Come along with us and experience a great kick-off to the WDSF GrandSlam series of 2019! Our journey begins in the city also known as “Little Paris”, renowned for its incredibly gorgeous architecture and history. Bucharest is not only the capital of Romania, but also its largest city with a population of more than 2 million. The first GrandSlam leg will be held right here, the first time ever in Romania.

Many will travel from near and far to take part, as it is the first event of 2019 where couples will begin collecting points for their WDSF GrandSlam Ranking. After the end of the fifth GrandSlam leg this year, it will be determined who will continue on to the GrandSlam Final, which will be hosted in Shanghai in December. Therefore, for those couples who are in it to win it, it is an essential component of their dancing season to compete in each GrandSlam scheduled throughout the year.

The Standard Kick-Off

This Saturday, March 16, 2019, will introduce the Standard competitors onto the floor at the Polyvalent Hall in Bucharest. A total of 90 couples will be in the running to place their best and to earn as many points as possible for their WDSF GrandSlam Ranking at this event. With four-time World Champions, Dmitry Zharkov and Olga Kulikova of Russia announcing their retirement from amateur competition last December at the final GrandSlam in Shanghai, the world now awaits to crown new champions—the new leaders of DanceSport in the Standard division of the World DanceSport Federation.

In the WDSF Ranking list, second after Dmitry and Olga is the renowned couple of Lithuania, Evaldas Sodeika and Ieva Zukauskaite. We will see them tear up the floor and fight for their first GrandSlam Ranking position here in Bucharest. Right behind them is a couple from Russia, Alexey Glukhov and Anastasia Glazunova, who are ranked third in the world. 

Quite interestingly, the top 15 highest ranked WDSF Standard couples are all here in attendance at this first GrandSlam. This just puts to fact the importance of attending each of the GrandSlams hosted this year—everyone wants it. For DanceSport athletes, competing is not just a hobby, it is a sport by which your life is intently defined. One wrong step or one wrong decision can greatly affect one’s competitive career. For this reason, many dancers will do everything in their power, especially taking the time and finances to travel around the world, to make sure they fight for their lives in competition.

It is always fantastic to witness couples dancing for the competition’s host country. This time, 29 out of the 90 couples registered represent Romania. Such couples receive enormous amounts of support from the audience as they come to represent home territory. In addition, 31 of the 90 couples are WDSF Star couples, an extremely strong number which strengthens not only the name of this competition, but also the level of the competition to occur between the athletes themselves.

A Grand Rise

From hosting both Standard and Latin World Opens last year, this year, the hosting competition known as Dance Masters, has taken a rise into hosting both a Standard and Latin GrandSlam. The Romanian DanceSport Federation has truly made its mark in DanceSport history and we look forward to watching such fantastic dancers shine bright on the dance floor this weekend. Hang tight as new Standard GrandSlam leaders take their role!