THE TEAM MEMBERS OF
SWITZERLAND HAVE THE HONOUR
AND PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE
THEMSELVES:
These expressive and unforgettable quotes by equally unforgettable artists, dancers and
choreographers could all stand as the credo for all handlers dancing with their beloved and
talented dogs, could it not? It certainly is the credo of DDI (Dog Dance International) for
which we have qualified to represent Switzerland at this year's OEC in Stuttgart, Germany.
We - 4 freestyle Swiss-team-members, 2 HTM Swiss-single-starters and 1 freestyle Swissreserve-team - are all honoured, proud and thrilled to bits to take part at the Open European
Championship 2014, this memorable HTM and Freestyle event hosted by our dear German
friends. We would like to thank them for the organization of the event and provision of the
venue, and not least for the huge workload all involved have taken on. From the bottom of
our hearts: Thank you!
We are all looking forward to seeing Europe's best handlers and their lovely dogs performing
live during this memorable weekend in Stuttgart.
MJ Crew
We wish our fellow team members and all OEC competitors good luck and a wonderful time!!!
Monika Ballerini - freestyle - team leader
(with Breeze, Border Collie bitch, and Amari, Papillon dog)
I live with my husband Rico, my 3 children, 5 dogs and a couple of cats in the beautiful city of
Lucerne, in central Switzerland.
I'm a professional dog trainer and love teaching a variety of training seminars and workshops
in obedience, dog dance, rescue dog and many more disciplines. With my pack of 5 dogs I
train and compete - quite successfully - in all of these categories.
Cassy - my 11 year-old Border Collie bitch - is a fun dog to be with: She's gifted, good-hearted,
charming and always high spirited. She is now the "Grey Panther" of the pack and retired from
the dog sport where she competed very successfully indeed for many years. I am very thankful
for the many lovely memories of our active time together!
With Breeze Jumping Kiwis - from a German breed - I am lucky to have found an equally
talented dog. Breeze is an exceptional dog for her young age and has already competed in
different dog sport disciplines with surprisingly good results. For the second time she qualified
for a World Championship: this year's WC in Obedience in Finland!! What is more, she also
qualified for the Swiss Championship in man trailing, which, however, unfortunately takes
place on the same weekend as the OEC 2014. This caused us quite a bit of headache: Which
event shall we choose? But - of course - this was just a rhetorical question: We choose OEC
2014 - what else?!? ;-)
Breeze and her mate Amari are truly dream dance partners! As a trio, we have danced
together through quite a few competitions and shows and the public loved our trio
performances to bits: My dogs really make you laugh!
But our small Amari is also a big solo dancer, and I have the honour to perform with him as
well in Stuttgart. Amari is quite a bit/bag of a dog, in spite of his pocket size: He just loves to
be at the centre of attention, is over-self-confident and proud. What is more, he is the world's
top Papillon at the moment: This little chap is the first Papillon ever so far to have qualified for
2 consecutive World Championships in obedience: in 2011 in Paris and 2012 in Salzburg. These
were among the most emotional moments in my life, full of pride!
I'm proud to have been designated team leader of so many wonderful dog dance teams from
Switzerland.
I and my two dogs wish to charm the audience and win their hearts with our routines - but of
course also to impress the judges with our performances ;-) Now I'm full of excitement and
anticipation for the OEC in Germany and can't wait to see all these wonderful routines and to
get to know new teams and meet a heap full of interesting and talented people - it's a dream
come true!
I wish all participating teams good luck!!
Rita Sigrist - freestyle
(with Fanouk, 4 1/2 year-old Berger des Pyréenes dog)
I work as a professional practitioner of medical massage therapy and live with my husband
Godi in Wilderswil, a small village in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland. This beautiful region is
especially known for its famous mountain trio "Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau".
Five years ago I decided to get myself my dream-dog. Since my working place and our family
home are situated in the same building, I would be able to enjoy my dog's company all day,
which was the main reason for my decision. The Berger des Pyréenes breed had been
attracting my attention for quite a while already. This small French sheep dog with its smart
attitude, funny expression, eager working drive and above all its willingness to seek close
company of the handler appealed to me. When I first went to see the new litter at the
breeder's, he spontaneously picked up one of the sand-colored puppies and laid it gently
into my hand. However, I wasn't quite convinced. But, when I wanted to lay the four-weekold puppy back again, it started crying heartbreakingly. It had immediately won my heart:
This one was to be mine! His breeder's name is Fanouk du Lac de Faoug.
In the meantime, Fanouk has turned 4 1/2 years old and it's a dog you could steal horses
with. I knew from the start I had to keep my little over-energetic rascal busy, give him
physical and mental challenges. From the very beginning I dreamt of dancing with him. From
October 2011 on I have been training at the dog training centre Dogdance Bern, where my
personal trainer is Christine Szakacs - our OEC coach. Christine shares with me her long indepth experiences and expert skills about freestyle. Fanouk and I also train rescue dog,
which he loves to bits. Fanouk goes at full throttle in the woods - in this course, as well as
most of the time ;-)
In July 2012, our second dog, 2 year-old Happy, joined the pack - our family. Happy lives up
to his name: His happy appearance and nature speak for themselves. I train dog dance
freestyle with him, too. Both dogs get along very well and the three of us have lots of fun
together.
I am proud to be representing Switzerland at the OEC freestyle competition with Fanouk. I
am looking forward to getting to know many different teams from all over Europe and I am
all excited in anticipation for all the beautiful routines which we will enjoy in Stuttgart. Good
luck to everybody!!
Martha Graham