight between Andrey Motyl – Ekaterina Kim (RUS) and Cheng Dan – Li Zhenni (CHN), who have been switching the runner-up positions behind the Moldovans.
This year in Stuttgart there will be very interesting new players on the field. Four-times WDSF World Champions will make their comeback to the WDSF dance floor, this time in Professional Division. Dmitry Zharkov and Olga Kulikova (RUS) will make their first appearance on international floors of WDSF PD on Thursday.
Last year they left the Beethoven Saal accompanied with a standing ovation after winning their 18th GrandSlam title. This year they enter the floor as rookies in a way, but still as one of the favourites. As the competition record in Professional Division shows blank, the couple will start the competition from the first round, which might be a refreshing experience for the couple aswell.
The platform for the main WDSF events, DanceSportTotal.com will live stream the event on Thursday, August 15th, starting from the semifinal round at 20:10 CET. The final is expected to start at 22:15 CET.
With just a month to go until the World Urban Games this 13-15 September in Budapest, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) reached out to two breakers set to compete in the Hungarian capital to get their thoughts on the first edition of the new multi-sport event and a range of other topics, including Breaking’s possible inclusion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
B-boy Klash is a five-time winner of the Red Bull BC One in his native Egypt, and he has his sights set on Budapest to raise both his profile and the profile of Breaking in his homeland. Hungarian b-girl Csepke, on the other hand, took part in Breaking’s debut at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games and is proud to be welcoming the World Urban Games to her hometown and exposing Breaking to an ever-widening audience.
“I’m very happy to see the World Urban Games organised in Hungary,” said Csepke, who was born and raised in Budapest. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me and for the whole Hungarian Breakin’ culture because we can meet the prominent players in the Breaking scene.”
The World Urban Games will feature eight sports (six competition and two showcase) in total, including BMX Freestyle, Roller Freestyle, Parkour, 3X3 Basketball and Flying Disc Freestyle. Breaking will take place over two days at the WUG, with the Round Robin phase on 13 September followed by the Final phase (Top 8) the next day.
Twenty-four of the breakers qualified directly from the 2019 WDSF World Breaking Championship held in Nanjing, China this June. Six others booked their tickets via the Outbreak Europe event last month, meaning the level of artistry and athleticism on display will be world-class, something that Klash says he more than welcomes.
“For me, I want to be unique and known everywhere around the world. I love Breaking and want to be the best,” he says, adding that he enjoys performing difficult and original moves, something the crowds in Budapest should expect to see next month.
Klash also says that when he competes at international events he does so not only for personal reasons but as an ambassador for his country. “Egypt has a lot of people dancing – maybe 1,000 b-boys – but there is [not a lot of] interest, there are no tournaments. My country really needs this.”
The WUG are designed to be the ultimate global showcase for urban sports, providing visitors with a rich mixture of sports, music and culture. The Games will also help to regenerate a part of southern Budapest that has been off limits to the public for many years: the site of the Great Market Hall, which first opened in 1932. The Hall, which Csepke describes as the “perfect venue” for the event, will be used both as a competition site and a concert hall and is situated next to the Danube River, providing a visually stunning backdrop for the Games.
For Csepke, the WUG are another important stepping stone in her development as a b-girl. She credits her success to the great support of her Stay Fresh Crew and especially her coach, Lajos Fodor, who she admires for his work ethic and commitment to ensuring that “great opportunities” are offered to her entire team.
“I want to have fun during the event because it is very important for me to dance with a positive attitude and to do my best moves,” she says, pointing to her footwork, Toprock and musicality as her main strengths. “I will try my best during the World Urban Games to proudly represent Hungary.”
Csepke did just that at Breaking’s debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, which she says was a springboard to greater opportunities and growth within the community.
“I learnt a lot during the Youth Olympic Games. The things that I learnt and experienced there help me during my daily practices in Hungary,” she says. “I have been practicing and travelling a lot with my team since then. I had another chance to represent Hungary in Nanjing, China at the World Breaking Championship. It was such a great experience, too.”
Of course, one of the biggest opportunities for Breaking in decades is its possible inclusion at the Olympic Games in 2024. The WDSF has already received provisional inclusion from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with a final decision set for December 2020.
Asked if they would be interested in taking part in the Olympic Games should Breaking be granted official inclusion, the two breakers were unanimous in their response.
