Artistic Dance Factory Wins 28 Medals at WADF Athens World Championship
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Artistic Dance Factory Seychelles (ADF) has returned from the World Artistic Dance Federation (WADF) World Championship in Athens with 28 medals — 14 gold, 11 silver and 3 bronze — according to the 4 July 2026 edition of Seychelles Nation, placing the four-year-old studio among the leading small-nation delegations at the event.
The Athens competition ran from 26 to 28 June 2026, hosted by The Dance Club – The Mall of Dance in the Greek capital, according to the WADF global calendar and the event page on wadf.gr. Dancers from 24 countries took part, Seychelles Nation reported.
For ADF, Athens followed a heavier medal haul earlier in the year. At the WADF World Championship in Warsaw, held from 10 to 12 April 2026, the studio brought 15 dancers to Poland and finished fourth overall among 79 dance groups from 14 countries, returning with 46 medals — 17 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze. That campaign was recognised at State House by President Dr Patrick Herminie, who commended the delegation for what the presidency described as the growing international potential of Seychelles’ artistic sector.
The Athens trip was organised as a follow-on rather than a defence of the Warsaw title. In remarks quoted in Seychelles Nation, the studio framed Warsaw as a foundation and Athens as proof that the result could be repeated on a different stage. “Determined to prove that their earlier success was only the beginning, the team arrived in Athens with renewed focus — and exceeded all expectations,” the paper reported.
Two juvenile dancers stood out. Alizée Low Ken, competing in the Juvenile Category, swept multiple finals. Angelique Hoareau, also in the Juvenile Division, took a bronze medal and qualified for the Viennese Waltz semi-final. Angelle Rusteau, in the Teacher-Student category, secured a silver and two bronzes. The medal counts for the four athletes who travelled — Low Ken, Hoareau, Rusteau and a fourth partner listed in the report — added up to the 28-medal haul.
Behind the dancers stands a small permanent staff. The studio’s managing director, Lucia Banane, runs the day-to-day operations, while coach Mpho Kgatla directs the technical preparation. The studio specialises in Latin, Ballroom and Caribbean dance, and trains across age groups from Mini Kids to Masters, Seychelles Nation reported.
Seychelles has a documented track record at WADF events. At the Athens World Championship in 2025, ADF finished with 27 medals. The pattern of strong showings at successive world championships has drawn recognition from successive Seychelles presidents; in 2025, the then-president Wavel Ramkalawan hosted the returning delegation to mark the Athens result.
Looking ahead, the studio is preparing to host the All-African Dance Championships in Seychelles, an event the State House press release said would bring together dance studios from across the country. No date for that competition has yet been published.
📷 Photo: Jari Salopino via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources cited: State House Seychelles, “President commends Artistic Dance Factory for outstanding international achievement,” April 2026,. WADF World Championship Athens 2026 event page,. WADF global activities calendar,. Seychelles Nation, “Seychelles dancers depart for Warsaw Championship 2026”.
Source: SN
