Sunday 9th December,
Time flies when you are having fun and 4 wonderful days have passed so quickly.! Paris 2018 may be over now for another year but what brilliant memories we take away.
There is also the exhilarating news that 2019 will see the WC AL Open Worlds moving to a new venue, Dublin, Ireland. Stand by for fuller details to soon be available and make sure you keep 5/6/7/8 December 2019 clear in your diary.
Let’s grasp all the good we have and move forward together to a better world united and working together for the common good. This WDC AL family party might have ended but lets now look forward to meeting again somewhere in the free dance world remembering the friendship of dance, the love for dance. We do it for the dancers.
Today began In Ballroom 1 with the World Under 14 Latin Championship and ended 16 hours later with 6 spectacular Professional Shows.Troels and Ina gave us Samba and Cha ChaDorin & Marina Paso Doble & Cha ChaRiccardo & Yulia Cha Cha & Rumba.Each was special in its own way and each climaxed with a standing ovation from a super enthusiastic and thrilled audience.
There were also 18 other World Championships to be won including the “Ultimate Team Challenge” with each team including a ballroom and Latin and Juvenile, Junior, Youth, Amateur, Professional and Pro-Am member. There was great dancing in every event and every age group and the most appreciative audience gave maximum support. Ballroom 2 was also very busy with Fred Astaire Cup events and the first Synchronised Dance Championships..
Today we were choosing our 2018 Amateur Latin Champion and this was Latin dancing at its finest. It is a great tribute to the Amateur League couples that we have such strength in depth. The excitement and the quality were there in every single round and this was a true judges nightmare. The first round commenced promptly at 17.00 with 6 heat featuring almost all the greatest Amateur Latin dancers in the world competing.The semi and final were again on a dance by dance recall basis and it was wonderful that the final feature 8 couples. Denmark providing 1, Italy 1, USA 4 but Slovenia was to provide us with the Champion and Runner-Up and both couples were deserving of the titles and will without doubt proudly represent the Amateur League around the world.
We also had tonight a great Professional Ballroom Competition which was very special indeed with top class performances which thrilled the crowd.
This has been a truly unique and unforgettable festival of the very best in dance and friendship. It has not only brought great credit to the Amateur League but also to the World Dance Council.
To end there must be thank yous,Thank you to the entire Organising Team. Many months of preparation dedication and simple hard work coming to fruition in the most spectacular manner.Thank you to the volunteers who work so very hard in so many areas and for long hours. They also love to dance but get to see very little. They are a cog in the Paris machine and make the event so great. Thank you to the scrutineers and chairmen who handled thousands of marks swiftly and accurately.
Thank You to Gerrit Wensink and Serge van Rooij who provided brilliant and inspiring music from early morning until early morning and helped create the atmosphere.
Thank you to the Announcers who kept us informed and on schedule – and amused.
Thank you to AMDF who give us a home in Paris
Final Thoughts.
Travel home safely everyone and may you have a Happy Christmas and wonderful Festive Season.
See you in Dubin December 2019.
