2010 VIETNAM ABLE CUP OPEN DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIP, QUI NHON, VIETNAM (28-30th April 2010)

 

After staying overnight in Ho Chi Minh City, the Japanese contingent and I caught the only flight into Qui Nhon which departs at 7:10am *yawn*. The airport in Qui Nhon is very reminicent to the airport in Ipoh back in the 1960's (see photos). We then had a 45 min bus ride to the official hotel which is situated right across from the public beach. After managing to catch a nap to recover from our very early start, the working committe had a briefing to discuss the next 3 days. 

Day 1 (28th) would be a 'teaser' for the public to help educate them on Dancesport and also to welcome our foreign competitors and adjudicators (see videos) It included several traditional performances by our hosts which were rather interesting. Day 2 (29th) was an evening of workshops (Alex Lim - Standard and Mr & Mrs Ota - Latin) and Dancesport demonstrations by 20 couples from both the local and international contingents. Very entertaining and educational for everyone. We had a lovely dinner after that at a beautiful private restaurant. Day 3 (30th) was the actual day of the competition. After a rough start where the international working team discovered how unprepared the local working committee was, we put in emergency plans and got everything moving and educated our local team on the methods and protocols of an international championship with 'on the job' training. It ended well and not too far off from our scheduled time. We wrapped up with a farewell dinner at the official hotel with all the competitors and adjudicators. Here are the details of the competition.

Panel of Adjudicators :

Dato Dr Henry Ooi - Chief Adjudicator (Malaysia) 
Mihoko Hattori (Japan)
Wanthanee Kanchana (Thailand)
Alex Lim (Malaysia)
Hironori Ota (Japan)
Kenji Po (Hong Kong)
Takuhide Takeda (Japan)
Juliana Foo (Hong Kong)
Mikiya Higuchi (Japan).

Results - Standard Events :

Grade D (Beginners W,T) - Zhang Lei & Penn Chan (Hong Kong)
Grade C (Juvenile W,T,Q) - Nguyen Tuan Dat & Phan Nguyen Quynh Huong (Ha Noi)
Grade C (Senor 35 W,T,Q) - Yang Li & Cheung Ah Mui (Hong Kong)
Grade C (Junior W,T,Q) - Nguyen Tuan Dat & Phan Nguyen Quynh Huong (Ha Noi)
Grade B (Open W,T,F,Q) - Jeerasak Watanarom & Chonlada Thaneeroj (Thailand)
Grade A (Open W,T,V,F,Q) - Yuta & Kumiko Nakagawa (Japan)

Results - Latin Events :

Grade D (Beginners C,R) - Pham Bao Long & Nguyen Hoai Huong (Ha Noi)
Grade C (Juvenile C,R,J) - Vu Hoang Anh Minh & Le Hoang Ha Ly (Ha Noi)
Grade C (Senior 35 C,R,J) - Vi Manh Cuong & Vu Minh Hang (Hai Phong)
Grade C (Junior C,R,J) - Phongsiri Saengmani & Piyathida Teerasartsilp (Thailand)
Grade B (Open C,S,R,J) - Phongsiri Saengmani & Piyathida Teerasartsilp (Thailand)
Grade A (Open C,S,R,P,J) - Hirotsugu Sanada & Aiko Nakano (Japan)

The couples from Vietnam showed great promise to break into the international Dancesport scene and I look forward to seeing them out and about very soon.

7th Crystal Dancesport Championships 2009 - 30th August 2009

The 7th edition of this championship received an overwhelming response with a total of 306 couples signing up to compete in this now well known event. Championship organizer, Mr John Lim, was of course delighted as well as mildly worried as to how to fit in so many events and competitiors into one day.

But manage it we did. While John concentrated on the panel of adjudicators, he engaged me to dealt with the arrangement of the programme, Johnston Lim dealt with the music and Joanne Leong (bless her) dealt with everything and anything in between. In keeping with John's norm, the event was held at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur Hotel Grand Ballroom which continued to give us their usual high standard of service.

Registration of the competitors started at 7 am with Joanne Leong keeping a close eye on things while the competitor marshalls - Jimmy, Chow & Kodie - got things rolling outside gathering couples into their events. Inside the hall, myself and Ghandi (the music master) got the finer details all sorted out together with Nixon Ong, the scrutineer.