“Absolutely!” says Klash. “I want the world to become more interested [in Breaking] and the attention to focus on dance, because it is so good and very difficult.”
Csepke echoed his thoughts: “[The Youth Olympic Games] were a great chance for me and for the whole Breakin’ community. I’m really excited that Breakin’ might be involved in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
The line-up for Breaking at the World Urban Games is as follows:
B-girls: Ami (JPN), Sunny (USA), Jilou (GER), Ying Zi (CHN), Roxy (GBR), Ayane (JPN), Madmax (BEL), Queen Mary (BUL), Logistix (USA), Fresh Bella (KOR), Vavi (RUS), Paulina (POL), Csepke (HUN), Kate (UKR), San Andrea (FRA), and Sarah Bee (FRA).
B-boys: Menno (NED), Lussy Sky (UKR), Lil G (VEN), Bumblebee (RUS), Lagaet (FRA), Shigekix (JPN), Phil Wizard (CAN), Klash (EGY), Vero (KOR), Roll (HUN), Dr. Hill (MEX), BruceAlmighty (POR), Victor (USA), Icey Ives (USA), Daniel (NOR), Quake (TPE).
On hand to judge the 1vs1 battles will be Jeskilz (FRA), Katsu One (JPN) and Moy (USA), with Amjad and Rambo doing the emceeing and DJs Southscream and Fleg on the turntables.
For more information on Breaking’s Olympic journey, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
The inaugural WDSF Asia Sports Series Games Qualifiers Ranking competition takes place this Saturday in Singapore. During the same day, the WDSF South East Asian Championship in Standard and Latin will also take place, as well as WDSF Open Standard and Latin. The Fairmont Hotel will have some extra sparkles and luxury as DanceSport enters the building.
Tallinn (EST) hosts a WDSF World Open (new series) event this weekend, Standard on Saturday and Latin on Sunday. There are 38 couples on the unofficial starting list for Standard, and 33 couples for Latin. The whole event, organised for the 7th time, has WDSF Open competitions for all age groups from Junior II to Senior III. In addition, several EDSA Open competitions take place during the weekend at Sport Centre Audentes, filling the venue with glamour and sportiness.
The third event of the weekend takes place in Taoyuan (TPE) on Sunday. The event includes WDSF Youth Open Standard and Latin.
Congratulations to all on the inauguration of DanceSport Asia (DSA) on 25 August 2019, a newly-constituted and truly representative Asian Continental Federation for DanceSport. The DSA Presidium was elected August 25, 2019 based on a democratic nomination process and good governance. A true testimony of the DSA’s principle of inclusiveness and broad participation, the DSA Presidium which was elected comprises 14 different countries’ WDSF DanceSport bodies across Asia.
DanceSport Asia Limited was incorporated on 19 July 2019, as a “company limited by guarantee” under Singapore Law. This step had been approved by the unanimous vote of a World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) Asian Member bodies’ information meeting in Budapest in June 2019. It was also confirmed at that time that draft By-Laws would be passed and office-holders elected at the new company’s first Extraordinary General Meeting, to be held in Singapore on 25 August 2019.
The newly elected office-holders are:
President: Crossen Yin Guo Chen (China) General Secretary: John Fam (Malaysia) Treasurer: Ang Ai Nee (Singapore) Sports Director: George Tan (Malaysia) Communication Director: Kabdulla Baizhanov (Kazakhstan) Vice-President of Marketing: Jimmy Su Jie (China) Vice-President of Development: Fanny Tanudihardja (Indonesia) Vice-President of Membership: Chang Hwan Choi (South Korea) Committee Members are representatives of the following countries: Philippines, Lebanon, Mongolia, Macau, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, and India.
DanceSport Asia has the unanimous support of the WDSF Presidium.
The DSA is proud of its very broad representation across Asia, as its 14 member bodies constitute more than 77% of all of WDSF’s Asian member bodies. The names speak for themselves. Everyone has a voice, Members spoke and discussed Motions freely, and elections were conducted with proper governance of the Secret Ballot. All Motions presented at this legal meeting were passed unanimously. The DSA meeting has once again restored the collaborative relationship of Asian WDSF Member bodies when they meet under Rule of Law, and has energetically rejected all arbitrary measures.
