On Saturday, August 12, MY Dancesport Studio organised its 6th Ipoh International Dancesport Championships. The competition, which began in the morning, was held at the ballroom of Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites, Ipoh.
Over 500 guests attended the semi-final and final which were held over dinner. Tourism Perak Chief Executive Officer, Zuraida Md Taib, were among the guests. Contestants from eight countries namely, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Korea, Ukraine, Italy and Malaysia took part.
This year, the championship was accredited by the Malaysian Education Ministry as Malaysia’s National Inter-School Dancesport Championships 2017 with SJK (C) Ave Maria Convent as the co-organiser. By taking part in this championship, Malaysian students are provided the opportunity to obtain merit points in extracurricular activities.
Among the categories were Latin Amateur Rising Star, Latin Pre-Amateur, Latin Juvenile (12 and below) and many more. Guests were held in awe when the contestants swept the ballroom with dances such as Waltz, Tango, Samba, Cha Cha Cha, Paso Doble and more.
“Coincidentally, 2017 is Visit Perak Year and we’ve, one way or another, contributed to promoting Ipoh by organising this event. Now, Perak is better known among countries like Hong Kong or Italy,” said founder of MY Dancesport Studio cum championship advisor, Michael Yeap.
While Kuala Lumpur won the Standard Adult 35 & above, Standard Combine Age 80 & above and Latin Juvenile 12 & below categories, Penang won the Latin Amateur Rising Star and Latin Junior 16 & below. Italy, on the other hand, won the Latin Pre-Amateur title.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off the dancers, they’re so beautiful and graceful. When I found out some of the children were below seven years old, I was speechless. They’ll grow up to be amazing dancers,” exclaimed one of the guests, Rachael.
Championship Organising Chairperson, Yeap Yen Chin expressed her gratitude to everyone who came and took part. The next championship will take place in August 2018.
Khaleeja
