The fifth and final leg of the WDSF GrandSlam series is approaching this weekend, before the top stars of the World DanceSport Federation take on the GrandSlam Final in Shanghai this upcoming December. 

The Russian Open Championships (ROC), sanctioned and organized by the Russian Federation of DanceSport and Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll, are currently already underway at the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Center in Moscow, Russia. FloDance will be streaming both the Standard and Latin GrandSlams, each of which will be taking place over the course of two days.

Let us first take a sneak peek at the Latin GrandSlam, which will be begin this Friday, October 26th and continue to Saturday, October 27^th. On Friday, the first two rounds of the GrandSlam will commence. All following rounds, all the way up to the final, will conclude the next day, Saturday the 27^th. 

Witness the Best of the Best

This is the first GrandSlam to take place after the WDSF World Latin Championships have taken place on October 6^th, 2018, and new champions were crowned – Russia took the Gold. Armen Tsaturyan and Svetlana Gudyno finally achieved the feat of a lifetime and are now back on home territory to take part on a major event of the World DanceSport Federation. After the World Championships and European Championships, WDSF GrandSlams are the next strongest events that dancers have the ability to participate in. 

Last year, this GrandSlam gathered a total of 221 couples, with more than half being from the hosting country itself. Actually, 187 of the 221 participating couples were from Russia! Moldova took the Gold - Gabriele Goffredo and Anna Matus who are now dancing in the Professional Division, and Armen and Svetlana took the Silver. This year most likely the crowing World Champions will now take the highest step on the pedestal, and the crowd will go wild to see Armen and Svetlana dancing their honor dance. 

Armen Tsaturyan & Svetlana Gudyno | Solo Rumba | 2017 GrandSlam Latin Moskow

However, nothing is ever certain. Timur Imametdinov and Nina Bezzubova, representing the country of Germany, took the Bronze last year. They have been progressing year after year since their partnership first began in 2014. By the public, they are usually one of the most beloved couples of this industry. Numerous times throughout their time of dancing together have they received standing ovations for their solo presentations. Many look forward to seeing them each and every event.

Timur Imametdinov & Nina Bezzubova | Solo Rumba | 2017 GrandSlam Latin Moscow

A Few Familiar Faces

We will also be on the lookout for the current WDSF World Latin Showdance Champions, Fedor Poliansky and Dina Akhmetgareeva of Russia who amazed audiences around the globe with their renowned “Pinocchio” number. Last year, they were not in attendance of this GrandSlam and they have been training endlessly in preparation for this major event. 

Also, we have Anton Aldaev and Natalia Polukhina who were the Vice-Champions of this World Showdance Championship that took place in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 22^nd of this year. Also representing the hosting country of Russia, they are currently ranked 14^th in the WDSF World Ranking List and placed 11^th in the semi-final of last year’s ROC.

A Truly Grand Event

After the German Open Championships (GOC) of Stuttgart, Germany, the Russian Open Championships (ROC) is considered one of the second largest competitions of the World DanceSport Federation by the number of participants, especially for those dancing the GrandSlams. We look forward to seeing who comes out this year to fight for the winning slots. FloDance will be covering live this fifth leg of the WDSF Latin GrandSlam series – an event you won’t want to miss!