We say in sporting friendship that, according to any objective view, “ADSF” effectively no longer exists as any kind of continental representative.
The remaining few Asian Members of WDSF can still join DSA if they wish and they are encouraged to do so by sending DSA their Applications for Membership, together with their formal, unconditional, signed, written resignations from the ADSF group, by August 31, 2019.
Fairmont Hotel in Singapore was filled with glamour and sparkles as the first edition of the WDSF Sports Series Games Qualifiers (Asia) took place on Saturday. The first winners of the Series were Yan Bangbang – Du Yujun (CHN) in Latin and Qiu Yuming – Wei Liying (CHN) in Standard.
The new WDSF South East Asian Champions were also crowned on Saturday and the titles were awarded to Sean Aranar - Ana Nualla (PHI) in Standard and Minh Truong - Nguyen Doan (VIE) in Latin.
In Tallinn, Estonia, the WDSF World Open (new series) Standard winners were the reigning Ten Dance European Champions, Daniil Ulanov – Kateryna Isakovych (CYP). Home crowd favourites, Ergo Lukk – Baile Paris (EST) ranked second and Alessio Disca – Luisa Celeste Cardillo (ITA) third.
The WDSF World Open (new series) Latin winners were Giacomo Lazzarini – Michelle Nazarenus (BIH), who continued their an amazing year being at top 2 in all their competitions so far. Stefan Grigore – Laura Filipescu (ROU) ranked second and Marek Bures – Anastasiia Iermolenko (CZE) third.
WDSF events will continue during the upcoming weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. Highlights of the three-day event will be the 2019 WDSF PD World Championship Latin and WDSF PD World Open Standard on Sunday, WDSF World Open Standard on Friday and WDSF World Open Latin on Saturday.
WDSF Professional Division will shine in its splendor as the 2019 WDSF PD World Championship Latin takes place in Bangkok (THA) on Sunday, September 1st 2019.
The reigning World Champions, Gabriele Goffredo – Anna Matus (MDA) are targeting for their second World title in Professional Division, while their competitors will do their best to shine even brighter and to reach the podium.
WDSF PD World Open Standard has also been scheduled for Sunday, making the day fully focused on WDSF Professionals.
The Saturday evening in Bangkok will be filled with energy and top level DanceSport as well, as the WDSF World Open Latin brings sparkles and shimmer to the Indoor Stadium.
On Saturday and Sunday you will be able to join all the action live on DanceSportTotal.com, starting from the evening session. The exact timetables will be informed later. Subscribe, sign in, and join us!
(By subscribing today you will also be able to watch the 2019 WDSF World Championship Latin next week, live from Moscow!)
The event in Bangkok kicks off on Friday with elegant and glamorous WDSF World Open Standard with 62 couples, including the current number one on the World Ranking list, Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU). There are couples from 13 countries in this competition.
THIS JUST IN! We have a livestream on Friday, enjoy!
Another impressive win for the hard-working Moldovans, who secured their fifth World title, the second in Professional Division late on Sunday evening in Bangkok. Gabriele Goffredo – Anna Matus (MDA) enjoyed the event, thanked the organisers and convinced that the story continues, as there are already events to look forward to.
The runners-up, Marts Smolko – Tina Bazykina (LAT) had a tight and exciting battle for the silver with Vincenzo Mariniello – Sara Casini (ITA) and Hou Yao – Zhuang Ting (CHN), as the three couples received nearly equal scores throughout the final. In the end, the Italians won the bronze and the Chinese were left outside the podium.
The final result:
1. Gabriele Goffredo – Anna Matus, MDA 2. Marts Smolko – Tina Bazykina, LAT 3. Vincenzo Mariniello – Sara Casini, ITA 4. Hou Yao – Zhuang Ting, CHN 5. Kirill Kolpashchikov - Julia Remizova, RUS 6. Mario Cecinati - Rosaria Messina Denaro, ITA
The WDSF PD World Open Standard ended with Bjorn Bitsch – Ashli Williamson (DEN) taking home the gold medals. Nikolay Darin – Natalia Seredina (MDA) ranked second and Andrey Motyl – Ekaterina Kim (RUS) third.
On Friday evening, Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU) started their well-earned short holiday by winning the WDSF World Open Standard. Evgeny Nikitin – Anastasia Miliutina (RUS) ranked second and Tomas Fainsil – Violetta Posmetnaya (GER) third.
