10th BDFI Malaysian Open Dancesport Championships 2011 - 9th January 2011

First off let me clarify the title of this championship which caused me quite a bit of confusion as BDFI (Ballroom Dancers Federation International) has only just arrived in Malaysia in 2010 and I was baffled at how 9 events could have possibly been run between then and now. This is actually the 10th Malaysian Open Dancesport Championships run by organizers Y. S Lee & Amy Lee and it is the first time that they have been sanctioned by BDFI. So by right, this event was ALSO the 1st KL BDFI Open Dancesport Championship. BDFI held its first Malaysian championship in Taiping last year and it looks like we'll be having many more this year around Malaysia. Look out for the 2nd Taiping BDFI and the 1st Ipoh BDFI coming this year.

The event was held at the Olympic Council of Malaysia Sports Complex here in KL. This was the first competition of the year in Malaysia for Dancesport and it was a very comfortable event. Its been quite a while since we've been able to start the day at a civilized 9am for registration, 10am for rehearsals and 11am for the championship. Competitions in KL, over the past year, have been getting so massive that it had become necessary for many organizers to have to start the day off at 6am and only manage to finish at 1am the next day. So this was indeed pleasant. Registration ran smoothly with several last minute entries and withdrawals, which is the norm. The dance floor was packed during rehearsals so it was necessary to break it up into groups, specially for the juvenile dancers, for safety purposes.

The competition itself started slightly behind time but we managed to catch up and run according to schedule fairly easily after that with Mr Jimmy Heng handling the marshaling in his own efficient manner. The judges had the usual little bit of confusion with the score sheets in the beginning but we sorted it all out quickly and Ms Susan (from Nixon Ong's scrutineering team) was soon churning out results at top speed. There was a surprise but very welcomed entry into the competition as one of Malaysia's top Amateur couple returned to the general competitive circuit. New partnerships were seen and several dancers were also seen in between partners, thus is looks like its going to be an interesting year for us here in Malaysia for Dancesport competition.

Here are the details -

PANEL OF ADJUDICATORS :

A.  Mr John Lim (Chief Adjudicator) - Selangor

B.  Ms Brenda So - Hong Kong

C.  Ms Hui Wei Lee - Hong Kong

D.  Mr Erwan Phanjaya - Indonesia

E.  Mr Alonggod Nutsati - Thailand

F.  Mr Sammy Soo - Singapore

G.  Mr Chong Kim Yee - KL

H.  Mr Joe Chew - KL

I.  Ms Jovy Wong - KL

J.  Ms Judy Ong - KL

K.  Ms Josephine Seow - Selangor

L.  Mr Michael Yong - Selangor

M.  Ms Lim Soo Yien - Selangor

N.  Ms Yeap Yen Chin - Perak

O.  Ms Irene Au - Perak

P.  Mr Siow Boon Wah - Johor

Q.  Ms Reena Leong - Ng. Sembilan

R.  Ms May Chean - Ng. Sembilan

A comfortable total of 75 events were run with event ranging from the new trend of Solo Juvenile to Ladies Latin and the organizers own ADC (Amy Dancesport Center) events.

LIST OF CHAMPIONS

Std. Masters 1 : #103 - Andrew Yow & Rita Rahardjo (Indonesia)

Std. Novice : #80 - Adriel Tan & Aw Sim Li (KL)

Std. Beg. Foxtrot : #77 - Billy Seah & Madeline Ashlee Lok (KL)

Std. Beg. Waltz : #89 - Adrian Tan & Amelia Henderson (KL)

Std. Junior Under 16 : #26 - Shaun Chew & Raena Low (Selangor)

Std. Beg. Tango : #77 - Billy Seah & Madeline Ashlee Lok (KL)  AND

                          #104 - Loy Kok Loong & Lee Poh Leng (Pahang)

Std. Beg. Waltz Under 12 : #2 - James Ng & Miyaki Teng (KL)

Std. Beg. Quickstep : #24 - Alan Ho & Evelyn Lim (Selangor)

Std. Malaysia Amateur Closed : #18 - Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan (Selangor)

Std. Beg. Quickstep Under 12 : #129 - Kelvin Low Kah Weng & Alicia Poh (KL)

