Lili prances to pole position By Sheila Sri Priyastreets@nstp.com.my

Lili strides ahead with a standout routine.

KUALA LUMPUR: A Thai national danced her way to "pole position" in the recent Clorets Amateur Pole Dancing Competition grand finals at Zouk.

Lili Ussaraporn Kosin, a dance instructor and choreographer from Thailand, beat seven finalists to bag RM5,000 and a one-year gym membership at Celebrity Fitness worth RM3,000.

Lili captivated both the judges and the audience with her standout showgirl theme, amazing agility, unique moves and stamina.

"My aim in joining this competition isn't just to win the lucrative prizes, but also to introduce pole dancing to people in Asean countries.

"Pole dancing is an art and it can be sexy without stripping," said the 29-year-old, who revealed that she learned the dance while studying in London.

For their final number, all eight finalists had to perform a three-minute, self-choreographed solo routine, for which they were judged based on their technical ability, artistic interpretation and presentation.

Second place winner was Yer Mei Er, 28, who chose the Pink Panther theme as her track. She won RM3,000 in cash and a nine-month gym membership worth RM2,500.

Andrew Tan, 21, the only male dancer who made it to the finals, won third place with his wushu and karate martial arts-inspired techniques and dance moves.

He took home RM2,000 in cash and a six-month membership at Celebrity Fitness worth RM1,500.

Also performing at the occasion were local celebrities such as singer-songwriter Hannah Tan and Mix FM deejay Pietro Felix. Their tango with the pole electrified the crowd, along with the moves of Harith Iskandar and Sasi the Don.

Watching from the sidelines were the judges, comprising managing director of Cadbury Confectionery Malaysia, Blair Sailes; general manager of Carat Interactive, David Ho; CEO of Salina and Associates PR, Salina Yeop Junior; executive creative director of McCann-Erickson Malaysia, Lee Szu Hung and consultant of Viva Vertical, Vivian Lea.

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