On Saturday evening, Timur Imametdinov – Nina Bezzubova (GER) were fine-tuning their new figures for the World Championship, and they won the WDSF World Open Latin. Edgar Marcos Borjas – Alina Nowak (POL) ranked second and Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST) ranked third.
In Youth age group double winners were announced as Kosei Sotome – Eika Sotome (JPN) secured a win in both WDSF Youth Open Standard and WDSF Youth Open Latin.
With less than a month to go until the 2019 WDSF World Championship Disco Dance and WDSF Open Disco Dance this 4th of October in Belgrade, we reached out to two Disco Dancers set to compete in the Serbian capital to get their thoughts on the first edition of the WDSF World Championship and a range of other topics, including the core and essence, and prejudice related to Disco Dancing.
Femke Goovaerts, from Belgium, has starting dancing at age of 3, and was introduced to Disco Dancing at a summer camp at the age of 9. She started taking Disco Dance lessons at a dance school immediately in the start of a next season and quickly, only three months later she was invited to a competition team. At the age of 10 she expanded her variety to Solo and Duo competitions. Femke will be representing Belgium at the 2019 WDSF World Championship Disco Dance.
Femke, 16, admits Disco Dance has become a real passion for her. ”I practise about 10 hours a week. On Saturdays, we practise with our coach for 5-6 hours. We train our solo, duo and small group. We practise our endurance and the choreographies together. During weekdays I practise alone or together with my duo partner for my solo and duo. I also try to do my stretching exercises as much as possible,” she revealed.
Hanna Johansson, 19, from Sweden, has also started dancing early, at age of 3,5. She had been dancing ballet, hip hop, contemporary amongst other displines when she got attracted to the speed and the cool jumps of the Disco Dancers at age of 12. ”I wanted to be like the other cool competition dancers”, she laughed. Nowadays, she practises several times a week, both by herself and with her students. ”I focus a lot on technique, fitness and strength”, she said.
Many people, who are unaware of the core and essence of Disco Dancing do not realise how much athleticism it involves.
”I think many people do not know what Disco Dance is all about”, Femke agreed. ”You do not only need to dance fast, but it is also about applying the technique correctly for the jumps, the turns, the lines. In Disco you need to feel the music, and also have to put your emotions in it so that your expression during your dance comes naturally. The combination of all those things makes you a good disco dancer. And, most importantly, you have to love and enjoy it when you’re on the dancefloor,” she explained.
”Disco is a really fun and special dance, it is demanding and you need good fitness and a lot of strength. Many think that dance is something easy, but it is much harder than many realize”, Hanna summarized. ”In my opinion, a good disco dancer has very good charisma and good technique; it should not only go fast but also look nice and in control. Another important thing is to keep the rhythm and find the small hidden beats”, she added.
The generation which remembers movies like Saturday Night Fever might have prejudice hearing for the first time that a World Championship in Disco Dance will be held. The truth is far from the images of the 70’s.
”I would describe Disco Dance as a form of dance where you need a good condition and have to be flexible. You also need a good portion of muscle strength to be able to make high jumps and fast arm movements. Disco nowadays is nothing like in the 70’s because it has become a more acrobatic form of dance,” Femke explained.
”Compared to the 70’s Disco, today’s Disco is much faster with big jumps and rapid moves. The music is also much faster”, Hanna continued.
”The only thing left from the 70’s are the sparkles and stones on the dance costumes that make you shine on the floor,” Femke laughed.
Femke feels very excited about the upcoming World Championship, and is expecting the event most of all for all the opportunities it will bring: ”I feel really excited to be able to compete at the World Championship. It gives me the opportunity to have another great experience. It gives me more confidence, and I will also learn a lot because I’ll get to see and know other dancers from other countries,” she said, and continued humbly: ”I am very happy that I was given this chance, and that my parents and my coach always stand behind me and support me in my dancing.”
Hanna will be representing Sweden in the World Championship. ”It’s going to be really fun, I’m excited and feel more charged than ever. Of course, a bit nervous, but really pleased to be one of the selected competitors to represent Sweden. I have been in Serbia before on a few dance competitions and it is a nice country”, she said.
