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.
