Dance sport, a real sport

It used to be called ballroom dancing, but now, when you see the dancers, it’s really a sport. Daniel Zaharia and Stéphanie Bourov have been dancing as a couple for over four years. From Moldavian, Daniel learned dance in schools in Eastern Europe and, like Stephanie, he decided to devote himself to sport dancing.

It is a sports discipline of 10 dances of two different categories, Latin and standard, he explains. We see there the cha-cha-cha, the samba, the rumba, the double burn, then the waltz, the rock up to the brisk pace.

After chaining a samba and a double burn, Daniel wiped his face, as the physical intensity was in the encounter. During the competitions, each couple must perform five dances of 1 min 45 s each. It requires good physical preparation.

For example, we train three to four hours a day. We also do business with a trainer for physical preparation, but also mentally, because they are both important.says one who is also a professional trainer.

In sports dancing, there is also theatricality, an aspect that Stéphanie Bourov particularly enjoys.

Me, I really like Latin dancingembarrassed mention of the dancer not too sure of the quality of his French. In Latin dance, eclectic and I, who are more following a dramatic person, are pushing me out of my comfort zone.

And Daniel added: You need to put some artists here and you also need to have good technical knowledge. It’s really a blend of the two that you should know to balance.

Daniel and Stephanie seem to be flying when you see them on the floor, as shiny as shoes. Every gesture is repeated with precision, every step is calculated, every dance is timed, because effort must be distributed.

During the competition, there is no break between the dances and the couples must follow them with almost surgical precision. Couples are judged and removed or qualified as they go. Some international competitions can last a week.

Dancesport at the Olympics?

The Canadian Championship in which they will participate is a qualifier for the World Championship where more than a hundred couples will meet. The great countries of this sport are the countries of Eastern Europe, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. But Canada has high hopes.

For Daniel and Stéphanie, who are familiar with these international competitions, it remains a real challenge. For Stéphanie, the World Cup is dedication.

You have to think of the high level of all the couples and then there is also all the public frenzy. This is a beautiful moment that you have to live with at all costshe says.

Daniel wants us to stay away. It was only in 1997 that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized dance sport as a federated sport. Since then, the International Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) has been fighting to represent its sport at the Games.

Maybe I’m too old to see that. But for the next generation, it will be great.e, says Daniel from the height of his 26 years

Meanwhile, for those who are not yet convinced that dance is also a sport, Daniel has one last message: This is a difficult sport. So, believe us, come and see us in fact, you will see for yourself that it is not ballroom dancing or social dancing. You will be convinced!