The Dance Academy Kuching dancers win in 8 categories
KUCHING: Dancers from The Dance Academy Kuching (TDAK) did their academy proud when they won eight out of the ten dance categories they took part in at the 20th Asia Pacific Dance Competition in Singapore recently.
The competition from Aug 29-Sept 2 held at Victoria Theatre saw the participation of about 1,640 dancers from ten countries and 52 dance schools.
The countries were Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, The Philippines, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia.
The academy teacher-cum-dancer Mavis Lim performed her routine through her rendition of ‘The Monkey King’ (Journey to the West) in the National Solo Open Age category to emerge champion.
In the Classical/National Troupes 15 & Under category, the academy’s 20-dancer troupe were champion with their own piece of traditional Chinese dance creation called “Jian Zhi” (The Chinese Paper Cutting).
Meanwhile, advance-level dancer Celine Thong won the Honorary Mention (HM) award in the National Solo Open Age category. She will be pursuing her 4-year tertiary dance education at the Cultural University in Taipei, Taiwan starting this month.
In the National Troupes Open Age category, the academy’s ‘WOLF’ won bronze award while ‘MULAN’ took the HM award. Two other groups that won the HM awards were a Classical & Demi Character Ensemble 11 & Under, the academy’s ‘The Land of Hornbills’ and the National/Song & Dance Ensemble 11 & Under, the academy’s ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’.
In the TAP Ensemble 17 & Under, the academy’s ‘Symphony of the Seas’ won the second spot.
The dance competition was organised by the Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing which has given 85 years of service to dance education. Before this latest round in Singapore, the competition had previously been hosted by Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines.
The event is acclaimed to be “the best of the best’ elite competition where participants from various cultural, religious, political backgrounds come together as one family.