The World Dance Council Ltd (WDC), is a registered limited company, the legal successor to the International Council of Ballroom Dancing, and was established at a meeting organized by Phillip J. S. Richardson on 22 September 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1996 to 2006 the WDC was known as the World Dance & Dance Sport Council Ltd (WD&DSC). The stated mission of the World Dance Council is to inspire, stimulate and promote excellence in education for the World Dance Council and Amateur League community.
Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova is a Russian professional dancer.
Bryan Watson was nine times Professional World Latin Dance Champion and won the International Latin American Championship five times.
Karen Hardy is a British professional ballroom dancer, coach, teacher and adjudicator. In 1998 she won the professional International Latin American Dance Championship with Bryan Watson. She also won the United Kingdom Open, British National, European and World Masters championships. She now runs a dance studio at Imperial Wharf, London.
Heidi Elizabeth Groskreutz is an American ballroom dancer, specializing in the fields of Latin and swing dancing. She is known for making the final in the second season of the Fox TV series So You With Think You Can Dance.
Matthew David Cutler is an English dancer and former World Amateur Latin-American champion. He was a professional dancer on the BBC dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.
Anna Trebunskaya is a Russian born American professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars. She now lives in Los Angeles and dances in the International Latin style.
Lacey Mae Schwimmer is an American ballroom dancer and singer. She is best known as a fourth place finalist of the third season of So You Think You Can Dance. She is the daughter of noted dancer Buddy Schwimmer, as well as the cousin of Heidi Groskreutz, who placed fourth on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance and younger sister of Benji Schwimmer, the winner of the show's second season. She participated in the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer paired with Lance Bass of 'N Sync, in the eighth season of the show paired with Jackass star Steve-O and in the ninth season paired with actor and Iron Chef America host Mark Dacascos. Schwimmer returned to Dancing with the Stars for its eleventh season and she was partnered with Disney Channel star Kyle Massey and in the 12th season, paired with radio host Mike Catherwood. In the thirteenth season, she was paired with transgender activist Chaz Bono. Schwimmer did not return for season 14 of Dancing With The Stars'.
Hanna Karttunen is a Finnish professional Latin American and exhibition dancer. She also trained in ballet as a child, having a love of dance from a very early age.
Nicole Cutler is a professional ballroom dancer and former World Amateur Latin-American champion. She was born Nicole Westdyk in Durban, South Africa and after taking up ballet at the age of four, first tried out ballroom and Latin-American dancing at the age of twelve.
Elena Grinenko is a professional ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. She is best known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars.
Melanie LaPatin is a United States Professional Ballroom Dance Champion and world-renowned choreographer, best known for her choreography work on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." Originally from Brooklyn, New York, LaPatin formed a professional partnership with Tony Meredith in 1981, marrying him in 1989. Together they traveled the world, competing, coaching, performing, lecturing, choreographing, and represented the United States in twelve Professional World Latin-American Dance Championships, winning over 100 championship titles. LaPatin eventually moved to back to New York to coach and open a Latin and Ballroom dance studio, Dance Times Square.
Slavik Kryklyvyy is a professional ballroom dancer specializing in International Latin. Born and raised in Ukraine, he is currently residing in New York City.
Daniella Karagach Pashkova is an American dancer. Karagach and dance partner Leonid Juashkovsky are three-time United States junior I and II Latin champions. They were the 2007 junior II 10 dance champions. Abroad, they reached the finals in the Celtic Classic, Moscow Open and Barcelona Open. Karagach and Juashkovsky were the United States representatives to the World Championships in Latvia, Russia and Barcelona. They appeared on seasons 2 and 3 of America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS.After Leonid, she paired with Pashaa Pashkov, with whom they won numerous US and world championships, including, National titles in Latin, Ballroom, 10 dance and showdance. They won the Rising Star championships in Blackpool,UK Open and UK Open 10-dance. She became a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars in 2019, when she was paired up with Nelly. She went on to win her first Mirrorball trophy in her third season with celebrity partner Iman Shumpert.
Joanna Leunis, is a professional Latin ballroom dancer. With Michael Malitowski, she is a former professional World Latin Dance Champion and the current International Latin American Dance Champion. The couple represented Poland until 2011, choosing to represent England until their retirement in 2015.
Ekaterina Vaganova is a Russian dancer. She is the World champion on the Ballroom and Latin American dances. She was two-time Champion of Russia, four-time Champion of Italy, two-time vice-champion of the World in Youth Latin, IDSF, finalist of the World and European championships in IDSF, champion of the World 2009 in IDSA and IDU versions and champion of the Europe WDC Latin 2009.
Yulia Zagoruychenko is a ten-times undefeated Latin Dance Champion and the current World Latin Dance Champion with her partner/husband, Riccardo Cocchi.
Kathrin Menzinger is an Austrian dancer.
Vadim Garbuzov is a Canadian and Austrian ballroom dancer, showman and choreographer of Ukrainian descent. He was the World Youth Championship finalist in 2005, the winner of the Austrian TV program Dancing Stars in 2012, 2014 and 2020, and the professional world champion in Latin and Standard show dance 2015-2017. Currently, he is a Pro on the German TV Show Let’s Dance.
Ellen Ekkart is a professional dancer, dance teacher, choreographer and coach. She specializes in Latin and ballroom dancing.