There were over 30 judges divided into 6 panels for the days events. The judges were : Don McRobert (Chief Adjudicator), Marcel De Rijk, Akihiro Yokomichi, Aleena Tan, Steven Han, Teng Hui, Steven Tan, Michael Wang, Lawrence Chan, Kenji Po, Ronnie Liu, Soenarko Josodiharjo, Yulia Phanjaya, Wanthanee Kenchana, Uapan Snidvongs, Kamon Tepcheepornsilp, Dharshan Wijesooriya, Juliana Foo, Nancy Low, Alvyn Low, Alice Teo, Louis Ng, Tan Why Pong, Teh Swee Guan, William Lor, Benny Chan, Anthony Keong, Hani Tiahjono, Heru Sutanto, M. Ichwan, Felix Lau, Tay Eng Khiam, James Ooi, Chew Cheng Lai, Tam Kong Chow, Belman Salihovic, Kelly Goh, Billeon Yong, John Lee, Amy Lee, Jessie Foo, Raymond Tee, Siow Boon Wah, Lee Boon Teong, Alvin Lee, Teresa Liu, Lee Yip Seng, Josephine Seow, Andy Wong, Somphon, Michael Yeap, Alice Hor, Louis Low, May Chean, Ooi Hock Seng, Eileen Hoe, Tan Hung Soo.

After a judges briefing, the competition started at 8:30am. Almost immediately however, we encountered some trouble as the judges were still trying to come to grips with which panel each of them belonged to. Perhaps due to the unusually early start of the competition, the judges were not quite up to scratch with the paperwork for the first hour of the competition which caused the scrutineer some headaches and delays.

However, as they day progressed things got decidedly better and we really started to swing along. The competitor marshalls did a really fantastic job and had the heats moving along and kept the pace going. At one point we were almost 2 hours behind time but with the steady progress of the marshalls and the judges settling in we managed to get back on track a little more then half way through the day.

During the day, in order to keep the competitive events running, the prize giving ceremony for the finals of the earlier events was conducted in the foyer of the grand ballroom and the cheers of the supporters could be heard in the ballroom. I do not have the results all the almost 50 events that was held but I shall post what I do have.

STANDARD EVENTS :

WDA 5 Dance Closed - #10 Jimmy Yap & Sylvia Yeoh (Malaysia)

Amateur Open - #158 Wang Chun Yen & Chiang Hsin (Taiwan)

Professional Open - #296 Alexander & Irina (Hong Kong)

LATIN EVENTS :

Malaysia Amateur Closed, OCM Selection - #1 Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan (Malaysia)

SEA Amateur Closed - #158 Wang Chun Yen & Chiang Hsin (Taiwan)

Amateur Open - #171 Dorin Frecautnu & Rosalina Doneva (Moldova)

Professional Open - #163 Liu Xiau Ang & Qu Yuan Fei (China)

All the champions performed fantastically with consistent routines. As expected each one was a delight to watch dancing with precision, energy and speed. The body language was as clear as if it was written on a page and several times, the audience lapsed into total silence as they were mesmerized by the stories being told by the couples.

Based on the incredible number of entries this year, the organizer has already voiced the posibility that next year the event may run as a Festival which will include the various championships over the course of 3 days. It was exciting news and we hope this will materialize.

Congratulations to all the winners and much thanks to the working team for a job well done.

Malaysian Open Dance Fest 2009 - 29th August 09

Line Dance Team

Modern Jazz Team

Crystal & Diamond Line Dance Team Champions

Poco Poco Team

Line Dance Individual, Diamond

Despite having a power failure during the first quarter of the function, the competition turned out to be quite a success. We had some great dancers on the floor in the diciplines of Poco Poco, Line Dancing, Modern Jazz, Hip Hop and Belly Dancing. Each discipline was devided into categories for individual & teams, skill levels & ages.

The organizers - Teressa Liu, Emily Mah and Lane Lee, were first timers at this and there were the inevitable teething problems. However, by working together with a very supportive frame of helpers, almost all problems were overcome.

Once the electricity came back on and we discovered that the air conditioning units had failed to return, everyone just gritted their teeth and carried on with it. Here's some information/details you might like to know.

Panel of Adjudicators :Teresa Liu - Chief Adjudicator, Bryan Ang, Siew Yew Peng, Daniel Leong, Helen Fan, Nancy Loo, Alvin Lee, Jessie Foo, Jocelyn Peh, Ganesh K, Annie Ong, Morina Mohamad, Ann Tan, Lily Chin, Wendy Loh, Mac Chong, Karen Castillo.

