DanceSport World reunited in Stuttgart 15/08/2022

It was shown on the faces of the Athletes and spectators, you could feel it in the atmosphere, and you could sense it among the officials. The German Open Championships 2022, a week long, multi-disciplined DanceSport event in Stuttgart gathered all the DanceSport lovers of different generations together to celebrate the hope of what it might be like at the end of the pandemic.

The crown jewels of the week, the WDSF GrandSlam Standard and Latin, and the WRRC World Championships Boogie Woogie were competed in front of the appreciating and fully packed hall of spectators, giving the athletes a huge amount of energy with their warm reception and admiration of their performances. The first standing ovations were given already on the second rounds, and as the competitions went on, the ambience of the venue rose to a whole another level.
The finalist couples of the 2022 WDSF GrandSlam Standard in Stuttgart demonstrated their very best, danced beautifully and made it look effortless. The following couples made it to the podium:

1. Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU)
2. Francesco Galuppo – Debora Pacini (ITA)
3. Tomas Fainsil – Violetta Fainsil (GER)

The final ranking was completed with Dmitri Kolobov – Signe Busk (DEN), Rares Cojoc – Andreea Matei (ROU) and Dariusz Mycka – Madara Freiberga (POL) on their fourth to sixth places.
The final of the 2022 WDSF GrandSlam Latin Stuttgart had a very special ending with Germany’s own Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska first dominating the final and then concluding the event with their Dance of Honor, a beautiful Rumba danced on Michael Jackson’s song Heal the World. There was no dry eye at the venue as the sea of lights filled the arena in appreciation of the couple, the dance and the touching message they sent across the globe.

The couples on the podium were:

1. Marius-Andrei Balan – Khrystyna Moshenska (GER)
2. Charles-Guillaume Schmitt – Elena Salikhova (FRA)
3. Edgar Marcos Borjas – Alina Nowak (POL)

The prize presentation ceremony was shared with Guillem Pascual – Diandra-Aniela Illes (ESP), Winson Tam – Anastasia Novikova (CAN) and Ionut Alexandru Miculescu – Andra Pacurar (ROU) on the fourth to sixth place in respective order.

The World Championships WRRC Boogie Woogie also took place on the last two days of the event. Main Class and Juniors had their final at Beethovensaal, bringing a whole another vibe to the venue. The new World Champions in Main Class, Dimitri Masotti – Alessia Ghezzo (ITA) were crowned on Saturday after a huge energy boost from the loud Italian members of the team sitting next to the floor. The 2021 World Champions, Masi Saurén – Anna Tyutyunyuk (FIN) made it to silver medals, while Nils Andrén – Bianca Locatelli (SWE) took home the bronze medals.

The Juniors and Seniors completed their World Championships on Friday. Fabio Rovedoni – Arianna Martinucci (ITA) had an amazing competition day in Juniors and the couple gained the World Championship title in Juniors, while Stéphane Martins – Stéphanie Arnaud (FRA) defended their World Title from last year successfully and won the World title in Seniors.

In addition to the GrandSlams and the World Championship events there were many interesting Opens, including in WheelChair Dance. It is thus safe to say that the World was once again reunited on the dancefloor, backstage and on live stream. As Marius-Andrei Balan said despite feeling emotional and speechless after their final dance, it truly gave hope for the future.