Latin Ladies Open : #35 - Apple Gam & Veryne Lim (KL)

Latin Beg. Cha Cha : #76 - Ian Yap Yew An & Gan Kar Mern (KL)

Latin Beg. Samba : #135 - Foong Hau Ming & Ice Kwan (Perak)

Latin Masters 2 : #55 - Bryan Tan & Nancy Liow (Johor)

Latin Beg. Rumba : #135 - Foong Hau Ming & Ice Kwan (Perak)

Latin Beg. Jive : #33 - Joshua Ng & Fish Chia (KL)

Latin Novice : #124 - Gary Ng & Tomiko Foo (KL)

Latin Malaysia Amateur Closed : #99 - Alfred Choo & Cecilia Yong (KL)

Latin Solo Open : #205 - Lim Zhe Qi (KL)

Latin Solo Under 8 Cha Cha : #231 - Lee Ching Tung (Hong Kong)

Latin Solo Under 8 Jive : #231 - Lee Ching Tung (Hong Kong)

Latin Girls Under 12 : #11 - Lim Zhe Qi & Shermin Won (KL)

Latin Beg. Under 12 Cha Cha : #2 - James Ng & Miyaki Teng (KL)

Latin Beg. Under 12 Jive : #2 - James Ng & Miyaki Teng (KL)

Latin Masters 1 : #17 - Zhou Lin & Cheng Yee Kwan (China)

Latin Junior Under 16 : #27 - Harry Oon & Dionne Leong (Selangor)

Latin 'ADC' Solo Under 8 : #244

Latin Juvenile Under 8 : #109 - Nicholas Wong Kai Li & Lee Shin Yee (KL)

Std. Masters 1 : #103 - Andrew Yow & Rita Rahardjo (Indonesia)

Latin Solo Under 12 Cha Cha : #204 - Shermin Won (KL)

Std. Pre-Amateur : #22 - Samuel Sum & Valerie Lim (Selangor)

Latin Solo Under 12 Jive : #204 - Shermin Won (KL)

Std. Rising Star : #22 - Samuel Sum & Valerie Lim (Selangor)

Latin 'ADC' Under 12 : #2 - James Ng & Miyaki Teng (KL)

Latin 'ADC' Under 12 Solo : #203 - Angeline Ong (KL)

Latin Juvenile Under 12 : #135 - Foong Hau Ming & Ice Kwan (Perak)

Latin Pre-Amateur : #124 - Gary Ng & Tamiko Foo (KL)

Latin Rising Star : #8 - Chan Chian Sing & Emy Farrah Elena (KL)

Std. Amateur Open : #18 - Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan (Selangor)

Latin Amateur Open : #99 - Alfred Choo & Cecilia Yong (KL)

*************************************************************

Congratulations everyone! It was an exciting event, specially in the Novice, Pre-Amateur, Rising Star & Amateur events. It looks like a challenging year ahead for those in the circuit. Can't wait to see how everyone progresses thru the year. Train hard, communicate and stay dedicated. Good luck !!!!!

17th Penang International Open Ballroom Dancing Championship 2011 - 27th Nov. 2010 (Saturday)

The 17th chapter of this now very well known championship had an overwhelming number of entries this year, the largest number in its history - 352 couples in total !! And together with the huge entry was its largest panel of adjudicators. This successful event is organized by the Malaysian Dancers Association (MDA) which is headed by Dato Dr Henry Ooi, the President of MDA together with the Penang State Government Tourism Board. This year the championship also included the 1st Penang ADC Amateur League Open Championship as part of its events. Its main sponsors were Penang State Government, SP Setia Bhd Group, Pensonic, Da Ma Cai, Astro & The Hour Glass.

The day had to start at 7am in order for us to complete all the events and the prize presentation of the day events had to be held in the foyer of the ballroom to allow the competition to continue inside the hall. Therefore I do not have the full list of champions for this championships so you'll have to be satisfied with the little that I do have.