Results of the competition :

Line Dance Indv. Junior - #48 Jovitta Law Min Hui

Line Dance Indv. Newcomer - #124 Menaka Hewawasam (Sri Lanka)

Line Dance Indv. Open - #20 Lim Sae Min

Line Dance Indv. Crystal - #22 Soong Weei Wah

Line Dance Indv. Diamond - #159 Pat Sung

Line Dance Team Junior - #49 Star Angels

Line Dance Team Open - #50 G Force

Line Dance Team Crystal - #106 Danz Ace

Line Dance Team Senior - #106 Danz Ace

Line Dance Showcase - #5 Jurairat Choomchor (Thailand)

Poco Poco Team Open - #44 Cendana Mas

Modern Jazz Indv. Open - #95 Simone Phong

Modern Jazz Team Open - #74 Royal 307

Belly Dance Indv. Newcomer - #2 Stella Lee

Belly Dance Indv. Intermediate - #34 Teoh Khai Shin

Belly Dance Troupe Open - #31 Dance 99

Hip Hop Indv. Kids (Under 8) - #37 Darren Ong

Hip Hop Indv. Junior (Under 16) - #58 Maggie Foo

Hip Hop Indv. Beginners (Adults) - #124 Menaka Hewawasam (Sri Lanka)

Hip Hop Indv. Open - #56 Chriz Chiam

Hip Hop Team Junior - #162 2 5 Step Viva Champ

Hip Hop Team Open - #73 Flight 307

Congratulations to all the winners and well done to everyone who took part. It takes a lot of courage to enter a competition and everyone who does, is a winner in their own book. If you didn't achieve your goal this time, just aim for the next. Now with this event being sanctioned by the IDO (International Dance Organization), next years event promises to be bigger and better so start getting ready now. I forsee the date for next year's event will very likely be 28th August 2010. See you all then.

A Thousand Apologies!

I am so sorry I haven't been able to keep you all up to date with the exciting happenings on the competition scene lately.

Trying to balance work & children while training & coaching is not for the faint hearted.

Anyway, take note of the changes and updates in the Events list, Class list and Dance list.

Will update you on all the others as and when i can manage.

NATD Medallist Competition 2009 - 5th July 2009

The NATD medallist competition has returned to our shores!

It's been quite a while since this competition has been held here and it was good to have it brought back by organizer Henry Chan after a long absence. Though it was a small event held at the Kiwanis Hall in Petaling Jaya, it certainly brought with it a lot of competitive spirit and good cheer.

The critieria of entry to the competition was that all participants had to be members of the NATD association and had taken part in its medal exams. The competition intself was broken down to the various levels medal levels i.e. Bronze, Silver, Gold, which had to be danced according to syallabus only and the Gold Cross level which was open to couples that had taken part in open competitions and were allowed their own choreography.

The panel of adjudicators were of course members of the NATD teachers board and was headed by senior examinar Mr Niel Dewar from UK. The judges were - Mr Henry Chan, Mr Benny Chan, Ms Josephine Seow, Mr Thomas Tan, Mr John Lim, Ms Frances Teoh, Ms Alice Loh, Ms Tramaine Tan, Ms Joanne Leong and Ms Julyann Khoo.

The events covered Latin, Standard Freestyle and single dances (Viennese Waltz, Paso Doble & Rock 'n' Roll).

Here are the list of Champions :

Ballroom Medallist Level :

1. Adult Bronze 1 - Kenneth Tan & Venessa Low
2. Adult Bronze 3 - Dexter Lau & Petrina Chng
3. Adult Silver - Dexter Lau & Petrina Chng
4. Adult Over 35 - Ronniw Yeow & Andrea Au

Ballroom Competitor level :

1. Junior Bronze & Silver - Christopher & Catrina Low
2. Gold & Above - Adrian Khor & Hee Poh Yee
3. Adult Bronze 1 - Ho Wai Jiat & Aw Sim Li
4. Adult Bronze 2 - Stanley Lim & Maybelle Ngor
5. Adult Silver - Kenneth Tan & Crystal Loh
6. Adult Gold - Kenneth Tan & Coco Tan
7. Adult Gold Cross & Above - Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan
8. Single Dance (Viennese Waltz) - Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan

Freestyle :

1. Solo Bronze - Tie between Chew Biyi Jill & Chng May Qing
2. Solo Gold - Gan Kar Mern
3. Duo Juvenile - Khor Yen Min & Priyanka Kimberley
4. Duo Gold - Hedy Tong & Fennie Chin

