Helmut Roland
The highlight of this year´s German Open Championship again was the Grand Slam Standard competition. 307 couples started on Friday morning with the first round. The six finalists presented their five solo dances on Saturday evening. With high tension the duel between Benedetto Ferruggia - Claudia Köhler from Germany and Emanuel Valeri - Tania Kehlet from Denmark was awaited by the audience. Who would be winner today?
26th German Open Championships took place from August 14th – 18th 2012 in Stuttgart´s Congress Center “Liederhalle”. Again, there were more than 5,000 starts in 36 competitions. So German Open Championship achieved to maintain the largest dance sport event in the world.
WDSF Grand Slam Latin competition started on Thursday morning with 315 couples. It took seven rounds to find the six finalists starting for the five solo dances. Five minutes before midnight on Friday evening, the presentation ceremony was held.
The China Chengdu International Dancesport Festival set the stage for the WDSF Grand Slam Latin on July 15th 2012. 150 couples from all over the world had come to Chengdu this weekend to compete. At the end Aniello Langella / Khrystyna Moshenskawon won the Grand Slam Latin with 237,51 points ahead of Gabriele Goffredo / Anna Matus with 229,65 points. With 229,23 points just under the result of Gabriele & Anna, Martino Zanibellato / Michelle Abildtrup gained 3rd place.
World Champions Senior II cannot win in Germany!
Same procedure as last weekend at the German Senior II Championship in Elmshorn. Heinz-Josef and Aurelia Bickers from Germany, who had won the WDSF World Championship Senior II Standard in April 2012 in Cambrils/Spain could not achieve to win the DTV German Championship Senior II on May 19th in Elmshorn. Michael and Beate Lindner from Germany, who attained 3rd place at the world championship in Cambrils, vindicated their title of German Champions Senior II from last year successfully.
Traditionally on pentecost “Tanzsportclub Braunlage” together with Klaus Gundlach, this year host of 60th Oberharzer dancesport-seminar, organize high class ballroom competitions, closing a week of ballroom trainings for senior couples. On Sunday, May 27th, 3rd qualification of DTV “Leistungsstarke 66”, a ranking competition for senior couples running over six events during the year started with 34 couples.
Four hours later, six couples had been qualified for the final rounds.
Anton Skuratov – Alena Uehlin from TTC Munich was the couple with the best chances to win the competition. The 10 Dance champions of last year achieved 2nd place at the European 10 Dance Championships in Aarhus / Denmark a fortnight ago. Alena and Anton competently won all dances in the final rounds (10 points).
This years European Championship Standard was held on April 28th in Koblenz. Organizer 1. TGC Redoute Koblenz + Neuwied had prepared the Sports Hall Oberwerth for this exciting dance sport event. 66 couples from 37 European countries had come to compete for the title. Under the chairmanship of WDSF Sports Director Marco Sietas nine adjudicators from nine different countries had to find out the champion. Master of Ceremony was Franz Allert, DTV President from Germany.
We saw the world premiere of a new category in WDSF competitions: the project is called U21. WDSF initiated a new category between youth and adult: “Under 21”. In Aarhus on February 22nd 2012, the premiere of this project started: 91 couples, most of them coming from Europe, but also from North America and Asia, joined the first open World Championship Unter 21 Latin.
The audience saw excellent performance in all latin dances. We can resume, the next generation of latin dancers is becoming mature and is well prepared for the adult category.
Happy Easter! The sun shines bright at the coast of Catalonia on April 8th in Cabrils / Spain this morning. 71 couples from 39 countries are attending the European Championship Latin 2012. Andrey Zaytsev – Anna Kuzminskaya from Russian Fedderation belong to the candidates of the title. Andrey and Anna had won the Final Grand Slam Latin in Salou in December 2011. Will they succeed again today? What about their competitors?
