Latest news with #VietnamDancesportFestival
The Star
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Sweet Cherry dances her way to silver in Vietnam
Dancer Cherry Yeo wins silver in Vietnam. PETALING JAYA: National dancer Cherry Yeo gave Malaysia the icing on the cake at the Vietnam Dancesport Festival by taking the silver medal in the solo latin female category on Sunday (July 13). Competing in the Asian Championships category, Cherry danced her way to second place behind Vietnam's Nguyen Hoang Ngoc, while Hong Kong's Abby Lo took third place in Ho Chi Minh City. Cherry was glad to bounce back after returning empty-handed at the World Championships in Germany last month, where she finished 19th in the discipline. "It feels amazing to be able to pick myself back up after what was a disappointment for me during the World Championships,' said Cherry. "I'm also happy to get this with my parents and coaches coming all the way here to Vietnam to support me." Cherry, who is now juggling her time with her tertiary education, said that time to train her Latin dance is limited. "Now that I'm in university, I'm not able to train Latin as much. But since now it's the summer break, I will be training as hard as I can ahead of the Malaysian Open in two weeks," she said. Cherry had created history last October when she became the first Malaysian to bag the World DanceSport Federation's World Cup Solo Latin in Belgrade, Serbia. Malaysia wrapped up their campaign in Vietnam with a silver and bronze medal in the Asian Championships, with the bronze coming from Tay Xin Yee in the Youth Solo Standard category. In the Southeast Asian category, Malaysia claimed two silver medals from Ooi Ken Vin and Zoe Tan, who came in second place in the rumba and jive events.
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Bernice wins gold, raises prospect of dancesport at home SEA Games
Victory dance: Bernice Iu (right) with her coach Evon Chong after winning the female solo Latin event at the Vietnam Dancesport Festival. PETALING JAYA: National dancer Bernice Iu put on a stunning performance at the Vietnam Dancesport Festival to clinch gold in the female solo Latin event on Saturday (July 12). After missing out on a podium finish at the World Championships in Germany last month, the 23-year-old Bernice outshone her competitors in the world ranking event in Ho Chi Minh City. Abby Lo of Hong Kong took silver while Taiwan's Chen Jr Yu came in third. Bernice, who started her solo dancing journey a few months ago, was thrilled. "Intensive training has really helped shape my approach, where I'm able to prepare myself better and have a mindset where I treat every round as the first round," said Bernice. "And time spent with foreign coaches has also given me a better picture of my approach for tournaments. "As long as I enjoy the floor, feel confident doing it, and am able to finish my routine, that's the best result I can ask for," added Bernice, who won silver at the Caucasus Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia, in May. A day ago, dancers Ooi Ken Vin and Zoe Tan, both 19, took two silver medals in the Southeast Asian singles rumba and jive categories. National coach Chua Zhen Fong believes Bernice's victory is another testament to the sport's growth in Malaysia, and hopes the 2027 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games will include dancesport. "We've proven we can compete, we've proven we can host world-class events, and now we've proven we can win," said Zhen Fong. "There's no better time to include dancesport than at our own SEA Games."
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Ooi and Zoe jive their way to double silver
National dancers Ooi Ken Vin and Zoe Tan. PETALING JAYA: National dancers Ooi Ken Vin and Zoe Tan were pleasantly surprised when they took two silver medals at the Vietnam Dancesport Festival on Thursday (July 10). The 19-year-old pair, who were making their debut at the tournament, bagged silver medals in the fiercely competitive Southeast Asian single dance event's rumba and jive categories, outperforming some of the best dancers in the region. Jefferson Pimentel-Mary Seraga of the Philippines took gold in the jive, while Vietnam's Ngoc An-Le To Uyen won the rumba category. Ken Vin was stunned by the result as it went way beyond his expectations for his first senior tournament. "We were both shocked and surprised with the result,' said Ken Vin. "It was the first time we competed in the senior categories at the Southeast Asian level, and a lot of the dancers have much more experience than we do." But Zoe felt there was more they could give on the dance floor, but was still happy to win two medals. "I felt our performance wasn't the best we could do, but nevertheless, I'm super happy to win two silver medals," she said. The pair also finished fourth in the World DanceSport Southeast Asian Latin event and did better that the Philippines' No.1 pair Wilbert Aunzo-Pearl Caneda, who finished below them. National coach Chua Zhen Fong said the medals were the result of Ken Vin and Zoe's hard work. "This significant achievement at an international platform highlights the dedication and rigorous training undertaken by Ken Vin and Zoe under their coach Evon Chong," he said. The pair's campaign in Vietnam served as the perfect preparation for the upcoming Malaysian Open from July 25-27 in Shah Alam.
