The GrandSlam Standard Wuhan will go down in history. The quality of dancing was outstanding and the scores were exceptionally tight. The Judging System 3.0 was used for the second time with 0.25 increments making the 1 - 10 scale even more suitable for finer distinction between the couples' performances. And yet it produced a perfect tie between Dmitry Zharkov - Olga Kulikova, RUS, and Simone Segatori - Annette Sudol, GER, in the round of 24: 192.917 vs 192.917!
In the final the scores were 195.290 vs 195.249, repspectively! Having a margin as negligible as 0.04 deciding over the outcome of this GrandSlam Standard makes it virtually impossible to speak of victors and runners-up in the traditional sense of the word. This final could have gone either way - and the two top couples know it perfectly well.
Relive this incredible GrandSlam Standard through our Vimeo on Deman programme. The price for a 3-months streaming period is reduced to US$ 3.25 (unfortunately, the host broadcaster failed to record the first two dances of the semi-final). Pre-order 2017 GrandSlam Standard Wuhan
The coverage coming out of this Wuhan leg of the 2017 GrandSlam Series was not as forthcoming as we would have liked it to be. To list all the technical problems that we were forced to contend with would not do us any good. And looking at the bright side of life: there is still much more to come your way ... YouTube videos that still need uploading. Photos that we are supposed to receive ...
Stay tuned for more over the coming days!
What a GrandSlam Standard final we have just seen here in Wuhan. Unbelievable! Probably the tightest race ever between two equally gifted couples: with scores of 195.290 for the winners, Dmitry Zharkov and Olga Kulikova, RUS, and 195.249 for the runners-up, Simone Segatori and Annette Sudol. And with both couples fully aware hat this could race have gone either way, there is even easy consolation for the one coming in second.
There are still a few YouTube clips that will go up of yesterday's GrandSlam Latin. But you may also want to consider pre-ordering the Vimeo on Demand programme with the full-length semi-final and final.
It is another one of those must-watch programmes showing spectacular dancing by the world's best Latin couples and featuring the many duels that are fought between them during the decisive stages. Andrey Gusev - Vera Bondareva placed ahead of the Russian Champions Armen Tsaturyan - Svetlana Gudyno in the World Open in Pieve die Cento two weeks ago. Can they do it again here?
Timur Imametdinov - Nina Bezzubova narrowly defeated Andrei Balan - Khrystyna Moshenska for the title of German Champions three weeks ago in Siegburg. How will it end here?
Find out all the answers in the 90-minute Vimeo on Demand programme - at an incredibly fair price of US$ 3.75 for a 3-month streaming period.
The 2017 GrandSlam Latin Wuhan Semi-Final was preceded by an Opening Ceremony of the kind that one only gets to see here in China. Not much was left to improvisation and the well choreographed spectacle with its sights and sounds, plus a few speeches too, extended over close to 45 minutes.
The other highlight was the dancing by the six finalist couples. All seemed to be particularly motivated as it was a the last GrandSlam danced in this populous city in Central China, and as the audience cheered them one as if there were no tomorrow.
We released the Wuhan issue of our GrandSlam Magazine yesterday. Breaking for Gold was the cover story there as well. Including some great photographs taken by Little Shao and Maurice van der Meijs. The YOG 2018 video edited by Mason Rose can also be watched through the magazine
The other novelty of the issue is an initiative by SWAROVSKI, our collaborator and title sponsor in the GrandSlam Series for the third year running. To find out more about the habits of their end consumers, the SWAROVSKI marketing department invites you to take a survey and win a dazzling dance costume worth 1,000 €! And lots of other glittering prizes!
It should take you only a few minutes and you have time until April 17, when the competition closes. SWAROVSKI will inform the lucky winners by e-mail shortly after that date.
Take the survey here!
WDSF circulated a press release on the Qulaification System for the Breaking events at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games yesterday. In fact, the information that went out to our Presidium Members first and then to our National Member Bodies was quite a bomshell - all things considered.
Qualifying for the Olympics by submitting a video, that should be without precedent in the history of sports. And the fact that WDSF staff and eminent members of the professional breaking scene join forces to deliver the three events - B-Boy 1 vs 1, B-Girl 1 vs 1 and Breaking Mixed Team 2 vs 2 - to the highest standards should be another first.
Have you seen the Breaking for Gold website yet? That's where thousands of b-boys/girls will upload their videos between 1 May and 31 July.
"Yes, that is great. I spent 30 years to defend my federation FIDS, IDSF, then WDSF and now I have to digest this "freedom to dance" ... Super!"
Sergio Rotaris, WDSF Presidium Member
"It is a historical moment for WDSF! As Sergio mentioned, 30 years ago in Slovenia our breakers were always invited to enrich the Standard and Latin competitions, maybe the time is right to make it the other way around!"
Verena Sulek, WDSF Professional Division Director and WDSF Presidium Member
Compared to last time we met them at the inaugural GrandSlam Latin leg in Helsinki, FIN, Marius-Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska, GER, feel full of energy and ready to hit the floor, even after having flown close to 9,000 kilometers - stopover in Beijing included - to get to Wuhan.
As you recall, in Finland they had to drop out of the competition due to exhaustion - after performing all of five dances ... A story of fatigue and doping controls
We caught up with the two right after the lavish "Wuhan Welcome Banquet," Western cuisine with an excellent Bordeaux, another of the traditions that will be sorely missed in the future, should Wuhan no longer be host to the second GrandSlam in the Series. And that's the way it looks.