Chinese cultural dance treat

Organised by the Multimedia University’s Chinese Language Society, 40 teams performed various dance routines with dancers all dressed up in style and glitter.

“The process of organising the competition was not easy at all and was very tedious. However, with the help of the organising committee, we managed to bring in 40 teams across the country and even Singapore for the competition,” said organising chairman Toh Boon Ping.

He added that due to the overwhelming response, the competition was held over two days with 30 teams eliminated on the first day.

After hours of performances by the remaining 10 teams, it was the Shing Ann Youth Association from Kuala Lumpur that emerged as the overall Champion. They walked away with the national dance competition trophy and RM2,000.

“It is our first time participating in this competition and it is definitely a huge surprise for the team as we totally didn’t expect to win,” said team leader Pang Chee Meng.

Pang, 30, who is also the team's choreographer, said he started to work on the dance routine six months before the competition that covered selection and training the dancers.

He added that this included picking the right song for their routine with more extensive practice sessions carried out as the competition date drew closer.

“We practiced during the weekends and it became a daily routine as it drew closer to the competition. It was tiring but our passion for dancing was our motivation,” said a group of secondary school girls.

The unique three-in-one dress of the Sabah Chinese High School team earned them the trophy for the best dressed team.

“I wanted it to be simple and something easily transformed from one colour to another, including turning it from a plain skirt to a robe,” said the designer Han Yoke Peng.

“Although we didn’t win, we still went home with a trophy and the invaluable experience and exposure for the children,” she said.

Engineering student Tee Chi Ho, 24, was highly impressed with the performances of all the teams as he attended both the preliminary rounds and the finals.

“All sorts of emotions and feelings are invoked in the dances, from sad, happy, angry to energetic. They movements were also very graceful. It is really an eye opener,” said Tee.

“I am looking forward to the fourth edition of the competition, which is two years from now,” added Tee who came to watch the competition with his coursemates.