The inaugural leg of the 2019 GrandSlam Series is over and the scene has been set for the upcoming year. By the look of it, we might see some really interesting finals from now on, as there are really strong couples heading towards the top and the competition is really tight.
The GrandSlam Standard had new winners. Evaldas Sodeika - Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU) scored more than 39 points in three dances, and the other two were only less than 0.2 points under the magical 39 point line. According to the scores, Slow Foxtrot was their best dance with 39.168 points. The couple was all smiles after the competition - and with a good reason: They had just won their first ever GrandSlam with a margin of 3.5 points.
Even though the margin seems big, the runners-up Francesco Galuppo - Debora Pacini (ITA) improved their scores towards the end of the final, scoring over 38.1 in every dance. By the look of scores, their best dance on Saturday was the Viennese Waltz with 38.458 points.
A strong trio of Russian couples is right behind these two. Evgeny Moshenin - Dana Spitsyna ranked third, Alexey Glukhov - Anastasia Glazunova fourth and Evgeny Nikitin - Anastasia Miliutina sixth. Lithuanian couple, Vaidotas Lacitis - Veronica Golodneva completed the top six and ranked fifth.
The GrandSlam Latin, however, had familiar winners. Armen Tsaturyan - Svetlana Gudyno (RUS) continued their long list of number ones, which started in the beginning of 2018. The couple appreciated the warm atmosphere created by the Romanian crowd. With their signature move in Jive they warmed up the whole venue themselves as the crowd exploded to a deafening roar each time they performed it.
The runners-up, Marius-Andrei Balan - Khrystyna Moshenska (GER) were very close. The two couples shared the same scores, 38.958, in Rumba. In Jive, the margin was only 0.041 in favour of Armen and Svetlana, and after all five dances the difference was only 1.122 points. By the look of it, we can already predict that there will be many interesting and tight competitions between these two couples.
And, just like in Standard, there are four (and more!) very strong Latin couples who are just about to stir the deck on a perfect day. On Sunday, Timur Imametdinov - Nina Bezzubova (GER) ranked third and scored over 190 points in total. Andrey Gusev - Vera Bondareva (RUS) ranked fourth, and there was a really tight competition between Charles-Guillaume Schmitt - Elena Salikhova (FRA) and Andrea Silvestri - Martina Varadi (HUN). The French couple secured the fifth place by a margin of 0.165 points.
And, we have to keep in mind that these were only the finals of the two competitions! There were many wonderful moments throughout the whole two days, starting from round one.
The 2019 WDSF GrandSlam Series is now running, and the next stop is in Chinese Taipei in the beginning of June. Before that event there are loads of other international and national events, and Continental Championships.
The final was super exciting! The margins were so close, and the result was unclear until the last dance was over.
In the end, Armen Tsaturyan and Svetlana Gudyno (RUS) were invited to the highest step of the podium. Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska (GER) ranked second and their fellow Germans, Timur Imametdinov - Nina Bezzubova ranked third.
The final result:
1. Armen Tsaturyan - Svetlana Gudyno, RUS
2. Marius-Andrei Balan - Khrystyna Moshenska, GER
3. Timur Imametdinov - Nina Bezzubova, GER
4. Andrey Gusev - Vera Bondareva, RUS
5. Charles-Guillaume Schmitt - Elena Salikhova, FRA
6. Andrea Silvestri - Martina Varadi, HUN
Congratulations to all couples! It was a show which will leave us waiting for the next time, to be able re-live it all again.
The semifinal was full of energy, full of speed, and full of loud supporting! The twelve couples, facing each other in two heats enjoyed every bit of it. We saw some new looks by the female dancers, who seem to be like chameleons between different events.
The final six is not a big surprise, although every spot in the final was well earned. But as we all know, these couples and create a magical show in the final, and we are looking forward to it!
209 Timur Imametdinov – Nina Bezzubova, Germany
210 Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva, Russian Federation
230 Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno, Russian Federation
251 Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska, Germany
269 Charles-Guillaume Schmitt – Elena Salikhova, France
282 Andrea Silvestri – Martina Varadi, Hungary
It will be interesting to find out how the ranking will go after the first leg of the 2019 WDSF GrandSlam Latin.
As the last heats of Jive at the quarterfinal were running, the Romanian crowd started to get louder and louder. The ambience on the grandstands with all the clapping and supporting will most likely continue to grow as the semifinal gets closer and closer.
The couples are shining on the floor, and the crowd appreciates the recognisable signature moves with extra loud cheers.
