Local dance group emerges top in Dance Fest
Published on: Monday, July 15, 2019
KOTA KINABALU: Local dance collective Tagap Dance Theatre grabbed the Chief Minister’s Award in the international category of the 10th Tugu Budaya Etnik Sabah (Sabah Ethnic Cultural Monument) - International Youth Folk Dance Festival.
They competed against nine other local and foreign teams to bring home the top accolade and RM16,000 cash prize.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tagap Dance Theatre Director Mohd Azizan Danial said the victory meant a lot to them as they had given their best in presenting a creative adaptation of the Huminodun legend in their dance performance.
“We dedicate the winning to our friends and family,” he said when met after the prize giving ceremony at the Sabah Cultural Centre, near here, Saturday.
“It took us four months to prepare for the competition and we train for five to six hours daily without sufficient resources.
“And our determination and hard work were paid off by winning this competition.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The team which was established in 2010 is no stranger to competitive dance events as it had also won several prizes in international competitions, such as the Dance World Cup.
Tagap Dance Theatre was followed by Indonesia in second place and Anak Seni Kuala Lumpur in third place in the open category.
ADVERTISEMENT
The main prizes were presented by Deputy Chief Minister cum Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
Also present was her Assistant Minister Assafal P Alian.
Tugu Budaya’s main aims were to preserve and conserve cultural heritage, as well as to provide a platform for youths to polish and showcase their talents in dancing.
The four-day programme witnessed a participation of 30 dance local and foreign dance groups.
Among the foreign dance groups participating in the international category this year were from Uzbekistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, SM Lok Yuk Likas emerged champion for the secondary school category.
“The students had proven that joining this competition did not affect their studies through their hard work, teamwork, commitment, discipline and focus,” said the school’s principal Norah Marcus.
“They even brought books to stay overnight at the school for the practice after getting their parents’ consent.”
Norah said, the school’s dance club was formed in early 2018 and had previously joined the Borneo Arts Festival’s performance arts competition and won it.
“A special thanks to the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), dedicated teachers and to those who had supported us,” she said.
In the same category, SM All Saints Kota Kinabalu clinched the second spot while SMK Ranau held the third place.
In the primary school category, SRK St Agnes Kota Kinabalu victoriously topped it as the champion, earning them RM13,000 and a trophy.
Motivated to advance further, team manager Masliah Musa said they will try to compete in international dance competitions.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