Panel of Adjudicators

1. Mr Isao Nakagawa (Chief Adjudicator) - Japan

2. Mr Karl Breuer

3. Mr Michael Stylianos

4. Ms Kym Smith

5. Mr Akihiro Yokomichi

6. Ms Hidemi Yamamoto

7. Mr Ji Xiao Ming

8. Mr Manfred Wang

9. Ms Angel Long

10. Mr Soenarko Josodiharjo

11. Mr David Lee

12. Mr Geoffrey Chun

13. Mr Kenny Kwan

14. Ms Wanthanee Kanchana

15. Mr Ariel Llanillo

16. Ms Jane Liu

17. Mr Steven Tan

18. Mr Lawrence Chan

19. Mr Kenji Po

20. Sun Wei Ying

21. Zhang Xiang Guo

22. Mr Teng Hui

23. Mr Dharshan Vijesooriya

24. Mr Johnny Sucipto

25. Mr Edgar Borromeo

26. Yong-Ran Lee

27. Mr Jerry Abrate

28. Mr Teh Swee Guan

29. Mr William Lor

30. Datin Goh Suat Guat

31. Mr Anthony Keung

32. Mr Alex Lim

33. Mr Benny Chan

34. Ms Grace Chan

35. Mr John Lim

36. Mr Lee Boon Teong

37. Mr Tam Kong Choy

38. Mr James Ooi

39. Ms Josephine Seow

40. Ms Alice Hor

41. Ms Kelly Goh

42. Mr Michael Yeap

43. Mr Raymond Tee

44. Ms Irine Au

45. Ms Louis Low

46. Mr Chan Gim Choo

47. Mr John Lee

48. Mr Ooi Hock Seng

49. Ms Annie Oo

50. Mr Billion Yong

51. Mr Bong Yoon Chun

52. Mr Thomas Tan

Scrutineer : Mr Nixon Ong & team

LIST OF CHAMPIONS

Latin Professional Open : #6 Zhao Liang & Guo Xue (China)

Std. Professional Open : #30 Aleksander Zhiratkov & Irina Novozhil Ovapopovic (Russia)

Latin Asia Amateur : #266 Wu Hao & Qin Yi (China)

Std. Asia Amateur : #163 Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan (Malaysia)

Latin Pro. Asia Rising Star : #352 Liu Xiao & Wei Wei (China)

Std. Pro. Asia Rising Star : #316 Zhang Hao & Song Xiao Rong (China)

Latin Pro-Am C : #141 Loke Sze Hao & Yoko Takahashi (Malaysia)

Latin Pro-Am B : #141 Loke Sze Hao & Yoko Takahashi (Malaysia)

Std. Pro-Am C : #18 Chan Hung Ming & Liang Xia Xiang

Std. Pro-Am B : #336 Stanizlav Zelyanin & Lilian Wong (Singapore)

Latin Open Amateur : #4  Ma Jia Jun & Xu Qian (China)

**********************************************************************************

Congratulations to all our Champions ! I'm afraid that's all the results I have from this championship. If you need more information, feel free to contact the organizers - Malaysian Dancers Association at mdamy@streamyx.com

1st BDFI Taiping Open Dance Championship 2010 - 19th Sept. 2010 (Sunday)

It was the first time joint organizers - Mr Lim Poh Hu & Ms Shirley Hun, put together a championship. They are working partners and have managed many successful social events in and around Taiping. However, this year, with the guidance or Mr John Lim, they decided to take that brave step forward and do something bigger. There were the expected pitfalls and hiccups but I take my hat of to Shirley, who managed to keep things together and moving forward no matter what. As it was their first time, the pair did not want to hold different competitions at different times for the various genres of dance that they teach at their studios, hence the reason the championship is labeled 'dance' to cover the different dance forms that competed.


Panel of Adjudicators


1.  Mr Teh Swee Guan - Chief Adjudicator (Penang)
2.  Mr Steven Han (Singapore)
3.  Ms Reena Leong (Ng. Sembilan)
4.  Ms Wanthanee Meksawad (Thailand)
5.  Mr Belman Salihovic (Australia)
6.  Mr Michael Yeap (Perak)
7.  Mr Louis Low (Perak)
8.  Ms Teresa Liu (Kuala Lumpur)
9.  Mr James Ooi (Penang)
10. Mr Koh Kin Ho (Penang)
11. Mr Billeon Yong (Penang)
12. Mr Tam Kong Choy (Penang)
13. Ms Irene Au (Perak)
14. Ms Alice Hor (Perak)
15. Ms Kelly Goh (Penang)
16. Ms Emily Mah (Selangor)
17. Ms Nancy Bahkshy (Kuala Lumpur)
18. Ms Sahra Karami (Kuala Lumpur)
19. Ms Annie Ong (Penang)
20. Ms Jocelyn Peh (Penang)


