RUSSIA PLAYED HOST TO THE SEQUE OF THE WORLD AND CONGRATULATED CHAMPIONS
Sports ball-room dancing. One of the most beautiful and spectacular items of the Latin American program is the seque. It graphically shows the skill and individuality of dancers. Here each duet separately presents its own variation on Latino themes for a few minutes. The variety of compositions, music and costumes is amazing.
This year Russia got the right to host the world championship
among professionals in the Latin American seque for the first time. The
tournament of such high rank was held in Moscow. The fate of the champions’
title was decided on the parquet of the Kremlin Palace in a stiff competition
of the world’s finest dancing couples from Australia, Great Britain, Germany,
Holland, Italy, Poland, Russia, the USA, France, and Japan.
Our country was represented by celebrated sports dancers, twice
champions of Russia, finalists of world and European championships Sergei
Ryupin and Elena Khvorova as well as outstanding performers, participants in
prestigious international competitions Oleg and Elvira Romanov.
The nine-man panel of referees included, among others, such
celebrities as Karl Breuer (Germany), Paul Harris (Great Britain) and Larisa
Davidova (Russia).
All compositions were superb. The audience warmly applauded every
couple, particularly the finalists. The technically brilliant dancing, original
compositions, music and costumes enabled Sergey Ryupin and Elena Khvorova to
produce a dance miniature which they performed with enviable smoothness and
which brought them the champions’ title.
Silver went to the Michal Malitowski–Joanna Leunis duet of Poland.
Their performance in the extra-modern style will be long remembered by the
spectators.
Bronze was won by the Japanese couple Yoshihiro and Hidemi
Yamamoto, whose dancing literally cast a spell over the audience by its
dynamism, drive and rhythm.
Oliver Seefeldt and Anna Mosmann (Germany) captured fourth place.
They were followed by Japanese dancers–Atsuki Omura and Megumi Wada (fifth
place). The fact that two Japanese duets reached the finals testifies to a
notable headway made by the school of sports dancing in the Land of the Rising
Sun.
The championship gave sports dancing fans a memorable meeting with
universally recognized stars as a present and brought new names and talents to
light.
Anna SHIBAYEVA.