WDSF Open Solo Youth Latin
The magic number in the Mendelssohn Hall was 30. Not only did the WDSF Open Senior III Latin and WDSF Open Senior V Standard each attract 30 entries for their opening rounds, but so did the WDSF Open Solo Youth Latin.
After three rounds, the six finalists had been decided. Two of them had already appeared in the Standard final earlier in the day. Following her victory in the Standard event, Ulrikke Trondal (Norway) finished sixth in the Latin competition, bringing her total to six danced rounds. Lee Wing Kiu Winki (Hong Kong, China), who had finished fourth in the standard dances, moved up two places to finish second in the Latin dances.
She was joined on the podium by two German competitors. Liana Sauer of Grün-Gold-Club Bremen took third place, while Lana Befort of TSA im Osnabrücker SC 1849 secured a commanding victory by winning all five dances.
Final Result:
- Lana Befort, TSA im Osnabrücker SC 1849
- Lee Wing Kiu Winki, Hong Kong, China
- Liana Sauer, Grün-Gold-Club Bremen
- Valeria Kurgan, Grün-Gold-Casino Wuppertal
- Uliana Shvab, Ukraine
- Ulrikke Trondal, Norwegen
WDSF Open Senior V Standard
As mentioned above, the WDSF Open Senior V Standard also featured exactly 30 couples, resulting in four rounds including the final.
The final was dominated by the Italian couples, with four of the five Italian entries advancing to the last round alongside one German and one French couple. Johann-Georg and Brigitte Salten of TSC Diamant Blau-Silber Lage finished fifth as the top German couple.
Johann Hartmann / Catherine Hartmann, France, narrowly secured third place with two fourth-place finishes and three second-place finishes, just behind Paolo Cisamolo / Rossana Caprara, Italy. The victory went very convincingly to Giovanni Boccu / Federica Gualina, Italy, who won every dance.
Final Result:
- Giovanni Boccu / Federica Gualina, Italien
- Paolo Cisamolo / Rossana Caprara, Italien
- Johann Hartmann / Catherine Hartmann, Frankreich
- Roberto Santini / Patrizia Gavelli, Italien
- Johann-Georg Salten / Brigitte Salten, TSC Diamant Blau-Silber Lage
- Armando Pelosi / Donata Annaratone, Italien
IET Senior IV S Latin
Five couples entered the International Invitational Senior IV S Latin competition, beginning with an observation round consisting of three dances. It quickly became apparent that Dr. Hans-Jürgen Gallo / Astrid Gallo of TSC Grün-Gold Speyer and Knut / Iris Möller of TTC Rot-Weiß Freiburg would battle for the title.
Following a break filled with the Youth Solo Latin final and the Senior V Standard semifinal, the five couples returned for the final. Despite the late hour and the small field, the atmosphere in the Mendelssohn Saal remained excellent, with the audience enthusiastically supporting every couple throughout the competition.
Robert Soencksen / Silvia Soencksen of TGC Rot-Weiß Porz celebrated third place after receiving several second-place marks. Knut Möller / Iris Möller collected two to three first-place marks in each dance, but with seven adjudicators this was not enough to secure the overall victory, leaving them in second place.
The title went to Dr. Hans-Jürgen Gallo / Astrid Gallo, who claimed all five dances to secure a clear overall victory.
Final Result:
- Dr. Hans-Jürgen Gallo / Astrid Gallo, TSC Grün-Gold Speyer
- Knut Möller / Iris Möller, TTC Rot-Weiß Freiburg
- Robert Soencksen / Silvia Soencksen, TGC Rot-Weiß Porz
- Pavlo Orol / Olena Orol, Ukraine
- Dieter Rückl / Christiane Rückl, TC Neckartal Pleidelsheim
Author: Christoph Völzke