The Modern style comprises; waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep and the Viennese waltz. The Latin styles are; cha cha cha, rumba, samba, jive and paso doble. Additionally, there is the 10-dance, which involves all 10 of the dance sport disciplines and is for the talented and trained only.
The Freedom Cup includes Modern, Latin and formation dances, with five categories of competitors, namely: novice, university, amateur, international and middle-aged.
The entrants are mainly from Taiwan and Asia.
But, the highlight of the day will undoubtedly be the exhibition performances of Bryan Watson and Carmen, who are the ambassadors of dance sport, the Bentley and Lexus of the industry.
Bryan Watson hails from South Africa but now lives in England. As an amateur dancer he was a world champion for five years. Carmen Melanie is from Germany, but also moved to the UK in order to turn professional in 1996. The two teamed up in 1999 and had instantaneous success.
According to the experts, all the top dancers have the same basic technical ability after dancing for so long, "But, these two really are something different, they are perfectly suited physically and share a matching emotional language," said Freedom Cup Chairperson Sophia Lin.
Dance sport is not just for professionals and competition, however and many people in Taiwan are taking it up for pleasure, exercise and more. Betty Hsu said, "Unlike most professional sports, you do not have to be strong or muscular to do it. It's great for the female figure and it's not boring, like going to the gym."
"This is not just a sport. You have music, emotion and technique [or discipline]. You put the the three elements together and you have art," Lin added.
Take advantage of free admission to the event between 3pm and 6pm on Saturday and judge for yourself.
Information:
EVENT: The 10th Freedom Cup Dance Sport Invitation Championship (
PLACE: Taipei International Convention Center (
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001
3-6pm: competition for all levels (novice, university, amateur, international and middle-aged). Admission is free.
6-10:30pm: team match; formation dancing; finals for international amateur; performance by Bryan Watson and Carmen (banquet included) -- NT$3,000 per ticket
Organizer: Tong Kuang Dancing School (
http://www.tongkuang.com.tw
Phone: (02) 2543-5036
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