Scrutineers : Mr Nixon Ong & team


THE CHAMPIONS


Beginners Cha Cha - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Beginners Jive - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Beginners Rumba - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Beginners Samba - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Beginners Paso Doble - #23 Elvin Chan & Kok Xiang Yao


Beginners Waltz - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Beginners Quickstep - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Beginners Tango - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Beginners Foxtrot - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Beginners Viennese Waltz - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Latin Jr. Under 16 Open - #6 Harry Oon & Dionne Leong


Latin Jv. Under 12 Open - #24 Foong How Ming & Ice Kwan


Latin Grand Sr. Over 60 - #70 Ooi Teik Long & Khor Siew Ling   AND
                                     #136 Ong Seng Guan & Kam Peek Han


Latin Solo Under 16 Open - #66 Jacky Yap


Latin Jv. Under 8 Open - #25 Kenneth Kwan & Beatrice Loo


Taiping Closed Latin Jv. Under 12 - #85 Jennifer Teh & Sandy Ooi


Taiping Closed Latin - #80 Ooi Ching Yi & Beh Ying Ying


Kids Belly Dance - #116 Grace Heng


Standard Grand Sr. Over 60 - #11 Tham Cham Soo & Frances Teoh


Standard Jr. Under 16 OPen - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Standard Sr. Over 40 Beginners - #71 Beng Guan & Agnes Lee


Standard Novice - #5 Shaun Chew & Reana Low


Standard Sr. Over 55 Beginners - #126 Samson Chuah & Khoo Sow Kheng


Standard Amateur Open - #1 Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan


Standard SEA Amateur Open - #1 Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan


Standard Sr. Over 40 - #11 Tham Cham Soo & Frances Teoh


Hip Hop Team Open - #43 Floor Digital (Perak)


Standard Rising Star - #2 Bernard Lim & Natalie Tan


Standard Sr. Over 55 - #11 Tham Cham Soo & Frances Teoh


Standard Pre Amateur - #4 Samuel Sum & Valerie Lim


Belly Dance Beginners Open - #171 Camilyn Bong Suk Na


Belly Dance Intermediate Open - #115 Carolyn Cheah


Belly Dance Intermediate Crystal - #99 Sanny Yong


Latin Novice - #127 Lim Tee Hong & Madeline Teh Ye Sen


Latin Sr. Over 55 - #13 Ian Tan & Christine Eng


Latin Rising Star Under 21 - #2 Bernard Lim & Natalie Tan


Latin Ladies Open - #80 Ooi Ching Yi & Beh Ying Ying


Latin Sr. Over 40 - #13 Ian Tan & Christine Eng


Latin SEA Amateur Open - #18 Phongsiri Saengmani & Piyarhida Teerasartsilip


Latin Pre Amateur - #127 Lim Tee Hong & Madeline Teh Ye Sen


Latin Amateur Open - #1 Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan


*********************************************************************************
Congratulations to all the winners. You all worked really hard and deserved your titles. Check out the event box on the right for the date of the next BDFI Taiping Event.

World Dance Academy Anniversary - 1st January 2011

Just attended the 10th World Dance Academy Anniversary Dinner & Dance held at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur. It was also a fundraiser for the Renal Dialysis Center. They also hosted 25 children from the Cempaka Charity Home. It was a nice comfortable sized crowd with some members from John Lim's Lions Club chapter as well as many family & friends of the many students of the Academy. The students all put on great performance in both the Ballroom & Latin genres in couples and in groups. There was a good showing by the adult students who presented a Paso Doble routine and there were 5 guest couples who performed too who came from Ipoh & KL. Several lucky draws were presented and the results of last years NATD & ISTD examinations were announced. Great job everyone.

1st January 2011

Happy happy New Year everyone. Let's all aim to have a safe, healthy, prosperous year ahead!