Presidium has its meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, at the same venue where the AGM will be organised in June, 2020. All looks good, and we can expect a great meeting with all of our members together once again!
There were several items on the agenda, as well as important presentations including Anti-Doping matters. Mr Herbert Waller from WDSF AD Commission visited the meeting and gave an excellent presentation about the present situation in WADA matters.
The Presidium is happy to announce, that the WDSF is the only DanceSport organisation in the world, with no positive test results in any international level competitions during the last 12 months. WDSF is one of the signatories following the WADA code, and the only one of DanceSport, as an ARISF member, following the code thoroughly.
Marc-Frédéric Schäfer starts as a VP for Legal Affairs.
Since Mr. Jim Fraser retired from his position as a VP for Legal Affairs in June 2019, he has been assisting the Commission and Presidium in several matters. We are very grateful the time and the valuable support he has consistently given in the past and will give in the future to the WDSF!
On the initiative of the Legal Commission, the WDSF Presidium unanimously accepted the nomination of Dr. Schäfer to act as a VP for Legal Affairs; the term is temporary until the AGM in Belgrade in June 2020, when the election among the members for this position will be held.
Dr. Schäfer has acted as a President and board member of the Swiss DanceSport Association for numerous years, until 2017. He is member of the WDSF Legal Commission since 2010. He acts as national chairperson in Switzerland and Germany and is recognized scrutineer in WDSF.
Even though he has retired as a competitor and official in competitions, his passion for DanceSport has made him a member of the Legal Commission already for ten years. As a lawyer and economist, Dr. Schäfer´sprofessional experience relates to such areas as merger control and commercial, corporate and criminal law.
During 2018-2019, the GDPR regulations kept him busy – earlier he was appointed to act as a responsible person for WDSF Data Protection.
I am honored to serve the WDSF as a VP for Legal Affairs and will do my best to help the DanceSport Community in all matters related to Legal Commission. I would like to thank Jim Fraser and my other colleagues in Legal Commission for their support, as well as the Presidium for their trust in me, says Marc Frédéric Schäfer from Switzerland.
On the initiative of VP for Sports, WDSF Presidium agreed to send an observer to Estonian Ten Dance Championship, which will take place in Tallinn on 22nd February. The organiser of the event is the Estonian DanceSport Association (EDSA).
WDSF Adjudicators Congress for Hip Hop, Disco Dance and Stage Dance (Performing Art)
The congress in organized in Roeselare, Belgium on the 15th of May, 2020. Responsible organiser is Danssport Vlaanderen and Mr Johnny Lekens.
Congress will be held in Mercure Roeselare (Accent Business Park, Kwadestraat 149B, 8800 Roeselare), and the nearest airport of the venue is Brussels (Zaventem).
Congress day starts at 10 am and it will last until 6.45pm. The day will be busy with numerous topics:
*Evolution and Introduction to WDSF Judging System
*Adjudicators Code of Conduct and Responsibilities
*Quick Analysis of Technical Qualities of Hip Hop
*Quick Analysis of Technical Qualities of Stage Dance (Performing Art)
*Quick Analysis of Technical Qualities of Disco Dance
Lecturers will be confirmed shortly, please follow the calendar. You can also do the General Knowledge Test, GKT, during the congress day.
Congress fee is CHF 100 including licensing fee for 2020, registration and payment will be allowed at the door for this congress.
For application, complete the online registration and payment via the WDSF website latest by 10thMay.
Looking forward of seeing you in Roeselare in WDSF congress!
The Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) is a very serious disease that continues to spread.
At its recent Meeting the WDSF Presidium discussed this epidemic and voted unanimously to express its concern and sympathy for the victims of this disease, which has struck hardest in our most populous Member country, the People’s Republic of China. Health experts and governments are currently working to implement measures to contain the spread of the virus. Each DanceSport athlete, official, family member and traveller must take personal responsibility to protect themselves personally and also to help stop the spread of the Corona virus, by taking reasonable precautions, including (but not limited to):
referring to local government and health authority travel and safety advice
following World Health Organization (“WHO”) advice to wash your hands frequently, practice respiratory hygiene, and maintain social distance from anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness; for more detailed advice from WHO, please click here
Most experts agree that the Corona virus will continue to spread for some time and that its behaviour is somewhat unpredictable. The WDSF Presidium continues to carefully monitor the global status of this disease in the best interests of DanceSport and, as usual, will update the WDSF community on the WDSF website on any changes to our competition/event calendar. Athletes, officials and others who intend to travel should take precautions such as checking with governments, health authorities and organizers as well as regularly checking about coverage by their own travel/medical insurance companies.
