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!
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