IDSF Open Latin and Standard

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IDSF Open Latin and Standard

This weekend took place a wonderful dance event in Marseille. To my view it is the 2nd biggest competition in France, the biggest being a bit earlier in the year in Paris. Marseille is a city where the French and Italian cultures intercept. The housing and the general infrastructure of the city are similar to those in Italy. Obviously because Marseille is very close to Italy.

 

The people there like to have a chat or a dispute over something with a touch of arrogance. Certainly a problem with English is present, as it is in Italy and all of the Hispanic and Roman European countries. For a tourist it’s essential to have knowledge of the language in this area, or at least have a dictionary to show the words. The highlights of the normal city life are definitely the shops of delicate pastries and the restaurants near the water that are open at specific times in the day for lunch and dinner.

 

Lots of space are the words that would characterize the Sports Palace of Marseille. Bright lighting was also great at the big dance hall where the competition was held. The couples were predominantly from France, Italy and Spain. The judging was unfortunate because the panel was a bit too national. This made the results a bit strange to some dance experts. The most interesting battle of the evening was in the Adult Standard category where the Polish Champions Wiktor Kiszka and his partner after putting on a strong, stable and assured performance won over a much higher Slovenian Champion couple Domen Krapez and his partner. The Slovenians definitely had a much better result in the past, being semi-finalists in Blackpool and all of the other top events in our business. The Poles on the other hand still danced in the Rising Stars categories at many events which means they weren’t rated as the top 24 for those events. It was a much deserved success for Poland.

 

Next year get equipped with a dictionary, bring money for pastries and come to France!

Vadim Garbuzov, 20 March 2005