Latin Medallist Level :

1. Adult Bronze 1 - Staeron low & Candy Chin
2. Junior Bronze & Silver - Gabriel Liew & Crystal Wong
3. Adult Silver - Adrian Tan & Chai Shing Yin
4. Junior Gold & Above - Jeremy Chor & Foo Wen Yen
5. Adult Bronze 3 - Ian Yap & Claire Yap
6. Rainbow - Catrina Low
7. Ladies Event Silver - Esther Foo & Ong Kai Sin
8. Juvenile - Lim Kian Thong & Ng Ho Yee
9. Adult Gold - Wilson Tan & Presley Won
10. Adult Gold Cross & Above - Chew Kai Peng & Yong Yen Tyng
11. Adult Over 35 - Steven Tan & Christine Wong

Latin Competitor Level :

1. Junior Bronze & Silver - Edmund Ngor & Evelyn Lim
2. Junior Gold & Above - Bernard Lim & Natalie Tan
3. Adult Bronze 1 - Bernard Lim & Raena Low
4. Adult Bronze 2 - Bernard Lim & Raena Low
5. Adult Bronze 3 - Bernard Lim & Raena Low
6. Adult Silver - Kenneth Tan & Venessa Low
7. Adult Gold - Bernard Lim & Natalie Tan
8. Adult Gold Cross & Above - Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan
9. Single Dance (Rock n Roll) - Adrian Tan & Chai Shing Yin
10. Single Dance (Paso Doble) - Kit Wei Luen & Ashley Ahn Si I

The star of the competition this year, in my opinion, was Bernard Lim. This talented young man took part in 10 different events with two different partners. His abilities shined brightest in the Latin events as you can see from the results above but what made him stand out from the rest was not only his amazing stamina but his ability to produce consistant quality in each of his events. His best partnership was with Natalie Tan, a very talented 11 year old, and together they will go very far if they are allowed to nuture their talents. This is a couple to keep your eyes on in future competitions.

25th April 2009 - Melacca Line Dance Workshop by Bronya

Tammy presenting me with my beautiful flowers. Thank you girls!




This is the way to make a POINT!




Helen Fan, the organizer












Making sure that all important HIP action was achieved.





Really getting down to the business of 'feeling' a move.













Demonstrating how to use the 'power' of the hips & core to create a fluid motion.





Some found it all rather much to absorb in 3 hours but they sure did try their best.











Walking thru the routine while some were still trying to figure out which foot to start on :)









The attendees listening attentively to some pointers before the start of the workshop








Realizing the stage was just too high, i decided to 'assume the position' so that they didn't have to crane their necks to look at me.





I had been approched by Helen Fan last year to come down to Melacca to conduct a Line Dance workshop focusing on technique and styling. It took us both a good 6 months to finally come up with a date that worked for both of us but finally we managed it.

I drove down with my girls, Sze and I Vee, and we got there a good hour before the workshop in order to check in and run through our technical requirements. We were then lead to the venue by Helen and arrived on Malaysian time (a good 20 minutes behind schedule). Luckily everyone was ready to go and we launched into the workshop straight away.

After a brief introduction by Helen, I got up on stage and did my routine check on whether everyone was wearing the right footwear and clothes and ensuring everyone was medically sound before we started. Then i discovered the stage was way too high and i decided to join eveyone on the floor. We covered 3 dances with 3 different styles in the workshop. I used my own 'Let's Get Loud 08' for the Cuban and 'Kiss Goodbye' for the Smooth (step sheets availble on guruofdance.com & kickit.com) and borrowed Scott Blevins' 'Feed the Feetish' for the Funky.

Everyone tried their very best to execute all the moves with me and I was very impressed by their enthusiasm to get it right. Even during the breaks they approached me to clarify finer points of certain moves. Their desire to learn could be tasted. I was very encouraged and proceeded to give them everything I had to satisfy them.

However, it had to end after more then 3 hours of exhausting work, everyone wanted some time to head home and pretty up for the dinner and jamming session that was to follow during the night. That allowed my partner, Sze, and I to run thru our own routines which were were planning to demonstrate during the dinner.

