Going South 17/10/2016

On Friday 14 October 2016, Mrs Irina Petrova – stating to continue in office as President of the Russian DanceSport Union (RDSU) and to act on its behalf – announced the unilateral cancellation of the fifth leg of the 2016 GrandSlam Series scheduled to be held from 28 to 30 October in Moscow. The WDSF Managing Committee started immediately with efforts to salvage the event.

While these were in progress and the first contacts with other organisers established, a second RDSU letter was received from Mr Denis Kuznetsov. He reported on the election of a new RDSU Presidium at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 12 October 2016. Signing the letter as the newly elected President, Mr Kuznetsov expressed his hopes for a relationship of trust and collaboration between WDSF and RDSU.

To build on the latter, the Managing Committee invited Mr Kuznetsov and his Presidium to look for ways to produce the GrandSlam in Moscow and according to original schedule. All options were considered. Even to make the leg coincide in time and place with the WRRC World Rock ‘n’ Roll Championship and the WRRC World Masters Boogie Woogie also held in the Russian capital on the same weekend! In this context, WDSF wishes to express its gratitude to the WRRC and the Russian R&R Federation for all their help. In the end, however, keeping the GrandSlam in Moscow was not viable – not in terms of finances and logistics.

That is why the members of the Managing Committee have voted unanimously to take Publiolimpia, the organiser of the annual Platja d’Aro DanceSport Festival, and the Spanish DanceSport Federation up on their generous offer to jump in at the last moment and to host the GrandSlam leg in Platja d’Aro on Saturday 29 (Standard) and Sunday 30 October (Latin).

The Costa Brava resort 70 km to the north of Barcelona is a perennial host to top-level DanceSport events. The last GrandSlam was held there in October 2012. This year’s leg will coincide with the World U-21 Standard and the World SEN II Ten Dance that are also taking place during the Festival.

Check the website of the 2016 Platja d'Aro DanceSport Festival for all information regarding the GrandSlam.

Last but not least, the WDSF Sports Director contacted Mrs Irina Petrova for confirmation of her earlier statement that all other WDSF competitions scheduled between 26 and 30 October as part of the Russian Open Championship in Moscow would indeed be held. In a personal email to the Sports Director she wrote on 17 October 2016:

We confirm the holding of other WDSF and national competitions.

Russian Open Championship will be held in full except the GrandSlams Standard and Latin.


We confirm too Invitations all foreign adjudicators.  In addition, adjudicators of the GrandSlam who have already bought tickets, we are looking forward to the competition. They will be judged by other groups. We are ready to send them such confirmation.