China ballroom dancers sweep top honours in Sabah championship
KOTA KINABALU: The annual Sabah Open Dancesport Championship is yet another avenue to tourism promotion, said Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew.
“Through competitive ballroom dancing, we are promoting tourism as we have participants from overseas setting foot on our beautiful Land Below The Wind.
“This is a great opportunity to sample what Sabah has to offer. Share the story of your Sabah experience with your families and friends back home. I hope all of you will return for the 2019 Championship,” she said, when officiating at the 18th Sabah Open Dancesport Championship 2018 on Sunday.
The Minister gave organising chairman, Antony Keung, and his team a pat on the back for their invaluable contribution towards making Sabah known to the rest of Malaysia and the outside world for the last 18 years.
More than 200 participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan competed in the championship organised by the Imperial Ballroom Dancing School. There were 60 categories for kids, youth, young adults, adults, seniors and students partnering teachers.
“Organising an event of this magnitude for 18 years straight is an accomplishment. It requires passion, dedication, patience and industriousness,” said Liew.
Congratulating Keung on his appointment as deputy president of the Malaysia United Dancesport Association (MUDA), she said, it augurs well for further development of dancesport in Sabah, especially among schoolchildren.
Given its multiple benefits, the Minister stressed that ballroom dancing should be promoted in our community and schools.
From the health perspective, she noted that for senior members, it promotes fitness and muscle toning as well as helps protect bone density and prevent osteoporosis. As a low impact aerobic activity, it can boost one’s metabolism.
“In just 30 minutes of dancing, you can burn anywhere between 200-400 calories. That’s roughly the same amount burnt by running or cycling. Burning an extra 300 calories a day can help you lose between 0.5-1 pound a week,” she said.
“The Medalist Dance Syllabus Competition is for students who participate as a subject to attain ranking points.
“It is possible for medalist students to graduate into worldclass competitors,” said Keung, who was among those who had contributed in developing the State Education Department’s dance curriculum as a subject for schools in Sabah.
At the Championship, China’s participants displayed their dancing prowess, beating their rivals to sweep the top honours in at least four categories, namely Amateur Rising Star (Latin), Amateur (Latin), Amateur Rising Star (Modern) and Amateur (Modern).
One point of observation was that Hong Kong ladies partnering male dancers from China danced their way to victory.
“China’s ballroom dancers are successful because they work hard with constant practice. In fact, they are very good teachers. They are our instructors. We go to China for dancing lessons,” said Alice Lim of Hong Kong.
Vouching for that, Keung, who is also a World Dance Council International Adjudicator, said that top world dancers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Russia go to China to coach dancing enthusiasts.