The 2019 WDSF World Championship Disco Dance and WDSF Open Disco Dance will light up the Belexpocentar in Belgrade (SRB) on Friday, October the 4th. Youth and Adult age groups compete for the World Championship titles in Solo and Duo categories.
In addition to the World Championship, WDSF Open competitions will be held during the same day. Adult and Youth age groups will have competitions in Small Team, Big Team and Mega Team categories. Juvenile and Junior age groups will compete in Solo and Duo categories, as well as the Small Team, Big Team and Mega Team categories.
Budapest (HUN) hosts the inaugural edition of the World Urban Games (WUG), the innovative new project organised by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Breaking events take over the spotlight this Friday and Saturday, and all the battles will be livestreamed on the Olympic Channel.
Breaking will feature on the programme of the inaugural edition of the World Urban Games. The event will also feature 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, flying disc freestyle, parkour and roller freestyle. In addition, indoor rowing and laser run will be on the programme as showcase sports.
Twenty-four breakers have qualified for the event from the recent 2019 WDSF World Breaking Championship in Nanjing, three b-boys and b-girls have qualified from the Outbreak Europe event in Slovakia in July and two places have been allotted to breakers from the host country. The line-up for Breaking at the World Urban Games is as follows:
B-Girls
Ami (JPN), Sunny (USA), Jilou (GER), Ying Zi (CHN), Roxy (GBR), Ayane (JPN), Madmax (BEL), Queen Mary (BUL), Logistix (USA), Fresh Bella (KOR), Vavi (RUS), Paulina (POL), Csepke (HUN), Kate (UKR), San Andrea (FRA), and Sarah Bee (FRA).
B-Boys
Menno (NED), Lussy Sky (UKR), Lil G (VEN), Bumblebee (RUS), Lagaet (FRA), Shigekix (JPN), Phil Wizard (CAN), Klash (EGY), Vero (KOR), Roll (HUN), Dr. Hill (MEX), BruceAlmighty (POR), Victor (USA), Icey Ives (USA), Daniel (NOR), Quake (TPE).
On hand to judge the 1vs1 battles will be Hurricane (FRA), Katsu One (JPN) and Moy (USA),with Amjad and Rambo doing the emceeing and DJs Southscream and Fleg on the turntables.
All the battles, starting with the Round Robin phase on Friday at 15:45 CET, and continuing with the Knockout phase and the finals on Saturday at 17:45 CET, will be livestreamed on the Olympic Channel.
On Saturday, between the semifinals and the battles for the medals there will be a special Sports Presentation introducing four world class Latin couples doing Samba and Cha Cha Cha battles.
A three-day event in Moscow (RUS) starts on Friday with WDSF Open Ten Dance. On Saturday, the evening gets highlighted by the WDSF International Open Standard and WDSF Youth Open Standard, while the main events on Sunday include WDSF International Open Latin and WDSF Youth Open Latin. The Ivan Yarygin Palace of Wrestling will be filled with young and old dancers as there are events from 10 am until 10 pm each day.
In Wroclaw (POL), 42 couples are competing the WDSF International Open Standard on Saturday. Youth and Senior III have WDSF Open Standard, and Under 21 age group is dancing the WDSF Open Latin. On Sunday, 32 couples have registered for the WDSF International Open Latin. The day will be completed with Under 21 and Senior II age groups having WDSF Open Standard, and Youth age group having WDSF Open Latin. About 190 couples are heading for the Wroclaw Congress Centre for the weekend.
The WDSF World Open Latin in Prague (CZE) on Saturday has 73 couples on the unofficial starting list, including the World Champions from last weekend, Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno (RUS), while the WDSF World Open Standard has 68 couples registered for the competition on Sunday. In addition to the World Opens, Prague hosts WDSF Open competitions for all age groups between Junior I and Senior IV making the venue, Forum Karlín, shine bright throughout the weekend in tunes and beats of DanceSport music.
There is a lot to follow this weekend, and we wish all the best for all the dancers and organisers. Enjoy the weekend!
The world’s 32 best b-boys and b-girls got straight down to business on the first day of the inaugural edition of the World Urban Games (WUG) in Budapest, Hungary, taking place from 13 to 15 September 2019.
The spectators at the previously derelict Great Market Hall, built in 1932 in a suburb just south of the city centre, witnessed spectacular battles that featured fierce competition, sweeping beats from DJs Fleg and South Scream that were punctuated by the drum and bass stylings of The Kinkies, and plenty of good vibes.
