‘Little Bornean Birdie' clinches 2nd spot at world dance final
PETALING JAYA : Sarawak's 'Little Bornean Birdie', nine-year-old dancer Dion Das Louis, has clinched second place at the Dance World Cup finals held in Spain yesterday.
Dion, from Kuching, represented Malaysia in the mini solo national and folklore category, where he performed a dance inspired by the traditional Ngajat Iban and two of Sarawak's iconic birds, the burung ruai (great argus) and the kenyalang (hornbill).
He scored 93.8 points, just 0.3 points behind the gold medallist from Germany, coming ahead of 34 other contestants from around the world in the competition, which is billed as the world's largest all-genre dance competition for children and young adults.
Speaking to the Borneo Post, Dion said he was initially nervous as there were many good dancers from all over the world.
'But I am very happy and proud to have made it this far on the international stage and given the opportunity to compete against the 34 dancers,' he was quoted as saying.
His mother, Edina Lanying, said she and her husband, Louis Lansam, plan to enrol Dion in more international events next year, and hope to see him represent Malaysia at global cultural festivals.
In July last year, Dion won gold medals in the junior division ethnic dance and photo shoot model categories of the World Championships of Performing Arts in Long Beach, California. He also won a silver medal in the formal model and casual model categories.
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