Mr. Shigemitsu Tanabe, Honorary Member of the WDSF Professional Division Management Board, passed away on February 29th.
The members of Japan DanceSport Federation and all athletes and officials of WDSF, who knew Mr. Tanabe, are deeply touched.
With Mr. Shigemitsu Tanabe, the WDSF Professional Division does not only lose a good friend and promoter of DanceSport, but also an important sponsor of competitions and events in Japan.
The following competitions are cancelled so far due to the spreading of the corona virus. The situation is more severe in some areas, such as China and Italy. The situation is however subject to ongoing assessment.
We kindly ask all officials and athletes to follow the website and the calendar for updates.
March 8 WDSF International Open & WDSF PD World Open, Tokyo (JPN)
March 9 WDSF Adjudicators Congress, Tokyo (JPN)
March 19-22 WDSF Open Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
March 21-22 WDSF World Open NS Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
March 21-22 WDSF PD Super Grand Prix Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
April 3-4 WDSF Open & International Open San Bendetto del Tronto (ITA)
April 3-4 WDSF Open & International Open Olbia (ITA)
April 4-5 WDSF Open & International Open Livorno (ITA)
April 18 WDSF Open & International Open Foligno (ITA)
Postponing or eventually cancelling of events at this point are decisions made by the local organisers, based on recommendations and measures taken by their national governments. The WDSF is dealing with this exceptional situation the best possible way, and we are already trying to identify potential dates for replacement in the 2nd half of the year for Grand Slam and Title events.
Please visit the WDSF Competition Calendar for the latest update on the status of the various competitions around the globe. Also, we would like to remind you to read through the coronavirus article posted earlier in March.
Recent changes in the WDSF Competition Calendar are:
* WDSF GrandSlam and WDSF Open in Bucharest (ROM) on March 28-29th
* WDSF European Youth Latin Championship, WDSF International Open, and WDSF Open in Marseilles, (FRA) on April 4th
* WDSF World Open NS and WDSF Opens, in Moscow (RUS) on April 4th -5th. (These will be re-scheduled to take place in Sochi on June 24-27, 2020).
We will keep you updated as soon as we have received more information regarding the above, or any other event!
For any inquires please contact the organiser or the WDSF national member body in your country.
The following competitions are affected so far due to the spreading of the corona virus. The situation is more severe in some areas, such as China and Italy. The situation is however subject to ongoing assessment.
We kindly ask all officials and athletes to follow the website and the calendar for updates.
March 8 WDSF International Open & WDSF PD World Open, Tokyo (JPN)
March 9 WDSF Adjudicators Congress, Tokyo (JPN)
March 19-22 WDSF Open Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
March 21-22 WDSF World Open NS Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
March 21-22 WDSF PD Super Grand Prix Bologna-Pieve di Cento (ITA)
April 3-4 WDSF Open & International Open San Bendetto del Tronto (ITA)
April 3-4 WDSF Open & International Open Olbia (ITA)
April 4-5 WDSF Open & International Open Livorno (ITA)
April 18 WDSF Open & International Open Foligno (ITA)
Challenge for all of us: stay home, safe from corona, and spread #DontStopDancing!
Sometimes we might dream that the world stops for a moment. But when it really happens, we wanted it to be stopped in a different way - or maybe not to happen at all...
This weekend most of us realised, that in order to protect ourselves and others, and to have the possibility to continue our la vita bella, we have to stay at home at least for a couple weeks. At first we were shocked: we dance and travel, learn and teach, practice and compete, share our passion with others all over the world! Is it possible to live without going to studio? But - if your desire is real and great, if the passion is true – you will always find a way to Dance!
So, #DontStopDancing AT HOME! We are sure that most of you did not! Just record your dancing for 15 seconds, put hashtags #DontStopDancing, #WeAreDanceSport, #WDSF and share the video of your dance on Facebook, Instagram or we highly recommend TikTok (download here and add the music you like without copyright issues)!
Let’s inspire the world, let’s make it brighter on these days! Because #WeAreDanceSport, because our purpose is to make the world better. Despite who you are, this is the task for everybody! For champs and beginners! Do not hesitate – spread the virus #DontStopDancing on the Internet, put hashtags – that way we find will you! Good emotions are the best medicine for your immunity. Only 15 seconds of your dancing at home and the world is healthier.
