A Weekend Full of Emotions: Highlights from Disco Dance World Championships Shines in Elblag and the student-led METU Open

Revisit the past weekend’s highlights, from the electrifying Disco Dance World Championships in Poland to the student-driven DanceSport passion that united 10 nations in Türkiye.

The past weekend, the historic city of Elblag, Poland served as a major host in global DanceSport, welcoming 24 Disco Dance World Championships, 173 athletes and 8 different countries. It also hosted 18 Open Disco Dance competitions, bringing energetic, explosive energy to the dance floor.

At the same time, the heart of Türkiye, and the historical capital of Ankara, served as the dance floor for global community, hosting the METU Open. The METU Dance Team, a student society at Middle East Technical University, organised the event, a gathering that marks a milestone for dance growth in Türkiye and youth commitment as well as passion for DanceSport. With a total of 252 attending athletes from 10 different countries, and 16 Open Standard and Latin competitions, the 2nd edition they hosted following the pandemic interruption marks a huge milestone for the student-driven team.

“This student-driven spirit gives our competition its distinctive character. Our purpose is to broaden the horizons of DanceSport in Türkiye and strengthen its international visibility.”, the organisation shared.

Saturday, November 7th – The opening day in Elblag delivered high energy across the Disco Dance World Championships, featuring fierce competitions in solo, duo and team categories, alongside Disco Dance, Acrobatic Disco Dance and Disco Slow. The championships were honored by WDSF Vice President for Development and the Polish Dance Sport Association (PZST) president, Antoni Czyzyk, who presided over the official opening ceremony and joined athletes on stage for the awards ceremony.

Belgian athletes dominated the group divisions. Belgian teams claimed champions across the Junior Small Teams, Junior Large Teams, Adult Small Team, and Adult Large Team events. With impeccable performances and a unique sync, Belgium achieved an extraordinary podium sweep.

DISCO DANCE WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS

Ranking for Adult Disco Dance Team Small:

Xactly (BEL)
Team Felicity (BEL)
Legacy (BEL)

Belgian athletes continued to set a high bar at the Adult Disco Dance Duo World Championship. Amelie Beauprez and Kircke Debavelaere were the champions with their unmistakable chemistry and electrifying musicality; the duo doubled their win by also acquiring first place in the Disco Slow Adult category. The victory nurtures a history of wins for the duo, who were the Silver medalists in the European Championship back in May this year and the last Disco Dance Adult World Championship a year ago in Belgium.

Debuting on the world stage as a duo, Manon Galle and Chyara Van Kerschaver, earned a remarkable second-place finish. Showcasing versatility, both dancers secured first place on the podium with their Small and Large Adult Team competitions. Third place went for Kimberly Vereycken and Xena Vanhuyse, who had exceptional performances; the duo later on became champions of the Open Disco Dance Adult Category.

Ranking for Adult Disco Dance Duo:

Amelie Beauprez and Kircke Debavelaere (BEL)
Manon Galle and Chyara Van Kerschaver, (BEL)
Kimberly Vereycken and Xena Vanhuyse (BEL)

Across Junior categories in Disco Dance, Acrobatic Disco Dance and Disco Slow, rising talents from Poland, Sweden and Belgium shone by taking the most podium finishes.

Janja Dujovic, representing Serbia, won the Disco Dance Solo Adult title with an extraordinary routine, building on an elite run at the last European Championship in May, where she placed second on the podium. The Ukrainian athlete Dariia Tarane placed second on the podium, securing a double podium world championship win by also being the champion in the Disco Slow Adult Solo category. Hungarian Foldes Lili took third place.

Ranking for Disco Dance Solo Adult:

Podium DD world championships solo adult

You can check all the results here.

Meanwhile in Ankara, the passion of DanceSport took center stage. Competing on home soil, Turkish athletes had major achievements, representing the growth of the sport in the country and claiming the majority of podium positions across both the Standard and Latin disciplines.

In the Adult Standard Category, athletes Daniil Ishakov and Sofiya Smeleva from Kazakhstan asserted dominance with an authoritative performance, coming off a bronze medal at the recent Asian Championship in Standard Under 21. In a fiercely contested final, Turkish contenders Yigit Segmen Akgul and Basak Okyay claimed 2nd place with exceptional chemistry and poise, while Serbia’s duo Dmitry Makarov and Anastasia Stepanova took 3rd.

