What it is
The Deutscher Tanzsportverband (DTV) was founded in Berlin in 1921 as the Reichsverband für Tanzsport. It is Germany's member of WDSF, recognised by the German Olympic Sports Confederation, and follows the national anti-doping rules. German professionals compete within the DTV as well.
Members
Its ordinary members are the state associations, one for each of Germany's 16 states, and their clubs. The German Olympic Sports Confederation's 2025 membership survey counts 226,079 members in dance sport, up from 218,315 a year earlier; a secondary source citing the same survey gives about 2,033 clubs.
Competition system
| Group | Age |
|---|---|
| Kinder I, II | 9 and under, 10–11 |
| Junioren I, II | 12–13, 14–15 |
| Jugend | 16–18 |
| U21 | 16–20 |
| Hauptgruppe | 19 and over |
| Hauptgruppe II | One partner 28 or over |
| Senioren I to IV | From 30/35 to 60/65 |
| Senioren V | Both 70 and over |
Classes. Every couple starts in D and can rise through C, B and A to S. D couples dance three Standard and three Latin dances, C couples four of each, and B to S couples all five.
Promotion. A couple needs both a number of top placings and a number of points, earned at one point per couple beaten. The 2022 rules, for example, ask for seven top-six places and 100 points to move from D to C.
Licences. Every dancer needs a personal DTV ID card and an annual licence, applied for by their club. Entries, results and partnerships run through the federation's online system, ESV.
Main events
German Championships are held for each age group and style, and Germany hosts major international events, including a WDSF GrandSlam stop in Stuttgart.
How it is governed
The Verbandstag, the assembly of members, is the supreme body. It elects the Präsidium, which leads the federation. The DTV publishes its statutes, rules and current Präsidium on its website.
Official links
We do not print the names of current presidents or board members, because they change. The links above go to the federation's own list.
This page is an independent summary written from the body's own published sources. DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sanctioned by it.
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Sources
Checked on November 3, 2026. Each document is linked in the language it was published in. Where sources disagree, the text says so.