World Latin Dance Champions

This page lists the official World Champions – Professional Latin of the World Dance Council (WDC). The championships are authorized and organized under the auspices of the WDC, and held annually in the last quarter of each year. The competition comprises five dances: rumba, samba, paso doble, cha-cha-cha and jive, as defined in ballroom dancing terms.

Official World Championships have been held in the Latin section of ballroom dancing since they were organised by the ICBD in 1959. The ICBD was renamed WD&DSC and has been renamed again to its present title. The WDC represents all the major professional DanceSport countries. Unofficial world championships were held, usually in Paris, by several organisers pre-World War II. Some of these events included one or two latin dances in the same competition as ballroom dances. As these events had no official standing, they are not noticed here. There is one earlier international latin dance championship; it started in 1953 at the Elsa Wells International Dance Championships in London (see International Latin American Dance Champions). Both series have continued annually.

World Champions

Professional Latin World Champions

1960 Roger & Micheline Ronnaux France[1]
1961 Bill and Bobbie Irvine Scotland
1962 Walter Laird & Lorraine Reynolds England
1963 Walter Laird & Lorraine Reynolds England
1964 Walter Laird & Lorraine Reynolds England
1965 Walter & Marianne Kaiser Switzerland
1966 Bill & Bobbie Irvine England
1967 Rudolf & Mechthild Trautz Germany
1968 Bill & Bobbie Irvine England
1969 Rudolf & Mechthild Trautz Germany
1970 Rudolf & Mechthild Trautz Germany
1971 Rudolf & Mechthild Trautz Germany
1972 Wolfgang & Evelyn Opitz Germany
1973 Hans-Peter & Ingeborg Fischer Austria
1974 Hans-Peter & Ingeborg Fischer Austria
1975 Hans-Peter & Ingeborg Fischer Austria
1976 Peter Maxwell & Lynn Harman England
1977 Alan & Hazel Fletcher England
1978 Alan & Hazel Fletcher England
1979 Alan & Hazel Fletcher England
1980 Alan & Hazel Fletcher England
1981 Alan & Hazel Fletcher England
1982 Espen & Kirsten Salberg Norway
1983 Espen & Kirsten Salberg Norway
1984 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1985 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1986 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1987 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1988 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1989 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1990 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1991 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1992 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1993 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1994 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1995 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1996 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1997 Hans-Reinhard Galke & Bianca Schreiber Germany
1998 Donnie Burns & Gaynor Fairweather Scotland/England
1999 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2000 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2001 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2002 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2003 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2004 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2005 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2006 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2007 Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj South Africa/Germany
2008 Michał Malitowski & Joanna Leunis Poland
2009 Michał Malitowski & Joanna Leunis Poland
2010 Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko USA
2011 Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko USA

See also

References