This year’s Junior Latin Championship did not only see an increase in numbers from the previous years, but it truly seems that this event is going from strength to strength in terms of the quality of the dancing. This was without doubt one of the best Junior competitions I have witnessed in recent times, with the decision making extremely hard for the adjudicators, especially from the Semi-final to the Final.
The final result was as follows, with some short annotations to the performances:
1. Davyd Komarnytskyi and Anhelina Cherkovska
Davyd and Anhelina are without doubt the superstars in both styles in the Junior ranks. They produce a sophistication beyond their years with diverse choreography. For me they are on the edge of being to hard in the body actions which diminishes volume and absorption of music to a degree.
2. Stepan Bielievtsov and Mariia Lisna
Both Stepan and Maria have improved over recent months , showing great flow of movement and beauty in a very contrasting style to the winner. Both them and Matvey and Maria have seriously closed the gap to the winners in terms of overall performance and are now serious contenders for the title.
More awareness of body lines for Stepan whilst maintaining intensity and depth of action is now needed.
3. Matvey Starikov and Maria Samojlenko
They are little powerhouses full of rhythm and attack and have also improved noticeably in recent months. More mature in actions and more deliberate in dynamic choices have made them serious contenders. Consistency of performance is now key as thy still present moments where the quality slightly drops, but I believe something that can easily be remedied.
4. Yauheni Shchukin and Anna Khaladzinskaya
A solid overall performance from this talented pair rewarded with an excellent result.
5. Ivan and Arina
Impeccably groomed and an attractive couple with very clear choreography.
I very much enjoyed their performance and feel they have a bright future.
6. Bobo Liang and Angela Hu
I am normally a real fan of Bobo & Angela’s dancing with solid fundamentals and clear body lines, but this time the performance aspect of their dancing was somehow absent with bodies stiff and therefore lacking their usual impact.
Of course you can clearly see how their strong base saved them but have seen them better. Nevertheless, a great achievement
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