The ladies got things started, battling in groups of four that saw the top two b-girls from each group advance to tomorrow’s Knockout Stage.
Ami (Japan), Ayane (Japan), Sarah Bee (France), San Andrea (France), Sunny (USA), Queen Mary (Bulgaria), Kate (Ukraine) and Logistx (USA) all made the cut after some intense performances made for some very difficult decisions for judges Katsu, Moy and Hurricane.
“The level of b-girls has just been moving up every single year”, said B-boy Moy, one of the three judges for the Breaking events at the World Urban Games. “I think it’s also because the community has been focused to give them more and keep them involved. There was one point where b-boys and b-girls were kind of separated, now we are equal. This drives these young women a lot and makes them compete at the highest level. And they are here! That’s why to see the level raise and raise is not surprising to me, but impressive. I am excited to see this!”
The preliminary rounds for the 16 b-boys were no less competitive and followed the same format as that for the b-girls. Treated to a vast array of artistic, athletic and creative skill, the crowd showed its appreciation throughout the six hours of battles.
The following eight b-boys advanced to tomorrow’s finals: Shigekix (Japan), Vero (Korea), Victor (USA), Lussy Sky (Ukraine), Phil Wizard (Canada), Menno (Netherlands), Icey Ives (USA) and Bumblebee (Russia).
B-boy Menno from the Netherlands, the 2019 WDSF World Breaking Champion, and Shigekix from Japan, bronze medallist at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and seventh at the WDSF World Breaking Championship this year, were tipped as favourites for the title ahead of the competition and they proved the pundits right. The same can also be said for b-girls Ami from Japan and Sunny from the USA, reigning World Champion and Vice World Champion respectively.
“To be on the stage tomorrow is really amazing for me, wonderful”, said b-boy Shigekix directly after the competition. “The preliminaries today were really high level. I am happy to have made the finals and that I can dance tomorrow. However, this is only day one and just the beginning. Tomorrow I will do better than today for sure. Check it out!”
Tomorrow’s finals will be broadcast as of 17:40 local time on the Olympic Channel and Breaking for Gold. Eurosport 2 will also broadcast the finals live as of 19:00, with a replay set to air from 13:00 on Monday. Be sure to tune in!
Background Information
For the World Urban Games, 24 breakers qualified from the 2019 WDSF World Breaking Championship in Nanjing. The rest of the field was rounded out by three b-boys and b-girls from the Outbreak Europe event held in Slovakia in July, while the final two places were allotted to dancers from the host country.
The first edition of the World Urban Games features six sports, including Breaking, BMX Freestyle, Roller Freestyle, Parkour, 3X3 Basketball and Flying Disc Freestyle. In addition, indoor rowing and laser run are on the programme as showcase sports. These multi-sport games, organised by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), are set to become the ultimate global showcase for a new generation of urban sports and will be held every two years.
B-boy Victor from the USA and b-girl Ami from Japan today became the first ever Breaking champions at a World Urban Games (WUG).
The breakers wowed a large, enthusiastic crowd in Budapest, Hungary, with spirited performances in the finals of many very tight 1vs1 battles, with Victor outlasting b-boy Menno (Netherlands), who is no less than the 2019 WDSF World Breaking champion, and Ami defeating Sunny (USA). Ami and Sunny are reigning World Champion and Vice World Champion respectively.
In the bronze-medal battles, b-boy Bumblebee (Russia) beat Shigekix (Japan) while the youngest b-girl in the competition, 16 year-old Logistx (USA) overcame Kate (Ukraine).
B-boy Victor impressed the judges and spectators alike with his athletic skills, creativity and musicality. After the victory, he said: “It feels amazing. I was so excited after that final round that I wanted to go for more battles. I was really ready for it.” Asked about how he will enjoy his victory, he said: “I will celebrate now, have some fun, enjoy my time with my girlfriend who is here as well and call my family!”
Victor had won the Outbreak Europe event in July, through which he had qualified for the World Urban Games.
B-girl Ami never wavered throughout the day and said after defeating Sunny in the final: “I really enjoyed the final with Sunny, so I was already very happy before even knowing the result. We are all friends!” She added: “I just try to do my best and this time the music helped me a lot. The DJ and the live band were great, I enjoyed every bit of the competition.”