Ranking for Adult Standard:

Daniil Ishakov and Sofiya Smeleva (KAZ)
Yigit Segmen Akgul and Basak Okyay (TUR)
Dmitry Makarov and Anastasia Stepanova (SRB)

You can check all results for the category here.

In 5 of the 8 Open categories of the day, Turkish athletes secured 1st on the podium, portraying local athletes’ assertion of dominance. The Junior I Standard and Latin final was highlighted by an all-Turkish podium sweep. Ruzgar Koymen and Idil Malli were champions, and as embodiments of young talent and passion, they were ahead of their competition with high-point results. The duo also placed 2nd in the Latin Junior I category, securing 2 podiums.

In a contested podium, Ata Aydin and Defne Deniz Kocabay placed second. The duo secured a double podium by being the champions of the Latin Junior I category, with authentic chemistry and presence.

Bora Bilimgut and Nuray Bilimgut placed third in the Junior I Standard duo and Latin Junior I duo. The young couple demonstrated fierce and high competitiveness.

All these athletes were double-time podium finishers in their homeland, solidifying a dominant showing for Türkiye’s next generation of DanceSport athletes.

Results for Junior I Standard:

Ruzgar Koymen and Idil Malli (TUR)
Ata Aydin and Defne Deniz Kocabay (TUR)
Bora Bilimgut and Nuray Bilimgut (TUR)

You can check all results here.

Sunday, November 8th – The second and final day of the WDSF World Championships in Disco Dance was filled with incomparable energy and performances. A total of 14 Open Disco Dance divisions competed, including Small and Large teams in Juvenile, Adult, and Junior categories, as well as Disco Dance solos and duos in Adult, Youth, Junior I, Junior II, Juvenile I, and Juvenile II.

A large number of dancers competed continuously throughout the day with their teams, duos, and as soloists, being an example of elite DanceSport level preparation and commitment. Belgian athletes again had exceptional performances, once again leading podium positions. In the Open Adult Disco Dance Solo category, Kyara Nuyts led the charge, capturing the title with a standout solo routine. Her gold is added to major achievements through the weekend, having earned silver in Open Adult Disco Dance Duo and another gold with her Open Adult Large Team formation that same day, and third place in Disco Dance World Championships in the small and large team category the day before.

disco dance competition photos

Silver went to Amelie Beauprez, cementing her status as a triple-podium finisher after claiming two world titles the day before in the Disco Dance and Disco Slow Adult Duo categories. Strengthening Belgium’s dominance and level of competitiveness, the third-place finish was a tie between Kaya Hermans and Xena Vanhuyse.

Ranking for Adult Disco Dance Solo:

Kyara Nuyts (BEL)
Amelie Beauprez (BEL)
- 4 Kaya Hermans (BEL) and Xena Vanhuyse (BEL)

Open disco dance solo podium

You can check all the results here.

Meanwhile in Ankara, the excitement reached another peak with the International Open in the Latin Adult category, bringing electrifying stamina and rhythmic power to the Dance floor. The Georgian athletes Oto Tsiklauri and Yadviga Banshchikova took the gold, leaning on their strong competitive history to deliver an impeccable performance. The runners-up were Daniil Pisankin and Anastasiya Shina, representing Kazakhstan and Bulgarian athletes Nikolay Kolev and Ekaterini Kratira secured third on the podium. Round after round, all three couples captivated the audience with body control, technical precision, and the authentic expression of Latin dance.

Ranking for Adult Latin:

Oto Tsiklauri and Yadviga Banshchikova (GEO)
Daniil Pisankin and Anastasiya Shina (KAZ)
Nikolay Kolev and Ekaterini Kratira (BUL)

You can check all results here.

DANCE PASSION ACROSS GENERATIONS

As the past weekend comes to an end, the events in Elblag and Ankara demonstrated that athletes across styles and different age groups share the same devoted passion for DanceSport. The World Championships in Poland brought all generations together through the explosive energy of Disco Dance, while the METU Open in Ankara highlighted the essential role young leaders play in the growth of global DanceSport and community.

The WDSF extends its sincere gratitude to organisers, officials and everyone who works tirelessly to unite the international dance community and celebrate the spirit of DanceSport.