For the demonstration, I planned it in 3 parts to reflect what we had covered in the workshop. We opened with our Funky sequense and the crowd was excitingly responsive. Sadly i had a costume malfunction near the end of that section (i lost my hat) but we still finished off well. The second part of the demonstration was the Smooth which I performed on my own. The crowd was very eager to react to my actions which was great as the smooth is very expressive and filled with emotion. We finished off the demonstration with a cuban section during which we also showed off our new jive and cha cha partner routines. I Vee managed to capture all this on video and handle our music at the same time. Good on you girl.

After falling into bed for a much needed rejuevinating sleep, i was up early the next day to conduct a couple of private lessons with these insatiable dancers. Its such a joy to teach people who really really want to learn for the pure passion of dancing. I finished off my visit to Melacca by being taken out for an authentic Baba lunch by some of my new friends - Kathy, Tammy, Susan and a few others.

Thank you EVERYONE and especially Helen Fan, for making my visit to Melacca such an enjoyable one. I can't wait to come back down again and share more with you.

22nd March 2009 - YS Dancesport Center Anniversary Dinner & Dance

It was the 20th anniversary of the YS Dancesport Center and the event was held in the Banquet Hall of the Royal Lake Club in Kuala Lumpur. The hall was filled with dancers from all walks of life, from the very young to the young, to the trying to get there and the i'm getting there, to the i've been there and to the young of heart. Its amazing what 20 years can amase in one room. I, having been there are the conception of YS Dancesport Center, suddenly felt very 'senior' as I was forced to look back over my own years in this field. Lucky for me, the picture wasn't too bad at all.

The hosts for the night were of course Mr Y S Lee, the principle, and his petite wife Amy Lee accompanied by their children and family members. YS, notorious for his shyness of public speaking, left the opening speach to Amy who bravely opened in English before reverting to Chinese which allowed her to give a heatfelt speech to thank everyone who's supported them over the last 20 years. After that, some of the audience winked at me and suggested i get them to dance, something that has not been witnessed by any of us! YS and Amy are well know for their training and coaching skills (they are responsbile for several of our best Amateur couples) but are equally well known for their reluctance to dance publicly. After much encouragement, YS wagged his finger at me but proceeded to take his wife onto the floor and dance a basic rumba to the cheers of all in the hall. It didn't last long though and they quickly scurried off the floor to the safety of their VIP table.

Aside from the fantastic dinner which was planned by one of his long term students, Mrs Janet Lim, there was an award presentation to 3 students who had been with them from the start - Mrs Janet Lim, Mr Jimmy Heng and another who's name escapes me at the moment. Together they gathered around the anniversary cake with the many performing couples for a photo opportunity.

The highligh of the evening was of course the many dance performances presented by their students from as young as 4 all the way up to their more 'mature' students. Most were done in formation style so that they would all feel more confident. However, their top competitive students e.g. Michael & Janet (Malaysia's top Amateur couple) performed solo.

It was also an opportunity for the center to announce its next two events which will be the 1st Malacca Dancesport Championship on the 14th June 2009 and the 1st Taiping Dancesport Championship on the 20th September 2009.

The night wrapped up with lots of social dancing and much congratulating to YS and Amy. Here's to another 20!

Updates - April 2009

Terribly sorry for the very long silence. Work just piled up while I was travelling during March. I still owe you all a post on the remaining 2 ADC Tour event as well as the 3rd Hong Kong Dancesport Festival event. I will get to that, never fear.

Meanwhile, I have updated the Events list and the Class list on the side bar. Several new class slots have become available with the merging of a few senior classes. So have a look as see if there's anything suitable for you and give me a buzz if you have questions. Also many new events have been added on to the events list. See if there's anything you'd like to attend and contact the organizers for more details on ticket pricing or entry forms.

I've also added on a couple of dances to my 'favourite line dance' list. I attended a jamming session on the 18th April held by the FunStomppers at the TTDI Community Hall where my good friend Mei Ling presented one of her latest dances which I took quite a shine to even though I did make a minor change to the step sheet, with her permission, of course. Once I learn how to link you to the step sheets you'll be able to download them straight from here, but for now you'll have to search for it yourself with the information i've provided in the side bar. I've also just completed a new waltz done to the beautiful song "If I Were a Painting by Kenny Rodgers" which I have named 'Painting'. I should have that up on my website soon for you to download. I'm also planning to twist Sze's arm to set up a You Tube channel for me so you can finally view some of my demo video's which i've been promising many of you for oh so long.

Well, that about all I can give you for now. I hope to get time soon to update you all. Take care, keep dancing and remember - age is just a number.