This page lists the official World Champions – Professional Ballroom of the World Dance Council (WDC), and its historical predecessors. The championships are authorized and organized under the auspices of the WDC. The designation Ballroom replaces the previously used Modern or Standard in WDC terminology; it does not include the latin dances.
World Championships of a sort have been held in ballroom dancing since 1909 when Camille de Rhynal held annual championships in Paris. Records of the years prior to the First World War are sketchy, and it is only since 1922 when the sport split into professional and amateur levels that complete records have been kept. The 1922 championships were also the first to award a single 'world championship' as opposed to titles in the individual dances.Early dates and names verified by Wainwright, Lyndon 1997. The story of British popular dance. International Publications, Brighton. p15 The World Championships were held in France from 1925 to 1939, in Paris except for one year in Nice.Wainwright, Lyndon 1997. The story of British popular dance. International Publications, Brighton. p16
These annual competitions only became official in 1936, and since 1937 the title was held by dancers from the United Kingdom for the rest of that century. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the championships were put on hold for six years. The 2020 WDC World Professional Ballroom Championship, scheduled to take place in Moscow, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following its revival, the professional ballroom dancing world was becoming more and more fragmented as competing organizations vied for domination. Finally, in September 1950 the ICBD (International Council of Ballroom Dancing) was founded, becoming the world's first international professional dance organisation, and all other competitions claiming to be the 'World Championships' were boycotted by member nations.
The Championships returned once again in 1959 under the control of the ICBD, though that year was something of a trial run. The first officially awarded championship of the new series came in 1960, and have continued since then. The ICBD was renamed as the World Dance & DanceSport Council (WD&DSC), and renamed again as the WDC.
The Professional Ballroom section (occasionally called Professional Modern in British tradition) of dancesport) covers the dances waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango and Viennese waltz.
World Champions + Professional Standard World ChampionsYearWinnersNation1922Victor Silvester & Phyllis ClarkeEngland1923no contest held1924Maxwell Stewart & Barbara MilesEngland1925Maxwell Stewart & Barbara MilesEngland1926Maxwell Stewart & Pat SykesEngland1927Edward Blunt & Doris GermaiEngland1928Maxwell Stewart & Pat SykesEngland1929Herbert Jemull & Gerti HepprichGermany1930Maxwell Stewart & Pat SykesEngland1931Arthur Milner & Norma CaveEngland1932Marcel & Mme ChapoulFrance1933Sydney Stern & Mae WalmseyEngland1934Marcel & Mme ChapoulFrance1935Marcel & Mme ChapoulFrance1936Marcel & Mme ChapoulFrance1937Arthur Norton & Pat EatonEngland1938Arthur Norton & Pat EatonEngland1939Tom Lasson & Ulla Holm/ /Denmark 1947Victor Barrett & Doreen FreemanEngland1948Bob Henderson & Eileen HenshallEngland1949Bob Henderson & Eileen HenshallEngland1950Bob Henderson & Eileen HenshallEngland1959Desmond Ellison & Brenda WinsladeEngland1960The modern series of WDC events starts here: http://sports123.com/dan/wsta.htmlBill and Bobbie IrvineScotland1961Harry Smith-Hampshire & Doreen CaseyEngland1962Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1963Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1964Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1965Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1966Peter Eggleton & Brenda WinsladeEngland1967Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1968Bill & Bobbie IrvineScotland1969Peter Eggleton & Brenda WinsladeEngland1970Peter Eggleton & Brenda WinsladeEngland1971Anthony Hurley & Fay SaxtonEngland1972Anthony Hurley & Fay SaxtonEngland1973Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1974Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1975Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1976Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1977Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1978Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1979Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1980Richard & Janet GleaveEngland1981Michael & Vicky BarrEngland1982Michael & Vicky BarrEngland1983Michael & Vicky BarrEngland1984Michael & Vicky BarrEngland1985Michael & Vicky BarrEngland1986Stephen & Lindsey HillierEngland1987Stephen & Lindsey HillierEngland1988Stephen & Lindsey HillierEngland1989John Wood & Anne LewisEngland1990Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1991Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1992Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1993Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1994Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1995Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1996Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1997Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1998Marcus & Karen HiltonEngland1999Luca & Loraine BaricchiEngland2000Augusto Schiavo & Caterina ArzentonItaly2001Luca & Loraine BaricchiEngland2002Christopher Hawkins & Hazel NewberryEngland2003Christopher Hawkins & Hazel NewberryEngland2004Christopher Hawkins & Hazel NewberryEngland2005Mirko Gozzoli & Alessia BettiItaly2006Mirko Gozzoli & Alessia BettiItaly2007Mirko Gozzoli & Alessia BettiItaly2008Mirko Gozzoli & Alessia BettiItaly2009Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2010Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2011Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2012Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2013Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2014Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2015Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2016Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2017Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2018Arunas Bizokas & Katusha DemidovaUSA2019 Andrea Ghigiarelli & Andracchio-Ghigiarelli UK2020 Title not held — COVID pandemic 2021 Domen Krapez & Natascha Karabey Germany2022 Valerio Colantoni & Anna Demidova USA2023Valerio Colantoni & Anna DemidovaUSA2024Dusan Dragovic & Valeria DragovicUK2025Dusan Dragovic & Valeria DragovicUK2026Glenn Richard Boyce & Caroly JanesUK
See also World Latin Dance Champions World 10 Dance Champions Professional Showdance World Champions Dancesport World Champions (smooth) Dancesport World Champions (rhythm) U.S. National Dancesport Champions (Professional Standard) U.S. National Dancesport Champions (Professional 10-Dance)
References