DANCESPORT has been gaining popularity worldwide, and members of the Malaysian Dance Federation (MYDF) believe they are taking the right steps in moving the sport forward .
Dancesport hit the limelight recently when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortlisted breakdancing for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In fact, at the Asian level, dancesport was included as a demonstration at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, and became a medal sport at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
At the Sea Games, it was part of the 2005 edition in the Philippines and two years later in Thailand.
Yong Kwok Leong-Gooi Yee Zhen won Malaysia’s only medal in the sport, when they settled for the bronze in the rumba at the 2007 Sea Games.
Kuala Lumpur Dancesport Association (KLDSA) president, Chua Kian Hong, whose association is affiliated to MYDF, said: “Dancesport is not something new in Malaysia. The Malaysian Dance Federation (MYDF) has been long recognised by the Sports Commissioner’s Office (SOC) and is affiliated and supported by the National Sports Council, “However, we have been dormant and and it was only in the last five to six years that we became more active in terms of organising programmes to raise awareness (of dancesport).
“For a long time, dance was viewed in negative light but we want to change that because it is not an easy sport.
“It needs a lot of fitness and discipline. That is why, the MYDF is also linked to the Ministry of Education.
“We want to start promoting it as a healthy activity among the younger generation. Our target is to start the kids young, when they are still in primary school.
“Here at the Kuala Lumpur Dancesport Association, we have kids as young as six and seven years old,” Kian Hong told Timesport.
By including dancesport in school as a co-curricular activity, Kian Hong hopes to see more youngsters taking up the sport more seriously.
“At Southea st Asia level, Malaysia is definitely a medal contender but at Asian level, we are still behind powerhouses like China, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
“However, with the right support in terms of qualified coaches, it won’t take long before we start catching up.
“Right now, breakdancing is not part of KLDSA, but that is because we do not have the right coaches. Breakdancing can be dangerous, so we need the right people.
“We also self fund the association by organising fund raisers and we have sent our dancers to Europe to train with top coaches.
“KLDSA, alone, has more than 50 registered dancers, so it’s really good news for the future,” added Kian Hong.
Previously, dancesport was broken into two categories, Latin dance and standard, which has five events each.
The IOC believe a discipline such as breakdancing will make the Olympic programme more gender-balanced, more youth-focused and more urban.
Russia’s Sergei Chernyshev, nicknamed “Bumblebee”, became the first breakdancing gold medallist at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year, when the 19-year-old came out tops in the B-Boy category.