Thank you Jakub Lipowski for starting. Who is next?
#DontStopDancing #WeAreDanceSport #WDSF
Check out Jakub´s and Astrid´s best moves - while cooking and cleaning! Thanks for beginning, we are excited to get LOTS more :)
In light of global precautions for COVID-19, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a pandemic on 11 March, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) decided today to adjourn its 2020 Annual General Meeting, which had been scheduled for 13-14 June in Belgrade, Serbia.
The decision was based on a number of important factors, including but not limited to:
the health and welfare of all WDSF members and the DanceSport community in general;
the declaration of a state of emergency in Serbia; and
current global travel restrictions.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak and its universal reach, the WDSF concluded that it was too early to select another date and/or location for the rescheduling of the 2020 Annual General Meeting.
We will continue to closely monitor recommendations from the WHO and local authorities and will provide further updates as circumstances warrant.
The WDSF remains optimistic that the measures being taken around the world by governments and health experts will lead us on a road to recovery soon. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the DanceSport community through our website and social media platforms (using the hashtags #DontStopDancing and #WeAreDanceSport).
WDSF President Shawn Tay said:
Our number one priority during this unprecedented time is to join the world community in doing what we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and of course to ensure the safety and well-being of our entire DanceSport community. Our thoughts are with all those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Maybe we have had a bit of fear, that sad and dangerous world will press its thumb on us and force us to give up.
We just had a bit of hope, that we will stay strong. We just had a bit of hope, that together we could prove, that true passion for dancing could save the world and make it better.
Next morning we checked our social media and... YES: we did it! YOU DID IT! Instagram, Facebook, TikTok were exploding from good vibes, shining eyes and a bit of hesitation – will anybody follow me? Yes – a huge number of dancers spread #DontStopDancing all over the World!
Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, China, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland ,Turkey, Ukraine, United States...
We stay #SafeAtHome, but we inspire and support each other: adults inspire young ones by demonstrating the highest quality even in kitchen or bathroom; juniors inspired professionals by saying “Be prepared – we are working hard and we are coming”; wheelchair dancers inspired to enjoy dance whatever happens in your life...
We have also followed the numerous posts and feeds the professionals, dance schools and NMBs are providing to their followers and members – dance lessons have gone digital! Let´s keep the progress going!
We are sorry, if we did not mention all of you – guys, it was impossible to control and manage this virus. Thank you so much for good energy, for showing – #WDSFDanceSport is not only posture or hip actions – it is the soul of DanceSport and true passion!
Now we know - we are strong, #WeAreDanceSport.
So, #PleaseContinueDancing AT HOME. Stay safe and be prepared, because new challenge iscoming soon...
The response we have received with #DontStopDancing is very touching indeed. It´s great and hopeful to watch you all dancing at home. For all of us, this might be one of the most important missions nowadays: staying at home preventing this virus from spreading any further.
From the WDSF we want to thank you all for joining in this proposal as we are convinced that when we keep doing the things we love the most, it will eventually save us, even though we are all staying with our families, closest people around us, calling our grannies and waving hellos to our neighbors.
You are more than welcome to keep on sending us your videos, showing you best moves at home and we will continue sharing them on our digital platforms and for those of you, who already desperately miss the competition mood, here it is: a Shuffle Dance competition!!
Why Shuffle Dance? Because you don´t need a large space to practice it - only a couple of square meters is enough. And besides, shuffling won´t give advantage to anyone in particular, not to the ones dancing Standard, nor to the ones that do Latin, B-Boys, Disco, Boogie Woogie or Rock n´Roll. All are welcome and challenged! Let´s start the rhythm!
So, dance and laugh at home! That is a way of taking care of ourselves and others, share your moves and good vibes!
#DontStopDancing. Share your passion, teach others, dance on your own, dance with your parents, dance with your pet, dance with your roommate, just #DontStopDancing. Let´s keep on spreading the rhythm – everyone is welcome!
How can I compete? 1. Put your mobile on a chair, on the floor... so it stays still 2. Shoot a video between 15-30 seconds of yourself shuffling 3. Publish the video on your profile with the #dontstopdancing and #WDSFShuffle hashtags 4. Share the video with us together with your profile link 5. The videos with the most likes will get into the final 6. And remember: nothing will be more contagious and healthy than a good dancing video!
