World Professional 10-Dance Championship
Report by Stephan Krauel
This years World Professional 10 Dance Championship was organised in Italy on the 22nd and 23rd of October in a town named Ostia near to the City of Rome. It was unbelievable that the weather was so hot this particular week-end because normally at this time of the year in Italy it starts to get cold. The competition was taken over the 2 days, but the actual opening ceremony was on the Sunday 23rd .
Couples from 19 countries making this spectacular event a total of 26 participants. I have seen over the past years many 10 dance championships both Professional and Amateur but I must say this is the first time, in my opinion, that the Board of Adjudicators chosen for this event was definitely the most prestigious. I am sure that many people were involved for the success of this championship and because I personally don't know who they are I would like to express my compliments to everybody, but in particular to the Organisers Daniele Di Gennaro and Francesco Romano not only for the organisation but on behalf of the adjudicators, for the individual attention that each person received.
Davide Cacciari and Mauro Vispi I must say did a fantastic job in every sense of the word if you needed their help or something had to be done they were there Congratulations to both of you.
I haven't seen for a long time a Sports Hall, apart from the Italian Championships, where the audience took part in this competition and this I'm sure was a pleasure for every competitor.
As in every competition some couples are not so fortunate to get through to the next round, after the first round of both Standard and Latin American only 6 couples were eliminated.
In the second round the adjudicators were asked to choose 12 but because the level was so high, 15 couples got into the semi-final.
I must say this is probably the first or one of the rarest occasions when it was not clear who was going to be the Winner. From the semi-final onwards some couples got back in Standard and some in Latin American, so at this stage it was not probable to say who was going to be the six finalists.
And if the same six in each section. As it happened, not totally, the Standard final was more or less the same six couples only one couple got back to this final in one dance, but the Latin American final was made up of not even six couples but in 3 dances seven couples and in 2 dances eight couples and only five of these couples were in the Standard section but even the results of each individual dance was, lets say devastating. To watch these 2 finals, it was to me like watching two completely different competitions, so how could you say who the winner was, this is the problem in a 10 dance competition each couple is judged by each individual dance and not by a section or a certain discipline for example Standard or Latin American.
Even in the early rounds there were some couples who where very good in Standard but not so in the Latin American section and vice versa and probably these couples do much better when its not a 10 dance competition.
Standard Final
1st Stefano Fanasca - Michela Battisti
They danced from the first round to win this Standard section. They have improved drastically from the last time I saw them. A neat, dynamic and musical couple who I think have acquisted what a champion has which is dancing with an impeccable style.
2nd Stanislav Belmemtov - Natalia Urban
A very tall and elegant couple especially in the slow dances but not so sharp and clean in tango and quickstep but they have improved extremely over the last year.
3rd Alessandro Garofalo - Annamaria Bassano
Annamaria has everything what a female dancer should have the other girls have to work on it, you have it naturally. I have always liked this couple and I expect more from them because their such a good looking couple and also good dancers but I realise that because they dedicate more time to their Latin American dancing its not possible to please everybody. Good luck for the future.
4th Alex Hou -Melody Hou
This couple I noticed right from the first round and they definitely deserved this final, they were one of the couples who also reached the Latin American final. Over the 10 dances they were to me the most balanced couple being quite equal in the two styles. However in this final they could have been 3rd.
5th Sergej Diemke - Katsiaryne Tsimafeyeva
Another couple which I expected more from them in the final and it didn't happen. As each round went on they lost their concentration I presume the reason was because they were one of the couples who also danced the Latin final and its not easy to change from one discipline to another, but still overall a very promising couple.
6th Gherman Mustuc - Iveta Lukosiute
Having danced only 4 dances in this final and not Quickstep their Latin is their strongest point but I believe they could also be a very good Standard couple perhaps somebody should advise them.
Eddie Stutts - Viktoria Belova
This couple I liked so much but they only got into the final in Quickstep and Jive. Just 2 dances and 2 finals. I don't know what the judges didn't like about them in the other dances. They started this competition with the correct approach and enthusiasm.
Latin Final
1st Aleksander Berezin - Irina Pechenove
They were first in all five dances so they were easily the winners for these adjudicators. In this final their dancing was superb and each individual dance was so rhythmical. They have a great ability to accelerate and decelerate and I think this is definitely their main asset but unfortunately they didn't get into the Standard final and so the possibility to win this 10 dance Championship was excluded for them.
2nd Alessandro Garofolo - Annamaria Bassano
They could have won this Latin section but I'm sure at this stage of the competition they were tired after already dancing the Standard final. To dance a 10 dance competition is not easy for any competitor changing from one discipline to another both mental and physical and Alessandro and Annamaria had a good chance to win this 10 dance Championship because to me they are one of the few couples that are complete in all 10 dances.
3rd Plamen Danailov - Radostina Gerova
They were placed 3rd in all dances but they did not make the final in any dance of the Standard section. This couple did not impress me in the earlier rounds but I did like them in this final.
4th Alex Hou - Melody Hou
This couple a very neat and pleasant couple to watch both in Latin and Standard. They were to my opinion a very strong overall 10 dance couple and so apart from the individual result of each section they finished high in the Gran final.
5th Sergej Diemke - Katsiaryne Tsimafeyeva
Also very good latin dancers and they also did quite well in the Standard section. Their overall result could have been higher.
6th and 7th in this final was a tie between 2 couples
Stefano Fanasca - Michela Battisti and Gherman Mustuc - Iveta Lukosiute
Stefano and Michela were unlucky because they easily won the Standard section but in the Latin section the contestants were very good. Gherman and Iveta had roughly the same result in both sections.
Another 2 couples made this Latin final but only in 1 dance
Kyrylo Malyovanyy - Olga Malyovana being placed 4th in the jive and
Eddie Stutts - Viktoria Belova being placed 6th in this dance.
So after two great finals the distinguished Panel of Adjudicators were:-
From Canada: Ann Harding
Denmark: Soffie Dalsgaard
Estonia: Helen Klandorf-Sadam
Germany: Karl Breuer
Great Britain: Jane Lyttleton-Byrnes
Iceland: Sigurdur Hakonarson
Japan: Setsuko Tanaka
Russia: Stansilav Popov
South Africa: Lilian Dooley -Phororo
United States of America: Stephan Krauel
Italy: Gianni D'Oria
Came to this Result
1st Alessandro Garofalo - Annamaria Bassano
2nd Stefano Fanasca - Michela Battisti
3th Alex Hou - Melody Hou
4th Sergej Diemke - Katsiaryne Tsimafeyeva
5th Alexsander Berezin - Irina Pechenova
6th Gherman Mustuc - Iveta Lukosiute
7th Stanislav Belmemtov - Natalia Urban
Stephan Krauel is a former U.S. Pro Representative to the World 10-Dance Championships.