Franco's Back

We might just get to see Franco on the dance floor again! Franco is partnering with Olga Müller-Omeltchenko. Olga has not competed in 10 years but has a fair share of titles and top rankings under her belt. It'll be interesting to see what this partnership looks like on the dance floor. Blackpool this year should be interesting.

Watch Olga doing a rumba with her former partner, Ralf Müller. She reminds me of Andra Vaidilaite.

Finally! Some Blackpool Videos

Videos for the Blackpool Latin Final - Enjoy!

2011 WDSF World Championship Results

The WDSF World Championships were held in my hometown, Singapore, this weekend. The results of the Adult Latin were a little different from that of the last WDSF competition. Also - watching the youtube videos I was a little surprised that Charles Guillame Schmidt didn't do better.

1. Zoran Plohl - Tatsiana Lahvinovich, Croatia
2. Andrey Zaytsev - Anna Kuzminskaya, Russian Federation
3. Aniello Langella - Khrystyna Moshenska, Italy
4. Martino Zanibellato - Michelle Abildtrup, Denmark
5. Gabriele Pasquale Goffredo - Anna Matus, Moldavia
6. Pavel Pasechnik - Francesca Berardi, Italy

For videos, check out DanceSportTotal on YouTube.

Valentin Chmerkovskiy Ends His Competitive Career

Valentin Chmerkovskiy has decided to end his competitive career. In a message to his supporters he expressed that the changes in the competitive world and regulations that hindered him from competing, were a big factor in his decision. These details came after speculation that his partner, Dariya, had ended their partnership. In any case, we wish him the best. And who knows, he may just pull a Stefano.

To read Val's full message, visit http://www.dancesportinfo.net/Articles/7511.aspx

Jurij and Jogoda Turn Professional

Jurij Batagelj and Jagoda Strukelj, the winners of the 2011 UK Open and Blackpool Dance Festival in the Amateur Latin category have decided to turn professional. Winning Blackpool this year was a great accomplishment for the couple and they have decided to move on to the professional realm. The Slovenian couple will be making their first professional appearance at the 2012 UK Championship.

I cannot help but wonder if this has anything to do with their alignment with the WDC versus the IDSF. But best of luck to the both of them!



Image courtesy of Danceportinfo.net

Nino and Kristina Defeat Zoran and Tatsiana

Could this be a sign of things to come? Earlier this month, at the WDSF Grand Slam in Chengdu, China, Aniello Langella and Kristina Moshenskaya defeated Zoran Plohl and Tatsiana Lahvinoch. With a lead of five points, Nino and Kristina were in first place. Martino Zanibellato and Michelle Abildtrup followed in third place. It will be interesting to see where Andrei Zaitsev and his partner Anna Kuzminstkaya place within the finals, and how the Zoran and Tatsiana react to the result. I say rise above it all and let the dancing speak for itself.

6 Ways to Dance Your Cha Cha

When watching all of the finalists in the European IDSF dance final, I was struck by how each couple had a distinct style within the cha cha. Each one of them has their own set of positive traits and flavour. As a female dancer, I almost always tend to look at the girls. I love how grounded Anna is in her dancing, Kyrtyna's aggressiveness and Tatsiana's precision. Take a look at the videos and see what strikes your fancy.

Alexei Silde & Anna Firstova Retiring!

Alexei Silde and Anna Firstova have retired form competitive ballroom dancing! They will be focusing on coaching and adjudicating. the couple has won various multiple IDSF World Amateur Latin and IDSF World Professional Latin championships. I wonder if the stress of sticking solely to IDSF did them in.

Its truly unfortunate - they were an amazing couple who deserved their number 1 position. But thanks to YouTube their legacy shall live on :)

Blackpool Professional Latin Final Results

Michael Malitowski - Joanna Leunis (Poland)
Riccardo Cocchi - Yulia Zagorouitchenko (Usa)
Sergey Sourkov - Agnieszka Melnicka (Russia)
Andrej Skufca - Melinda Torokgyorgy (Slovenia)
Stefano Di Filippo - Olga Urumova (Italy)
Maurizio Vescovo - Andra Vaidilaite (Canada)

Maurizio was only one dance away from 5th place! So close!

Gotta Love the Italians

I discovered the Italians this week. In addition to the beautiful Italian sites, great designers, delicious food, cute boys and soccer – Italy has produced great dancers as well. Maurizio Vescovo naturally comes to mind, but let's not forget the amateur couples. Some of the ones I have discovered (or been introduced to) are Gabriele Goffredo and his then partner, sister Antonia Goffredo; and Nino Langella and Kristina Moshenskaya. Their speed, rhythm and precision is amazing. Even more reason to love anything Italian.

