Six S’wak dancers qualify for Dance World Cup in July
KUCHING: Young dancers from La Danse Company have done Sarawak proud at the Malaysian qualifiers for the Dance World Cup (DWC) held at the National Culture and Arts (JKKN) Auditorium in Sabah from March 6-8.
The team of six grabbed a total of four gold and one silver medals in various contemporary dance categories and also qualified for the DWC Finals to be staged in Prague, Czech Republic from June 26 to July 6.
Delivering the golds were Annalisa Lao in the Junior Contemporary, Zoie Tok in the Senior Contemporary, Alaena Lao-Annalisa Lao-Zoie Tok in the Senior Contemporary Duos/ Trios and Alaena Lao-Annalisa Lao-Zoie Tok-Crystal Yong-Laura Chew and Annabelle Pui in the Senior Contemporary Small Group. The solitary silver was won by Alaena Lao in the Senior Contemporary.
DWC Finals participants must qualify at the qualifier for the country where their dance school is located. The maximum age of competitors is 25 years as of Jan 01, 2024.
The Sarawak girls are now eagerly looking forward to competing at the DWC Finals.
“I am deeply grateful to La Danse Company for creating this opportunity for me. Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to do better each time.
“Also, I feel accomplished and proud of my teammates. Together, we have worked hard, supporting and motivating each other. So looking forward to the finals in Prague!”, said Annalisa.
Sharing Annalisa’s sentiment, Zoie said: “We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity, especially all the guidance and mentorship along the way from our teachers Ivy Chua and Lynda Chua.
“A golden chance like this is hard to come by as Sarawakians, it would be an honour to share on the stage and learn from so many international groups.”
Last year’s DWC Finals was held in Braga, Portugal where it gathered 7,500 dancers from over 50 countries.