1st Miri International Dance Championship 2012

The last working championship of 2012 for me was the first championship I knew of to be held in the oil town of Miri, Sarawak. Having never been over the waters to Sarawak, I was highly interested to know how this town had fared since oil had been found there way back then.

I know of many dancers, both latin & standard, that come from KK and I know of a small, dedicated group of line dancers that came from Sarawak but I honestly did not know of any dancers in any of the modern discipline from Sarawak.

When I was first contacted by one of the organizers, I will admit, that I was a little hesitant due to past experience with small town events being canceled at the very last minute (which seemed very normal to them) and ending up out of pocket for the transportation. This must have been rather apparent to the organizer when I met her in another championship, and she gave me the air fare up front to secure my services. I was naturally much more confident after that point and got on with the necessary bookings. Up to this point, however, I was still in the dark about who the local Miri based organizer was. I was going in good faith.

When the time came, I packed and prepared my cubs for my departure with the usual list of things to do and what/who to contact in emergencies. I even had a quiet word with my eldest cub over what to do IN CASE the world did come to an end while I was away or if, as NASA said, the planet would be plunged in darkness for the 3 days that I would be away. I boarded the plane, still unaware of who the local contact would be or if I would ever see my family again. Ah yes, as much as we tell ourselves the stories of the end of the world are hogwash, human nature still makes us worry.

The flight was smooth and I watched the sun rise as we flew across the sea. Having stayed up for the past 36 hours, sleep claimed me and I slept thru the entire flight, oblivious to the crying children (of which there were many). As I normally do, I awoke as the plane started to descend and the unpleasant pressure in my ears woke me. The view from my window was as I expected - beautiful clean beaches, lush tropical rainforest in every shade of green imaginable, a scattering of towns/villages & a few hills but best of all - CLEAR, CLEAN AIR.

The airport was the size and capacity of the Ipoh airport when I last visited about 20 years ago and it felt very pleasant to not have the typical hustle and bustle I have grown accustomed to in international airports. I half expected but was still put off by the fact that when i cleared my bags, the promised transport was not there. Making a quick call to the organizer who 'booked' me, I was assured that transport would be coming so while I waited I explored the shops in the airport making note of what I wanted to pick up on my way back since I had a late flight back and a lot of time to kill waiting for it.

The transport was still not present after the exploration, and the mother of one of our amateur couples (who happen to be on the same flight) approached me to find out if I knew of anything. We compared notes and decided to each call our contacts to find out what was happening. Eventually................the van arrived to pick us all up for what turned out to be a lovely, scenic short ride to the venue.

The venue was the simple but expansively laid out Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club which once again made me feel like I was transported back 20 years ago to what the Ipoh golf club had been. It took quite a while to check in as we were very very early but the time was spent getting to know our young amateur couple who I have admired on the floor but not known much about. It was very pleasant to just socialize for a change.

I finally got to meet the local organizer, Ms Helen Lai, when she showed up at the reception to handle the registration and check in together with her team. What a delightfully energetic and sharp lady she turned out to be and I liked her on the spot. Memories of seeing her compete came rushing back and I could understand now why she always caught my eye when I spotted her on the floor in the past. Great personality and presence. I also got to meet the other two organizers during the welcome dinner (it's so nice that the welcome dinner is making a come back as it allows everyone to mingle in a relaxed manner before the stress of competition day) who were Mr Jack Kao from Taipei and Ms Aleena Tan from Singapore.

There were many news faces at the dinner as dancers from Brunei (which is just an hours drive away from Miri) showed up as well as dancers from the Philippines. I was delighted to see several familiar faces from West Malaysia and Singapore showing up to support the event. Some dancing for the first time in many years - good stuff.

The food served was delicious and was quickly consumed with great relish and enjoyed by all. The dinner ended on a pleasant note with the organizers and judges wishing everyone all the best and encouraging all to rest well.

The day of the competition started really nice and cool but the monsoon rain soon made an appearance just as rehearsals were ending and the preparation for the competition began. Due to the lay out of the accommodation, it was not easy to make our way to the ballroom with umbrella, bags and costumes in hand but we all managed it and everything ran on time.

The entire team, with the exception of myself, the judges and the scrutineer, were all first timers and were all ears to learn how to handle their task smoothly. They did so well , they honestly deserve a standing ovation for being the fastest learning team to date. Bravo! The staff of the venue did a great job too handling their very first ballroom competition. Everyone was learning on the fly and they were all so eager to do their best. I felt very privileged to work with them.

The competition itself only had 51 registered couples & dancers and I was expecting everything to run without much ado, and it did! What a pleasant change it was to have an comp of this size - everything felt cozy and relaxed and everyone seem to be having a really good time.

The competition itself, started at the civilized hour of 2 pm and everyone was on time, fresh and ready to go. The day events ran smoothly and it was lovely to see local dancers from Sabah & Sarawak on the floor after  meeting the foreign ones the night before. All the dancers did their best and practiced good sportsmanship and the small group of supporters were all very encouraging. The day finished before time and everyone went back to their rooms for a short rest and to prepare for the evening.

As I have learnt, small town events tend to always start on time and everyone is punctual. What truly amazed thought was that the invited VIP - YB Datuk Lee Kim Shin (Asst. Minister of Communications & Sports) was not only on time, he came in with no fanfare, found his own table, mixed around with everyone in the ballroom AND stayed for the whole night !!

The night got off to a slightly delayed start as the new team struggled to finalize a few unexpected hiccups but it wasn't anything to worry about. The formalities started and the speeches done. Presentations to people who deserved special mention was made and wrapped up by an opening dance by our local organizer, Ms Helen Lai together with her partner Julito Pertubos Ame.

The night events were of course much more exciting and fast paced. Seeing the couples from Brunei dance for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised with their presentation, talent, expertise and energy. We really must do more to encourage them to come to the championships we hold over in West Malaysia too. These couples really do deserve to be showcased as products of Brunei - bravo! Unfortunately, the couples from Thailand were not able to secure their air tickets in time and were not able to attend. It would have made for some very interesting competition if they had been there.

Our Malaysian amateur couple - Siew Wei Lok & Joey Wong won the Latin Amateur Open event. Wei Lok was on fire and gave a great performance with expression, energy and slickness. He has obviously come into his own and is brave enough now to expresses his emotions on the floor. Joey was slick as usual, with her trademark preciseness and great lines. She did a much better job during the Amateur Open when she allowed herself to open up and express herself in response to Wei Lok's expressiveness. Well done guys. You're both very young, so I'm looking forward to seeing much growth from you in the future.

The winners of the Standard Amateur Open were Russian couple Mikhail & Olesya Eremeev. They were undeniable champions from the first dance and they put on a beautiful Christmas themed honor dance at the end of the night. I first met this couple a few years ago and thought they looked very much like the majority of couples that are produced by Russia BUT in a very short number of years, they have managed to push themselves higher and higher with hard work, perseverance and dedication. As a couple with a young son, they have proven that if they can do it, so can you. Their beautiful personalities absolutely shine thru into their dancing and makes them delightful to watch and enjoy.

The night ended before midnight - a rarity for me in this field. Overall, it was a very well run event which could easily be grown into something to help put Miri on the map besides oil. The organizers have already released their next date - 10th August 2013, Saturday at the same venue Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club.

*** Please take note thought - that will be the weekend of the Hari Raya Puasa holidays so I encourage you all to book your airline tickets ASAP to avoid disappointment.