May_2012-Dance-1 - Toronto Ballroom

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From February 9th through February
12th, Montreal was the stage for a competition
known as La Classique du Quebec.
An annual event, this year's edition attracted
competitors as well as spectators to the
Bonaventure Montreal Downtown hotel.
Vladimir Martintsov and Maria Gladkikh
From Juveniles to Professionals, all members
of the dance community were present
and ready to perform. However, there
were a few changes implemented to the
competition. Modern technology was
introduced in the form of an application
for smartphones that streams updates,
heat lists and results up to the minute.
Another was a new layout of the floor plan
in the main ballroom, displaying a new
aesthetic theme that created a raised profile.
Every year, La Classique features a
spectacle of invited couples from all
around the world. Justinas Duknauskas &
Anna Melnikova delivered an exciting
showcase on Thursday evening, starting
the weekend off on an impressive footing.
Representing Team Diablo Canada in
the Junior age group was Artemy
Kokhanov & Abigail Xinkas, placing 3rd
in both the Championship Ballroom and
Globetrotter Latin event out of more than
40 couples! They are a young and upcoming
couple in the junior division who show
great promise in the future. They have a
very clear and calm disposition in Ballroom
La Classique du Quebec
CHAMPIONSHIPS OPEN
and a strong core in the Latin. This posture
gives them a mature look of champions.
Two youth partnerships performed in
the Ballroom, first of which was Shawn
Potapovskai & Kamila Lerner. This is a
recently formed duo who have danced a
few competitions so far, but have already
established themselves in the Youth division.
They placed 3rd in the Youth
Championship Ballroom as well as 5th in
the Rising Star, dancing both events with
solid consistency. They are a technically
sound couple with natural movement,
features sure to bring many similar successful
results.
Competing alongside them were
Vladimir Martintsov & Maria Gladkikh
who impressively won the Youth and
Rising Star categories. They also placed
5th in the Amateur Ballroom, dancing an
exciting weekend filled with outstanding
results. Vladimir & Maria create a very
smooth and fluid quality to their program,
this is a refreshing vision of calm and wellexecuted
dancing that does not look
forced or overdone.
Continuing with the Amateur results,
Daniel Studenny & Sarah-Maude
Thibaudeau received 4th place in the
Ballroom. Daniel & Sarah are a couple that
improves greatly from competition to
competition. They have a very strong
frame with minimal distortion, coupled
with an excellent ability to shift across the
floor. These two only dance better and
better and there seems to be no stop to
their charismatic improvement.
Lastly in the Amateur, Patrick
Rucinski & Ella Nusenbaum were the
top-ranked Canadian couple, securing 3rd
position. They boasted a solid performance,
showcasing their unique style on the
floor. Patrick & Ella were previous youth
Canadian champions, now making large
waves in the Amateur division. With their
dancing being a superb overall package,
their future is one to keep close track of.
In conclusion, this was one of the most
successful La Classique Du Quebec competitions
in recent Team Diablo Canada
history. Multiple couples placed in the
upper echelon of each of their respective
age groups and levels. Every couple also
danced at their personal best which made
this a memorable year. The only thing
remaining is to acknowledge the dancers
and our supporters for taking part in the
competition. A big thank you to the
organizing team for making such an
amazing event!
Amateur Standard Lineup
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