Published on: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 |
Kota Kinabalu: Taiwan were voted overall best and won the Chief Minister's award in their first outing at the 5th Sabah International Folklore Festival 2010 Competition at the Sabah Culural Centre in Penampang Saturday night.
To add glory to an ecstatic night, their lead dancer, Ms Tu Meng Cheah, of the Ou Yang-Hui-Chen Art Dance Company , took the Best Female Dancer Award while the Best Male Dancer Award went to Romania's Nita Launat Nicuson. It's no surprise the Taiwanese won hands down.
Most of the dancers are graduates of Dance Departments of top universities in Taiwan, many of whom are champion dancers in national dance competitions as well as had vast exposure in Asia-Oceana dance competitions.
Indonesia's Sanggar Ayudha cultural troupe were voted second overall best and won the Minister of Culture Award. Sanggar Ayudha focuses on presenting the various traditional ethnic dances across Indonesia.
Thailand's Inaitutute of Fine Arts Development (Bunditpatanasilpa Institute) were judged third overall best and won the Jury Award.
The Institute specialises in Dramatic Arts, Fine Arts and Music Arts both in Thai Arts and Western Arts.
Overall, performances at the finals were a pleasure to watch the 70 per cent packed spectators took home a good feeling about what they had seen, paving the way for more such events in future.
The string of high quality troupes justified a range of other cherished and deserving awards.
Philippines' dynamic South Cotabato Performing Arts Ensemble were justly awarded the coveted "Best Performance" award.
The objective of the ensemble is preservation and promotion of the multi cultural heritage of the province of South Cotabato.
It was clear at the finale that this mission includes the integration of indigenous rituals and traditions, songs and dances , particularly the province's Lumud ethnic group when hundreds died and buried alive in a catastrophic flash flood and landslides some years ago.
Always winsome, Kazakhstan's dance ensemble Shalkyma clinched the Best Costumes Award. The Best Music Award went to Uzbekistan's Manrigi Folk Ethnographic Group. Bukhara. This is also Uzbekistan's first outing at the Sabah International Folklore Festival.
Twice before, Singapore won no awards but this time, their light-hearted, fleet-footed, humour abundant show broke their laurel-less foray here which saw the People's Association Talents (PA Talents) troupe taking the top Choreography Award.
PA Talents comprised 10 performing units, namely Orkestra Melayu Singapura, PA Youth Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir, Singapore Pipe Band, Singapore Pop Orchestra and PA Dance Ensemble comprising Chinese, Indian, Malay and Modern Dance Groups and Hip Hop Club.
That they won their first award is no surprise, too, since PA Talents is led by a group of highly passionate and talented award winners in their fields.
The event was organised by the Sabah Cultural Board which comes under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment.
Chief Minister, Datuk Musa Aman, gave away the awards.
Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun was present.
Other participating countries include Latvia, India, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia.