Also making it to the b-boy quarterfinals were Vero (Korea), Lussy Sky (Ukraine), Phil Wizard (Canada) and Icey Ives (USA). On the b-girl side, Ayane (Japan), Sarah Bee (France), San Andrea (France) and Queen Mary (Bulgaria) rounded out the top 8.
Hurricane, one of the three judges for Breaking at the World Urban Games, had this to say about the overall success of Breaking at the World Urban Games: “It was crazy and the tension was so high, even for the judges. We had to react very quickly, be fully concentrated and, at this level of competition, really focus on every detail to be considered for the voting. The battles were extremely tight. But the vibes were so nice, I appreciated this a lot. I think the quality of this event shows the potential for Breaking at the Olympic Games and what we can show to the world.”
For images of today’s Breaking events at the WUG please click here (to be credited to WUG Budapest 2019).
The inaugural edition of the World Urban Games (WUG), organised by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), is taking place in Budapest from 13 to 15 September 2019. The Breaking events featured the world’s best 32 b-boys and b-girls and were livestreamed on the Olympic Channel and breakingforgold.com, while the finals were broadcast live on Eurosport 2 with a replay set to air from 1 p.m. CET on Monday. A list of all the Breakers who competed at the first World Urban Games can be found here.
Other sports on the WUG programme include BMX Freestyle, Roller Freestyle, Parkour, 3X3 Basketball and Flying Disc Freestyle. In addition, indoor rowing and laser run are showcase sports.
Having Breaking featured on the programme of the World Urban Games was another exciting first for DanceSport. It followed the June decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provisionally include Breaking on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with a final decision set to be taken in December 2020.
The first edition of the World Urban Games offered a thrilling experience to 32 b-boys and b-girls in Budapest (HUN). B-boy Victor (USA) and b-girl Ami (JPN) battled their way to the highest step on the podium. Read more about it here.
The reigning World Champions Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno (RUS) took their 15th win this season as they were awarded the gold medals in WDSF World Open Latin in Prague (CZE) on Saturday. The silver medals were delivered to Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST) and the bronze to Winson Tam – Anastasia Novikova (CAN). Estonian fans enjoyed the success also on Sunday as Madis Abel – Aleksandra Galkina (EST) won the WDSF World Open Standard. Tomas Fainsil – Violetta Posmetnaya (GER) ranked second and Edgars Linis – Eliza Ancane (LAT) third.
WDSF International Open Standard in Wroclaw (POL) ended with Leonid Khokhlov - Maria Ermolaeva (RUS) receiving the biggest trophies. By the look of the RLS, the couple has been dancing together only a few weeks and it was their first competition together. What a great start to this new partnership! To the great joy of the home crowd, Bartosz Lewandowski - Anna Walachowska (POL) won the WDSF International Open Latin.
In Moscow (RUS), WDSF International Open Standard title was awarded to Georgy Kalashnikov - Domile Semeskeviciute (LTU). Francesco Esposito - Svetlana Kostenko (ITA) won the seven-couple final of the WDSF International Open Latin.
Next weekend there will be two title events, European Championship Youth Ten Dance on Saturday and World Championship Under 21 Latin on Sunday. In addition to these highlights there are World Opens, International Opens and Opens on three continents.
Bratislava (SVK) hosts the 2019 WDSF European Championship Youth Ten Dance on Saturday. 32 couples have registered for the event, including the reigning European and World Champions and World Ranking number ones in both Standard and Latin lists, Vladislav Untu – Polina Baryshnikova (MDA, in photo). Some of their fellow competitors have moved on to Adult and/or U21 age group, but there are also many couples who have just stepped in to Youth from Juniors, making the Championship a thrilling and spectacular event for many.
In addition to the European Championship, the weekend in Bratislava includes WDSF World Open Standard, which has 75 couples on the preliminary starting list, and WDSF World Open Latin with 66 couples on the preliminary starting list. Also, DanceSport Europe (DSE) Children’s GrandPrix and DSE Universities Championships have been added to the competition menu, as well as WDSF Open competitions for different age groups.
The organizer in Bratislava has generously informed us that there will be a live stream, making it possible for all DanceSport fans around the world to watch and support the young Ten Dance couples during the day. The link is below.