The semifinalists are:
208 Konstantin Gorodilov - Dominika Bergmannova, Estonia
209 Timur Imametdinov – Nina Bezzubova, Germany
210 Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva, Russian Federation
214 Guillem Pascual - Rosa Carne, Spain
221 Jakub Lipowski – Diandra-Aniela Illes, Poland
230 Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno, Russian Federation
251 Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska, Germany
253 Edgar Marcos Borjas – Alina Nowak, Poland
262 Anton Aldaev – Natalia Polukhina, Russian Federation
269 Charles-Guillaume Schmitt – Elena Salikhova, France
277 Paul Moldovan - Cristina Tatar, Romania
282 Andrea Silvestri – Martina Varadi, Hungary
The crowd can continue supporting especially their own couple as Paul and Cristina proceeded to the top twelve.
48 couples have proceeded to the second round and the heat is up! The results for the top24 will arrive any minute now, as the last heat is doing their Jive right this minute.
The LIVE stream through Flodance.com from the quarterfinal onwards begins at 18:45 CET. By subscribing to the Flodance.com platform for an amount of 12,50 USD/month (provided you commit to a one-year subscription), or alternatively subscribing monthly for 30 USD, you are able to enjoy the all the best parts of the GrandSlam Latin live, from the cozyness of your own home, work place or, for example, together with your friends at their house.
General Secretary Nenad Jeftic confirms that the WDSF Sports Commission has established an Enforcement Committee. According to Mr. Jeftic, the mission of the committee is to make the Adjudicators aware that they are accountable and could very well be made responsible for their actions. The mission includes making the Adjudicators aware that the WDSF Sports Commission is responsible to take actions against them for safeguarding our sport.
Mr. Jeftic: ”The Enforcement Committee officials visit competitions to oversee the running of the competition by the organizer, and to observe the overall conduct of the Chairperson and the Adjudicators. The committee officials identify Adjudicators, who produce scores that are way under or over the average score of the computer detection system. The officials debrief and make a group assessment and recommendation after the debriefing session. Other measures include the Chairperson’s assessment of the Adjudicators’ conduct during each granted competition.”
The enforcement debriefing team consists of a chairperson, Mr. Nenad Jeftic, and the Enforcement Officers: Mr. Michael Eichert, Mr. Glenn Weiss, Mr. Gheorghe Raducan and Mr. Alberto Rodrigues.
The task of the debriefing team is to go a step forward to enforce a practice of strict monitoring of our Adjudicators’ performance, and to:
The Sports Commission had their meeting in Bucharest on Friday and Saturday.
The 2019 GrandSlam Latin Bucharest is running! The couples look amazing as they take over the dance floor heat by heat and round by round! It will become another fantastic afternoon and evening with these Latin SuperStars, we can feel it already!
Earlier this Sunday morning, we had a chance to talk with Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska (GER). And just like on Friday evening, we decided not to be too serious about it, and tried to learn something new about this wonderful top couple. And we surely did so! We talked about Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, movies, passion for cooking (yes, that seems to become a repeating theme at the moment!) and many more interesting and at the same time surprising things. And of course, we will share the best parts to you all later!
It was such a wonderful evening with GrandSlam Standard yesterday! The finalists pushed each other to perform their best, and after the final result was announced there were smiling faces all around the venue. Once more many congratulations to all the finalists and the semifinalists, you started the GrandSlam year 2019 with great joy, and offered many wonderful moments!
Today the dancers will write another chapter to the journal of the 2019 WDSF GrandSlam, as the Latin couples hit the floor. There are 88 couples on the starting list.
The Chairperson has set the star couples for the WDSF GrandSlam Latin. The star couples are:
209 Timur Imametdinov – Nina Bezzubova, Germany
230 Armen Tsaturyan – Svetlana Gudyno, Russian Federation
251 Marius-Andrei Bălan – Khrystyna Moshenska, Germany
210 Andrey Gusev – Vera Bondareva, Russian Federation
269 Charles-Guillaume Schmitt – Elena Salikhova, France
282 Andrea Silvestri – Martina Varadi, Hungary
253 Edgar Marcos Borjas – Alina Nowak, Poland
208 Konstantin Gorodilov – Dominika Bergmannova, Estonia
262 Anton Aldaev – Natalia Polukhina, Russian Federation
221 Jakub Lipowski – Diandra-Aniela Illes, Poland
252 Winson Tam – Anastasia Novikova, Canada
228 Ștefan Grigore – Laura Filipescu, Romania
The star couples will dance from the second round of the competition, estimated to start at 17:40 local time (16:40 CET).
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