The International World Games Association (IWGA) and Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) have agreed to postpone the 11th edition of The World Games until 7th to 17th July 2022.
The 11th edition of The World Games had originally been planned to take place from 15–25 July, 2021.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to move the Tokyo Olympic Games to July 2021 made a significant impact on the planning of The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Keeping to the original dates in July 2021 would have meant excluding many athletes and officials involved in the Olympics, and would have led to a potential reduction in public and media interest.
The WDSF has a full sports program in the World Games including acrobatic rock´n´roll, breaking, latin and standard – and it fully supports delaying The Games. The WDSF will work closely with all parties involved in order to make the 2022 edition of the World Games a success with the DanceSport competitions.
When Covid-19 crisis started, the expectation was to minimize changes for the future. Finally, we realized that life will never be exactly the same again. It is possible to use Online methods also for DanceSport!
#DontStopDancing challenge proved that dancing community is moving fast to find all possible ways to continue with their passion and work.
You accepted the challenge and even developed it! Jive challenge, DanceAnywhere challenge, DanceInBlind challenge, DancingToiletPaper challenge...
And that is not all! Teachers and coaches are also changing their ways of working. We carried out a small survey and found out that basically every dance club all over the world is organizing lessons Online: live or pre-recorded videos. Trainings of the first weeks of the quarantine were soft and orientated to physical preparation – the purpose was to stay in good shape and in good mood. Now it becomes more and more serious: teachers are offering group lessons as well as private lessons.
It is great, that also our top couples feel the need to help. They share experience Online with followers, they prepare lessons for national federations, they support and teach – we all are together on the same wave!
Just to show you one example, here you can learn Paso Doble with Marius and Kristina:
Qh8X6NOBxoo|Paso Doble with Marius and Kristina
We discovered that we didn´t even know how creative we actually are! More and more interesting topics appeared about how to express all power of your dancing in a small space, how to become more artistic, how to use mental methods to improve your dancing. Russian Federation of DanceSport and Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll organised a competition for young ones: young dancers are invited to participate in a competition of T-shirt design dedicated for dancing (very qualified adjudicators will judge, including World Champions Dmitri, Olga, Armen and Svetlana).
Many national federations were caught by Covid-19 on the preparation for their National Championships and they knew how the dancers were dedicated to their preparation process. To maintain inspiration and support their communities, member federations started interesting activities: top couples and clubs were invited to prepare Online lessons for all (Austria, France, Lithuania, Romania, Spain...), prepared list of clubs, where dancers could take Online lessons (Australia), inspiring people with popular lessons for salsa, breaking, boogie woogie (Norway) and some taste of West Coast swing (USA)... And there is a lot more! Every day we find something new and exciting, which keeps the spirits up and helps you to develop your dancing.
It is important to mention, that people working in DanceSport industry are also deeply involved. Best designers of spectacular dancing costumes are sewing protective clothing and masks for doctors and nurses at the moment. We are very proud and happy about that!
WDSF wants to collaborate and join forces with all of you, so free catalogue in DanceSport Total has been extended! Find more than 100 titles from premium competitions! Enjoy at home!
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has taken the decision to postpone the 2020 WDSF World Breaking Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Championships were scheduled to take place in Nanjing, China on August 30.
The decision was made to protect the health of the athletes, their entourages, the organisers and fans during this unprecedented time.
The WDSF is currently working with the Nanjing organisers to find a date in 2021 to reschedule the Championships. The new date, along with updated deadlines and qualification procedures, will be communicated in due course.
The WDSF, our Chinese friends and all National Member bodies were excited to see the best b-girls and b-boys compete in Nanjing this summer. We hope that by rescheduling the World Championships to 2021, the event will become a celebration for the entire DanceSport community and we vow to return stronger than ever.
Thank you in advance for your understanding. Stay strong, stay healthy, and see you all in 2021, the Year of the Ox!
I hope that all of you, and your loved ones, are safe and well. In the past weeks, I’ve received messages from a number of you. We are all anxious to know when this pandemic will end. I am thus writing to you, in hope that this message will shed a little light on the plans of our federation, and the possible steps that can be taken right now.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the magnitude of the disruption to our lives that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought. As DanceSport athletes, our lives are built on close physical contact with our partners, groups, and the dance community, and of course, international travel. Many, if not all of you, are unable to practice, teach, and compete like before. I empathize and feel the frustration and anxiety that many of you are experiencing.
