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WDSF 2011 World Latin Championship

Singapore, 10 September 2011

The 2011 WDSF World Latin Championships were held in Singapore at Suntech City.

The ballroom was impressive and Singapore put on a great show. The event attracted a good crowd, but didn’t attract the number of spectators we are used to here in Australia. This just goes to show how big an event the Australian DanceSport Championship is.

Full credit to all the spectators who cheered on all the couples and truly appreciated the performances of all the dancers.

The atmosphere was electric from the first round. Not only was this the biggest World Championship in regard to competitor numbers, it was one of the most open.

With the 2010 Champions Alexei Silde and Anna Firstova from Russia not defending their title and Valentin Chmerkovsky  and Dariya Chesnokova from the USA missing as certain finalists, there were two openings in the final. 

This certainly promised a great contest with a number of couples capable of filling the two spots and who knows, perhaps even challenge one of the favourites.

On top of that, there was a hot battle amongst the 3 favourites.They were:

Zoran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich from Croatia (2010 World Latin Championship runners up),
Nino Langella & Kristina Moshenskaya from Italy and 
Andrei Zaitzev & Anna Kuzminskaja from Russia

Nino & Kristina narrowly beat Zoran & Tatsiana at the last Grand Slam event in Chengdu, China, but placed second behind  Andrei Zaitzev and Anna Kuzminskaja from Russia at the German Open.

Zoran and Tatsiana did not compete at the German Open.

Martino Zanibellato and Michelle Abildtrub from Denmark were also a favourite for the final, having been consistent performers throughout the year.

WDSF World Championships are governed by the rules of the WDSF, and participation is based on compliance with their rules.

A number of Australian couples chose to dance an event that wasn’t registered with the county's WDSF affiliated body and subsequently were not entitled to participate at the WDSF World Championships.

Brodie Barden & Lana Skrgic De-fonseka answered the call to represent Australia on very short notice and placed 61st.

The experience of dancing at a World Championship of this calibre can only be beneficial to their dancing development and their confidence. Australians can be proud of having such a great young couple flying their flag.

Australia was also represented on the adjudicator panel by Kerry Clarke from Victoria.

The first round was fast and furious and out of 84 couples 37 where recalled into the second round. Some 47 couples battled it out in the re-dance for the remaining 11 spots in the second round.

There was a level of athleticism, flexibility and agility on display that was simply breathtaking. It was simply amazing to see couples move at break-neck speed with such control.

Our very own Annalisa Zoanetti and her dance partner Julian Tocker, representing Ireland, improved on last year’s result and finished 43rd. Great to see them climbing the ladder after only such a short time of dancing together.

By the third round it started to get tight and the competition lifted another notch, but only 12 can make the semi-final.

What a semi this turned out to be. It was difficult to decide where to look with so much talent on the dance floor.

Great costumes, incredible toned bodies and just energy plus. With a number of spots open in the final, the couples pulled out all stops and displayed some of the most amazing dancing.

It was a nervous wait to see who made the final and this was a tough field to split. A really difficult task for all the adjudicators.

No surprise to see the four favourite couples making the final, Gabriele Goffredo & Anna Matus from Moldova, and Pavel Pasechnik & Francesca Berardi from Italy making up the final six.

Two couples who stood out in the semi that could have just as easily been in the final were Andrey Gusev & Elizaveta Cherevichnaya from Russia and Charles-guillaume Schmidt & Elana Salikhova from France, both perhaps a little nervous in the semi.

The final was definitely worth waiting for, a fantastic show with all the excitement and glamour that only DanceSport can offer.

Starting off with solo Cha-Cha-Cha followed by group Cha-Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Solo Jive and group Jive – this was entertainment at its best.  You can check the video clips on  www.youtube.com/dancesporttotal .

Great efford by the WDSF, providing results and video coverage almost imidiately.
 

Other events on the day were the Asian Open Latin and Standard, youth and junior events as well as Masters and Pro-Am events.

Winning over the audience were the young dancers in the Girl's Solo Latin and in the Asia Open Juvenile Latin / Standard.

It was just amazing to see with what confidence these young kids danced and performed.

Antonio Micheli & Ekaterina Maksimova from Australia competed in the Open Standard and came a very respectable third.

This was a great performance from them, especially after missing their flight. They only arrived the day of the competition after flying all night and had no chance to rest before the competition. True champions!

Clear winners in the Open Standard were Simone Segatori & Annette Sudol from Germany. They are currently ranked 4th in the world and we look forward to seeing them here in Australia for the 2012 WDSF World Standard Championships.

The 2011 WDSF World Latin Champions

Zoaran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich

The placings in the WDSF 2011 World Latin Championship final were:

1. Zoaran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich - Croatia
2. Andrei Zaitev & Anna Kuzminkaja - Russia
3. Nino Langella & Kristina Moshenskaja- Italy
4. Martino Zanibellato & Michelle Ablidtrub - Denmark
5. Gabriele Goffredo & Anna Matus - Moldova
6. Pavel Pasechnik & Francesca Berardi - Italy

For full results check out www.dancesportinfo.net or www.worlddancesport.org

Chris Gruber