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Belgrade Ravaged Again!
Beodance Open Championship
Report by: Didio Barrera
Among the living cities of the world, Belgrade holds the record for the number of times it has been ravaged. But unlike the previous times, this time it was a friendly bombardment of dancers from many different parts of the world that targeted Belgrade at the Beodance Open, October 1st through the 2nd 2005.
The fantastically lit and tastefully decorated sport hall in new Belgrade was shelled twice, but both times with different but equally incredible results. First came the IDSF Latin Saturday night with close to one hundred couples participating. This night the attendance at the modest sized arena was near to capacity and the audience made the building shudder with thunderous applause and unstoppable cheering that at times even rivaling the orchestra that played for all evening events. By the way I'm hardly a fan of orchestras but this one made me wonder. To hear what I thought of this orchestra and orchestras in general, click on my article "To Orchestrate or Not Orchestrate."
With full television coverage the battle for the Beo Dance IDSF Latin Championship began and after many rounds of elimination, neighboring Slovenia walked away with the top three placements in this final. And that's not all, in a heartfelt struggle they too were able to overtake all the others in the Standard division Sunday night taking home silver and gold there as well.
The partnership of Matej Krajcer & Iwona Golczak won the Latin Cup. But, were they in top form? There were a number of surprises for me in this Slovenian Latin attack. So click on my article entitle "Precision Verses Freedom" to find out what these surprises were or you can click on Sergej Milicija, a former World Latin ShowDance Champion to find out how it all unfolded.
The IDSF Standard won by Domen Krapez & Monika Nigro, held the most thrills for me this weekend. Five very exciting and seasoned competitors took to the floor and battled it out dance by dance in this very exiting final. I say five because I think one of the couples, although very talented and capable, was a bit out of their league for me and perhaps should not have been in this final. This final also showcased what I would call a rare and brilliant talent. So, to find out whom the couples are that I'm talking about and my thoughts on this competition, click on my article entitled "Enough of the Shtick." You can also read an article on this event by one of Italy's personalities, Fabio Bosco, so click on his name and find out if he agrees with me or not.
Before I get to my closing statements of this incredible weekend of dance, I want to recognize another one of Slovenia's best. This was Andrej Scufka and Katerina Venturini who brought the house down Saturday night with a dynamite show. I particularly liked their "chair" number. It is very unique, to take a peek at this couple's maneuvers click on "The Bomb Shell."
Yes, the architecture of Belgrade reflects the violent history and its capricious history. Times of peace rarely exceeded fifty years and just recently, in the last spring of the 20th century the city was targeted by NATO for 78 days and that left its mark upon its appearance. Though a metropolis scared with history, Belgrade remains unquenchably optimistic. It is hospitable and lively and I was totally enchanted by the terrain and most of all, the beauty of its people. To read about my experience in this wonderful city, click on my article entitled "Belgrade, a Mystic Wonder." You can also see a video of the city by clicking on "Sights Video" (modem | broadband) and you can click on "Venue Video" (modem | broadbrand) to get a feel for the comp.
I would like to thank Nenad Jeftic, the organizer of the Beo Dance Championship, for giving me the opportunity to experience Belgrade's people, history and dancing. I could have never imagined that dancing in Belgrade was so active and progressive, and that the city is so much fun and is alive and well. This was a delightful surprise, especially when so many people questioned my decision to attend. For those people I have to say one thing, "you don't know what you are missing!" The people of Belgrade might have been targeted and bombed many times, but they are happy and they show it in their culture, especially in the art of DanceSport.
There were many other competitions besides the IDSF events at this 2005 Beo Dance Championship. All competitions were fully packed with competitors from many countries. Here is a list of all the events we covered. Click on the event's name to get a full review and videos:
Foot note: It was great to see that many of the top couples in all the divisions mentioned just above participated in both Latin & Standard styles. This is becoming a rare thing in the west. I hope we all take example from these couples' success.