I have been asked by many athletes and coaches when WDSF is likely to start our competition events again. I would like to assure you that we are all making preparations and plans to assist our members and organizers to kickstart WDSF events as soon as the situation allows for it.
In addition, I have noticed that many of you have been taking steps to stay motivated. For example, watching and sharing dance videos, live streaming, and finding new ways and venues to continue your practice. I am very appreciative of the vigor and resilience that many of you have shown.
There is one main message I would like to share with you today. And that revolves around the theme of adaptation. Before the pandemic, I received feedback that because there were many competition events, many athletes were not able to find the time to really work on their dancing. Dance weaknesses were given a “quick fix”, and routines remained unchanged, simply because of how fast-paced and busy an athlete’s lifestyle is.
The world is dramatically changing, and I believe that this is a good time for many of you to look closely at the areas of your own dancing. For those of you who are seasoned with a present routine, you could even take this time to tap into your creativity and innovate. For example, you can consider having a second routine or variations, which would make your performance even more exciting for your supporters and fans, particularly when competition events are broadcasted on television in future. In times of uncertainty, research has shown that keeping a daily routine can really help. Though spaces at home are limited, if possible, find ways to do things at certain times of the day, even simple things, that can help you progress in your dancing.
Perhaps every one of you can use this period of restricted travel to think of ways to make positive change in your lives. What can you do to keep yourself motivated and well? What can you do to take care of the people around you, and spread positive energy?
In closing, I wish all of you safety and good health. Take extra precautions to protect yourselves and your loved ones. On our part, we will do whatever we can to launch events as soon as the circumstances permit. This is undoubtedly a challenging time for all, but time can be used in a constructive way. Don’t count the days, but make every day count.
I look forward to seeing all of you better and stronger on the dance floor.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious health crisis that has caused a financial contagion for governments, businesses, sports and virtually all individuals worldwide. The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) is no exception.
The WDSF Presidium has been working hard to ensure the survival and prosperity of the federation and DanceSport worldwide. Organisationally and financially the pathway we are currently on is very painful, but we believe we will come out the other side stronger and more resilient than ever.
We confirm that the WDSF’s mission to “develop DanceSport to its fullest potential” remains our primary goal and no pandemic will stop us from achieving our vision.
On 16 March, as part of our strategy to deal with the financial and organisational impacts of the virus, we immediately implemented a complete suspension of all spending aside from the salaries/fees of the WDSF staff, officers, IOC consultant, contractors (as far as possible), and the WDSF headquarters.
On 13 April the WDSF was able to secure modest Swiss government support for our professional staff at our Lausanne office during the partial shutdown. As part of the WDSF’s cost savings, our amazing staff also effectively accepted a 20 per cent pay cut during this period.
In the coming weeks and months, the WDSF will issue more detailed information to the DanceSport community so that you can better understand the actions that we have taken to ensure the prosperity of the sport we all love so much.
Things will get better. And we should all be ready to hit the ground running once our temporary “hibernation” comes to an end.
Could it be: DanceSport in front of football or tennis? It already happened! Evaldas Sodeika and
Ieva Zukauskaite became Golden Stars of Lithuanian Sport of 2019!
The election of the best athletes of the year was organized by the Lithuanian National Broadcaster
and by the Union of Sports Federations in Lithuania on March and April. After the first stage of election – people voting – the Lithuanian standard couple became leaders out of 100 athletes of 65 sport disciplines . After the second stage – commission voting – they were confirmed as Golden
Stars of Sport.
Evaldas and Ieva are thanking everybody for support in Lithuania: “People are our inspiration. It
has been all the time. When we realized, we became people ́s favourites - it was an
incredible feeling. Thank you to everybody!”
If we love what you do, if we are united – everything is possible! Congratulations to Evaldas and
Ieva! Thanks to all DanceSport Fans for the support!
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) would like to remind all athletes to consult the Competition Calendar periodically to keep updated on all the latest changes and cancellations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cancelled events are now marked with strikethroughs, while events that remain open all have a function that will automatically notify you of any changes.
The latest event to be cancelled, regretfully, was the WDSF GrandSlam Latin Adult scheduled for 12 July in Rimini, Italy.
Like you, the WDSF can’t wait for our events around the world to start up again. We look forward especially to seeing all of our elite dancers back where they belong soon.
