Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Calling all champions
Competitors from Sri Lanka and the Asian Region are gearing up for the 2nd Footwork International Dancesport Championship – which is to be held on the October 9 at the Colombo Plaza. Entries are coming in fast and at the dance schools in Sri Lanka, training is going on at a grueling pace. It is after an interval of two years that a Dancesport Championship is being held in Colombo and in the interim most of our local dancers have not had an opportunity to participate in competition dancing. So, excitement is running high and there will be a record number of Sri Lankan participants at this year’s championship.

The championship itself will be made up of twelve events. Both the Standard (Ballroom) section and the Latin American section will comprise six events each – beginners, junior, senior over 40, novices, pre-amateur and amateur. In each event, the competitors are required to dance a prerequisite number of dances.

The championship will be conducted in two segments. The afternoon session from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. will comprise the heats for each event. If there are more than twelve couples for an event, the competitors will be organised into heats. Through elimination rounds, the number of couples in an event is reduced to a final round, usually comprising six couples. In prior rounds and up to the semi final, the judges will compare the performance of the couples in each dance, and select those couples that they consider should pass into the next round. Using the methodology known as the ‘Skating System’ (based upon majority opinions) a ranking order is established in each separate dance. During this afternoon session, all the events will be worked out in this way and the finalists for each event selected.

The main show will feature only the finalists of each event. The championship will start off with the contestants’ parade where each team from the participating countries will be introduced to the audience. The first-half of the show will be the standard section, followed by the presentation of awards to the winners. After a short interval for refreshments, the Latin American events will take place followed by the awards presentation for that section. The performance by the world champions Bryan Watson and Carmen will be the grand finale for the show.

The second Footwork International Dancesport Championship 2005 is sponsored by Aura from Swarnamahal and co sponsored by Softwave Gallery. The official hotel is The Colombo Plaza and the official carrier Sri Lankan Airlines. The official print media sponsors are The Sunday Times and the Daily Mirror, the official TV station is ART TV and the official ground handling agent, John Keells Conventions.

Tickets for the championship are priced from Rs. 2500 upwards. Tickets and box-plan are available at Lanka hands, No. 135, Buller’s Road, Colombo 04. For further information call 0777 888008 / 0777 777111 or visit www.footworkevents.com.

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