The second Championship event of the week takes place on the Asian continent, in Chengdu (CHN) on Sunday. 70 couples representing 25 countries have registered for the 2019 WDSF World Championship U21 Latin. Many of the top 10 couples on the World Ranking List of the age group have registered, as well as two of the finalists from last year, meaning the evening will be filled with explosive energy of these couples, of which many have already successfully shared the same floor with the Adult age group champions.
Besides the World Championship on Sunday, Chengdu hosts also WDSF International Open Latin and Standard on Saturday. Both competitions have attracted some of the top couples of the World to the starting lists.
The third continent with DanceSport events this weekend is North America, and the third location of the weekend is Montreal (CAN). WDSF Open Senior II Standard and WDSF Open Senior III Standard will be danced at the Aquatic & Community Centre on Saturday.
All the best for all couples in the Championships and other competitions!
32 Youth couples started their journey towards the European Title on Saturday afternoon in Bratislava (SVK). Vladislav Untu – Polina Baryshnikova (MDA) started the competition as the reigning Champions – and by the end of the day, they returned to the highest step of the podium.
The Champions are dancing their last year in Youth, and they are planning to leave the age group with six titles; the couple is aiming to win all the three European Championships and all the three World Championships this year, leaving a mark in the history books, and ”to make an example to all kids, that it is possible,” like Vladislav said. Having won the European Latin in April and European Ten Dance yesterday, the couple is heading strongly towards their goal.
Yaroslav Kiselev – Sofia Philipchuk (RUS) ranked second and won the silver medals. The couple has entered the Youth age group this year and they have already won silver in World U21 Ten Dance in May. They are the World Champions in Junior II Standard, Latin and Ten Dance in 2018.
Jakub Bruck – Marina Makarenko (CZE) won the bronze, taking home the first medals for the couple and both dancers in title events. The couple has been dancing together less than a year, and they ranked 14th at the European Championship Youth Latin in April.
The second title event of the week took place in Chengdu (CHN) as the 2019 WDSF World Championship U21 Latin was competed on Sunday. The Championship ended with a Russian couple taking the win.
Semen Khrzhanovskiy - Elizaveta Lykhina (RUS) continued their good competition year. After winning the silver medals at the European Championship (Adult) Ten Dance in June, they earned the World Championship U21 Latin title on Sunday by winning all five dances of the final. The couple has also won the World U21 Ten Dance last year, and during their final year in Youth in 2017 they have won the World Championship Youth Latin and Youth Ten Dance.
To the great joy for the home crowd, Wang Tian - HE Jieruo (CHN) won the silver medals. They have won the bronze last year in World Championship Youth Latin, making it their second medal earned in title events on Sunday. Tomer Zveniatsky - Stefany Tzukerman (ISR) ranked third, earning them the first medal in title events.
In other competitions during the weekend, Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU) won the WDSF International Open Standard and Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska (GER) the WDSF International Open Latin in Chengdu on Saturday.
The Estonian couples took home the World Open titles in Bratislava (SVK). Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova (EST) climbed to the highest step of the podium of the WDSF World Open Latin on Saturday, and Madis Abel – Aleksandra Galkina (EST) won the WDSF World Open Standard on Sunday. Interestingly, the silver medal for the World Open Standard was tied between Dariusz Mycka – Madara Freiberga (POL) and Daniil Ulanov – Kateryna Isakovych (CYP) as both couples received the exactly same scores in the final.
Montreal (CAN) hosted a WDSF Open Standard for Senior II and III age groups. Horace Fenghua Hu - Agnes Xiaoguang Yuan (CAN) won all five dances of the final, and were awarded the win in Senior II. So Heung Sub - Lina Yu (CAN) had an equally good day and won the Senior III just as convincingly.
While preparing for the Latin Sports Presentation at the World Urban Games in Budapest, two of our top Latin couples, Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva (RUS) and Edgar Marcos Borjas – Alina Nowak (POL) accepted our challenge to test themselves at an improvised Urban Latin battle on Singapore Streets.
The name of the game was to perform in normal clothes and shoes, without any special make-up, and to just enjoy and have fun dancing Samba, Cha Cha Cha and Jive in front of a bunch of fans.
Enjoy it below!
(If you didn’t see the Latin Sports Presentation at WUG, we will post about it shortly. Stay tuned!)
