WDC European Professional Latin-American Championship

On April 15th 2017 WDC European Professional Latin-American Championship will take place in Kremlin Palace.

European Championship will be held with the support of general sponsor “Gazprombank”. Official partner – “Yatek”.

It will be the sixth time for Russia to host this championship. For the first time the strongest couples of Europe came to Saint-Petersburg for European Championship in 2002, and the champions’ title went to Bryan Watson and Carmen (Germany). The second championship took place in Moscow in 2005 and Bryan and Carmen repeated their success there. Again in Moscow, in 2008, new leaders of Latin-american dancing, Michal Malitowsky and Joanna Leunis, who represented Poland at that time, became the champions. And starting from 2014 the continental centre of Latin dancing has moved to Moscow – for three years in a row European Championships were have been held in State Kremlin Palace. In 2014 the champions’ title went to Russian champions Sergey Surkov and Melia, in 2015 – to Slovenian champions Andrej Skufca and Melinda, and in 2016 – to Russian champions, Evgeny Smagin and Polina Kazatchenko.

Last year for Evgeny and Polina became the final one in their competitive career. They gracefully left the floor, placing fourth at WDC World Latin-American Championship which took place also in Kremlin in October last year. The farewell ceremony was highly emotional, both for many fans of Evgeny and Polina’s dancing and for their fellow dancers-colleagues.

So, the throne is empty, and who will take it is extremely interesting. One of the main contenders, who literally blowed up all major WDC finals last year and already got into the final of UK 2017 – two Russian couples, Nikita Brovko and Olga Urumova and Kirill Belorukov and Polina Teleshova. Also one of the favourites can be considered a couple from Moldova, Dorin Frecautanu and Marina Sergeeva. Strong chances for the final have Italian couples – Emanuele Soldi and Elisa Nasato, Massimo Arcolin and Laura Zmajkovicova, and last European championship’s finalists Stefano Moriondo and Daria Glukhova. Pavel Zvychayniy and Oxana Lebedew from Germany perform superbly as well, and last year they became World Professional Showdance champions.

An open status of the Championship will surely attract participants from Russia and other European countries. We expect bronze winners of Russian Champinship-2016 Valentin Voronov and Alina Imrekova, 2016 Championship finalists Ruslan Aidaev and Valeria Kozharinova. Successfully perform at all WDC events Anton Sboev and Patricia Ranis, Andrey and Anastasia Kiselev, Stanislav Nikolaev and Ulyana Maksimkina, Anton and Valeria Semenov, Pavel Troshichev and Olga Zalivalova. Interesting couples represent Great Britain – Gunnar Gunnarson and Marika Doshoris, Arkady Bakenov and Rosa Filipello.

The competition will be held with the sound accompaniment of “7 Winds” band directed by honorary artiste of Russia Georgy Musheev.

Within the European Latin event, there will be held Kremlin Cup among amateurs. This time it will be the strongest representatives of ballroom dancing. At present time, Russia is without doubts among the leaders in this competitive field. Three Russian couples became the finalists of major open championships- Blackpool Dance Festival, International Championships and UK 2017. They are Fedor Isaev-Anna Zudilina, Diego Arias Prado-Ekaterina Ermolina, Ivan Novikov-Margarita Klimenko. And if we also remember about World Professional Ballroom Championships that will take place in Kremlin in 2017 and 2018, it will be great to dream about something like this at those competitions.

Again the audience will have a chance to walk onto the dance floor, still hot after competition fight and enjoy their own dancing. This time except “7 Winds”, the whole general dancing section will be done by Marina Polteva, Russian singer, who combined in her art the genres of fadu and morna. The very style that was introduced to the world by Cesaria Evora. For her special sincerity and warmth of singing, audience gave Marina a pseudonym Paloma-‘dove’.

And of course again will sparkle on the kremlin floor argentine tango. This time it will be performed by a beautiful couple, Finalists of Mundial 2016, World Argentine Tango Championship in Buenos Aires, Dmitry Vasin and Sogdiana Khamzina. Surprises from participants of show program await the audience, and the names of those participants haven’t been yet revealed by the organizers.

The organizer and master of ceremony is honorary worker of art of Russian Federation, Russian Dance Union President, Honorary WDC Vice-President, Mr. Stanislav Popov.

Appreciators of dancing will be able to watch the competition live on www.dancesport.ru