International Championships Brentwood England Oct 13-15

[elisedance]

Major international competition.  I don't quite understand this though - the heats are in Brentwood (NE of London) and I think the finals (or maybe showcase??) are at the Royal Albert Hall downtown London.

[Dora-Satya Veda]

Yes, you need to change the title a little. Let me explain the competition format.

Brentwood is where the qualifying heats take place. The International Championship itself is actually danced in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. They started doing qualifying heat in Brentwood in 1992 as there were too many couples to finish the competition on one day in the Royal Albert Hall.

They qualify the amateur latin and professional latin on the Tuesday. They also run the full championship of juvenile, junior, youth, senior and rising star competitions in latin on the Tuesday. They then qualify the amateur standard and professionals on the Wednesday. Then they also run the full competitions of juvenile, junior, youth, senior and rising star competitions on the Wednesday.

On the Thursday the top 56 couples in each section (amateur latin, professional standard, amateur standard and professional standard) dance all the way to the finals.

If you were in the top 14 the year before you get 2 “stars”. This means you don’t need to dance the qualifying heats in Brentwood.

I loved this competition for many reasons. It was by far the best competition I ever danced. I loved the venue (the Royal Albert Hall) as it was easy to stay focused and away from the general public. You didn’t have all the couples changing all together as there are many changing rooms. It was a very intimate and cozy feeling. By the time come the semifinal and final the changing rooms were very quit. You often never saw you competitors other then on the floor. The finals are dancing mixed which gives you time to refocus on the next dance (latin, standard, latin, standard…..).

As a spectator it is also a great competition. You basically see the top 48 couples in the world all in one night.

DSV

[elisedance]

thanks - I sort of thought it was like that.   But no where can I read how many couples get through from Brentwood to the Albert Hall.  Do they do the finals only there or more heats?

[Dora-Satya Veda]

But no where can I read how many couples get through from Brentwood to the Albert Hall.  Do they do the finals only there or more heats?

Sorry I was wrong. I forgot that they put 14 couples in the semifinal and often 7 in the final. I totally forgot. Sorry.
There are a total of 56 couples in each category dancing in the Albert Hall. So it all depends on how many couples that has 2 stars from the year before that are dancing this year. If all 14 couples from the year before enter and dance, then they take out 42 couples. If there are less then 14 couples of the top 14 entered and dancing, then they take out more couples. They will take as many as is needed to make to the grand total of 56 couples. So this makes the number of spaces that are open, slightly different every year.

At the Royal Albert Hall they then dance the 56, the 28, the 14 and then the either 6 or 7 couple final in each category.

Hope this helps!

DSV

[elisedance]

Thanks - thats what I wondered.  I'm hoping that pro makes it to the Albert: with 56 I certainly hope so...

[elisedance]

International professional standard (From dancesportinfo):

   Arunas Bizokas & Katusha Demidova USA
Supadance Ambassadors
Shoes by International Dance Shoes  2011 (=)
analysis | graph    
2     Victor Fung & Anna Mikhed USA
Supadance Ambassador  1969 (=)
analysis | graph    
3     Roberto Villa & Morena Colagreco Italy
Supadance Ambassador  1952 (=)
analysis | graph    
4     Domenico Soale & Gioia Cerasoli Italy
Supadance Ambassadors  1943 (=)
analysis | graph    
5     Paolo Bosco & Silvia Pitton Italy
Supadance Ambassadors  1938 (=)
analysis | graph    
6     Sascha Karabey & Natasha Karabey Germany
Supadance Ambassadors  1920 (=)  

[elisedance]

International pro Latin

   Michal Malitowski & Joanna Leunis Poland
Supadance Ambassadors  1976 (=)
analysis | graph   
2     Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagorouitchenko USA
Shoes by Ray Rose  1955 (=)
analysis | graph   
3     Franco Formica & Oxana Lebedew Germany   1927 (=)
analysis | graph   
4     Sergey Sourkov & Agnieszka Melnicka Russia
Lady's Shoes by Ray Rose  1928 (=)
analysis | graph   
5     Andrej Skufca & Melinda Torokgyorgy Slovenia   1909 (=)
analysis | graph   
6     Markus Homm & Ksenia Kasper Germany   1878 (=)
analysis | graph 

[elisedance]

Amateur Latin

1     Alexei Silde & Anna Firstova Russia   1881 (=)
analysis | graph   
2     Zoran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich Croatia
Dress by Flashdance
Shoes by Ray Rose  1887 (=)
analysis | graph   
3     Jurij Batagelj & Jagoda Strukelj Slovenia
Supadance Ambassador  1868 (=)
analysis | graph   
4     Andrei Zaitsev & Anna Kuzminskaja Russia   1869 (=)
analysis | graph   
5     Martino Zanibellato & Michelle Abildtrup Denmark   1850 (=)
analysis | graph   
6     Neil Jones & Ekaterina Sokolova England 

[elisedance]

Amateur Standard

1     Andrea Ghigiarelli & Sara Andracchio Italy
Shoes by Paoul  1928 (=)
analysis | graph   
2     Benedetto Ferruggia & Claudia Köhler Germany
Supadance Ambassadors  1941 (=)
analysis | graph   
3     Emanuel Valeri & Tania Kehlet Denmark
Shoes by International Dance Shoes  1906 (=)
analysis | graph   
4     Simone Segatori & Annette Sudol Germany
Shoes by International Dance Shoes  1889 (=)
analysis | graph   
5     Marat Gimaev & Alina Basiouk Russia   1899 (=)
analysis | graph   
6     Federico Di Toro & Genny Favero Italy
Supadance Ambassadors  1873 (=) 

all Dancesportinfo (scores are not updated yet)

[standarddancer]

Thanks DSV for sharing your experience. It’s really nice to know there are many change
rooms and no need to see your competitors other than on the floor. At crowded Blackpool
change room sometimes it is very distracting by sharing the table with someone from different
countries. 

[QPO]

thanks for the results... 

[elisedance]

You're welcome

[Dora-Satya Veda]

Thanks DSV for sharing your experience. It’s really nice to know there are many change
rooms and no need to see your competitors other than on the floor. At crowded Blackpool
change room sometimes it is very distracting by sharing the table with someone from different
countries. 

Mind you, I don't think the changing facility in Brentwood is very good. I have never danced in Brentwood myself but I seem to remember it when I have brought couples to compete there. You will have to be in the top 56 to get to dance in the Royal Albert Hall and experience the many changing rooms.

As far as I remember, Victor Fung with four different ladies (Tiffany, Aira, Ieva and Leane) has been the only US amateur to dance all the way to the semifinals and finals there.

DSV

[standarddancer]

so Brentwood change room is similar situation as the large overly crowded blackpool change rooms?

guess the comfortable faciility only for the top contenders.

[Dora-Satya Veda]

so Brentwood change room is similar situation as the large overly crowded blackpool change rooms?

guess the comfortable faciility only for the top contenders.

As I said I never danced there so I don't really know. I have heard some of the couples I teach complain about it.

Well, there should be some benefits of making it into the higher ranks.  The couples that have gotten there have either worked very hard or very smart and this is one of the bonuses they get.