The best of local and foreign dance scene
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The finals of Dancesport Sri Lanka 2014 held at Hilton Colombo was indeed a grand celebration of the sophisticated Viennese, the Tango, Waltz, the upbeat Quick Step and the Fox Trot together with the sensual Rumba and the electrifying Jive and Cha Cha moves.
Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
Recognised by the World Dance Council, the annual Dancesport Championship organised by Footwork Events, is an opportunity for local artistes to compete at an international level and for the audience, to witness a gala dance event of both local and international flavour. This year’s Dancesport had about 70 local and foreign couples taking part in the competition.
The event began with a vibrant dance act followed by a parade of the contesting couples before the audience, dressed in their flamboyant ballroom and Latin outfits. Following the preliminary rounds held during the early part of the day, the grand finale in the evening saw finalists vying for the prestigious titles under Latin American Solo Under 12 Finals, Standard Amateur Finals, Standard Beginners Finals, Standard Novices Finals, Standard Amateur Rising Star Finals, Standard Under 16 Finals, Standard Amateur Open Finals, Latin American Junior Under 12 Finals, Latin American Beginners Finals, Latin American Junior Under 16 Finals, Latin American Novices Finals, Latin American Pre-Amateur Finals, Latin American Amateur Rising Star Finals and Latin American Open Finals.
Each competition was a display of great talent, stamina and outstanding rhythm and technique as contestants, including the juniors, displayed a high standard of dancing, especially in the Jive and the Quick Step. To say that the Honours Dances performed by the Singapore Amateur Latin American National Champions, Natalie Tjokro and Jumil Bacalso ( Winner- Latin Amateur Open Five Dance at Dance Sport 2014 ) and one of the world’s top ranking Amateur couples, Alex Gunnarsson and Liis End (Winner-Ballroom Amateur Open Five Dance at Dancesport 2014) had the audience spellbound is no exaggeration.
During the show, trainers/dance teachers from prominent dance schools in the country who are nurturing the country’s next generation of dancers such as Toni Fernandez of Antonio’s Dance Circle, Asanka Edirisinghe (Vision Dance School), Hiruni Jayaratne (Let’s Dance Academy), Michelle Fernandez (ADC Ballroom Dance Kids), Kevin Nugara (El Latino Dance Academy) and Thanushree Rakshit (Flames India) were ushered on stage.
The panel of judges consisted of adjudicators from Britain, Bulgaria, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and Sri Lanka.
All in all, this year’s Dancesport was a grand success in showcasing the best of the local and foreign dance scene.
For full list of winners and more photos, see our web edition- www.sundaytimes.lk