Check them out in action:

Franco and Oxana Split!

Just read this on dancesportinfo.net. Truly saddening! But we wish them the best for their future endeavours.

By mutual agreement, Franco Formica & Oxana Lebedew decided to terminate their partnership after 4 years of dancing with each other. They were several times German Professional Latin champions, bronze medalists of the WDC World Professional Latin championships and WDC European Professional Latin. Franco and Oxana were hugely popular couple with the audience wherever they competed. Amongst their achievements they can count the 3rd place at the Blackpool Festival, UK Open and the International.

Yulia and Riccardo - DWTS May 2

Yulia and Riccardo's jive from Dancing With the Stars last night. Enjoy!

2010 Grand Ball Showcase of Champions

The talent that was invited to last year's Grand Ball in BC was amazing. All of the finalists performed show dances. The rumba by Mija and Nadya from Slovenia (performed to James Blunt's Goodbye My Lover) was especially touching. I only recently found this video but still wanted to share it. The calibre of dancing was spectacular and I look forward to competing again this year.

WDC 2011 Results

My shrieks this morning may have alarmed the neighbours, but I could hardly contain myself. For the second time in a row Yulia and Riccardo won the world dance championships!

The final results were as follows:

1.) Riccardo Cocchi - Yulia Zagoruychenko (USA)

2.) Michael Malitowski - Joanna Leunis (Poland)

3.) Sergey Surkov - Melia (Russia)

4.) Franco Formica - Oksana Lebedew (Germany)

5.) Andrej Skufca - Melinda Torokyorgy (Slovenia)

6.) Maurizio Vescovo - Andra Vadilaite (Canada)

But that was not the only (pleasant) surprise. Maurizio and Andra were in the finals as well, placing sixth. Franco and Oxana were knocked from the third spot by Sergey and Melia. Is this an indication of Blackpool next month? We'll see.

The live cast of the finals made it quite difficult to see all of the couples dancing. Hopefully some YouTube videos will be posted soon.

Ballroom Bootcamp - with Maurizio!

This upcoming week will be especially gruelling. In addition to my four weekly lessons with my coaches, we will be having lessons with none other than Maurizio Vescovo. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. At the recent UK Open, he represented Canada and placed 7. We are so very honoured to have him. The video below is of his paso doble with his former partner (Melinda) - some may argue that his paso is his best dance.

My New Favourite Samba Video

I don't know what it is about this video but everytime I watch it I just wanted to give my next round my all. All of the couples are amazing for various reasons. Someday I will master that hip roll Anna does (0:28).

Never Take Yourself Too Seriously

This video was a great laugh.

Simple is Beautiful

Whenever I have seen great dancing - especially in a rumba, the term "oozing" comes to mind. There is tension in every move, and everything comes together to tell a story. However, I don't think "stunts" are really necessary to do so. Yeah, people clap when you spread your legs and reach for the heavens. Bur there is something beautiful when a simple routine is executed with passion and impecible technique. The following are two videos that exemplify the theory that simplicity can be exceptionally beautiful.


(Justinas and Anna)


(Allan Tornsberg and Vibeke Toft)

Be careful if you dance with the devil, you never know how long it'll last.

It is true that had it not been for my ex-boyfriend I would not have discovered my love for latin ballroom. However, we had made the wise decision not to partner together. We would often that get questioned - isn't it weird to watch your boyfriend dance with someone else? To be perfectly honest, it wasn't always easy to do so. But hey, I was pressed up against someone else too - so it was all fair.

Usually after a break-up one never has to see their ex again. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. But now that our relationship has ended, I can truly say that our decision to dance seperately was the best one we could have made for our dance career. I don't have to find a new partner! I am not saying that this is the case for everyone. There are many couples who have been able to have both a successful dance career and relationship together.

However, there are cases of successful partnerships coming to an end due to the relationship factor. If Karina and Slavik had not fallen prey to the breakup curse, they may have very well become world champions. Slavik is once again partnerless (at least for the time being) after his recent break up with Anna. Anna has since partnerered up with her new boyfriend Justinas Duknausko (who recently split up with Ekatrina).

Dancing is hard enough on its own. Furthermore, maintaining a positive relationship with one's dance partner is a challenge in itself without the stresses of being in a romantic relationship. But on the other hand would anyone else really understand my obsessive 5 days a week practice schedule and dancing provocatively with a dance partner? I guess it really depends on the individual. It's all a double-edged sword.

Check out Anna's rumba with her new partner Justinas:

New Favourite Rumba

I am absolutely in love with this rumba. I wish I could chop Oxana's arms and stick them on to mine.

Hope you enjoy it!