KOTA KINABALU: ‘Charming Angels’, a dance team from Sabah, has recently made the country proud by winning four top prizes in the Asia Pacific International Arts Festival 2023 – Ladybug International Children’s Arts Festival in Beijing, China.
The group comprising 13 dancers aged between seven and 17 outshone 103 international teams and emerged as the Gold Prize winner in the competition from July 31-Aug 3.
Meanwhile, their dance instructor, Angela Tan, received the Best International Instructor Award, Best International Creative Dance Award and International Outstanding Award.
She said the judges highly praised the dance performed by the team for featuring a unique culture of an ethnic group and incorporating bamboo in the choreography, which was rarely seen in Chinese dance competitions.
The three-minute dance, she said, depicted the joy and spirit of Kadazans during the Harvest Festival.
The annual event’s grand final saw the participation of nearly 5,000 people from countries such as China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei and Thailand.
