Young dancers learning to let themselves go for `naughty' edge<\/p>\n
Like most of the competitors at the Indonesia Dancesport
\nChampionship 2003, 15-year-old dancers Denis Kosasih and Lucia
\nAdelaide Santosa are on the upward slope of a steep learning
\ncurve.<\/p>\n
In their first championship Denis and Lucia, two of the
\nyoungest competitors in the field of 24 couples, made it to the
\nfinal of the beginners waltz competition at the Jakarta
\nConvention Center last Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Although they have danced Latin together for five years, the
\nyoung pair from Yogyakarta started dancing waltz less than a year
\nago. They did well as they were competing against a field that
\nhas significantly improved since last year, said their coach Ita
\nDyan Dwinita W.<\/p>\n
Although dancesport, less formally known as ballroom dancing,
\nis relatively limited in its popularity, it is quickly gaining
\nrecognition, including every Sunday night on TVRI's Dansa Yo
\nDansa.<\/p>\n
The graceful and physically demanding competition has
\nrecently made significant strides worldwide to gain respect and
\nrecognition as a sport rather than just an art form.<\/p>\n
After nine years of lobbying from the International Dancesport
\nFederation (IDSF), in 1997 the International Olympic Committee
\nrecognized ballroom dancing as a sport. At the 1998 Asian Games
\nin Bangkok, dancesport debuted as a exhibition event.<\/p>\n
With the sport's growing popularity in Asia, the IDSF hopes
\nthat China will include ballroom dancing in some form at the 2008
\nOlympics.<\/p>\n
In the meantime the Indonesian National Sports Council is
\nworking with the Indonesian Dancesport Organization to put on
\nevents such as this championship to improve the caliber of
\nIndonesian athletes.<\/p>\n
In dancesport, competitors compete in two disciplines:
\nstandard ballroom (waltz, tango, slow foxtrot, quickstep and
\nViennese waltz) and Latin (cha-cha, rumba, sumba, jive and paso
\ndoble).<\/p>\n
At the recent championships, competitors were divided into
\nsenior (45 years and over), beginners, novice, preamateur and
\namateur.<\/p>\n
This year's event featured guest judging and two performances
\nby 1999 World Dancesport champions Matthew and Nicole Cutler,
\nfrom England and South Africa respectively.<\/p>\n
The Cutlers have traveled and competed worldwide for over 10
\nyears and Matthew Cutler said that he has been impressed by the
\nsports growth in Asia.<\/p>\n
"Compared to some of the other countries in Asia, this is
\nquite a new country for this sport, so it is still growing,"
\nMatthew Cutler said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's opportunity for international success lies in the
\ngrooming of its young athletes and this event plays an important
\nrole in their development.<\/p>\n
They can learn a lot here, competing and watching, and the
\ncompetition reinforces what they have been taught but from a new
\nangle, said Ita, who together with her husband, coached 22
\ncouples competing in the event.<\/p>\n
"What I have been really watching is the expression on the
\ndancers' faces," said Lucia.<\/p>\n
Now that they see how important it is to express their
\nfeelings when dancing, "it is what they really need to work on,"
\nsaid Ita.<\/p>\n
"For me it's the hardest part of dancing," Lucia noted.<\/p>\n
In fact, part of the problem for the couple is that they are
\nquiet people, said Ita.<\/p>\n
"I have told them that they must express their own
\npersonality, and step by step they have begun to be a little bit
\nmore naughty," Ita said laughing.<\/p>\n
"It's especially important for him," she said, looking over at
\nDenis.<\/p>\n
"It's difficult for them, their parents want them to be
\npolite, it's Asian and very Javanese. But dancing, he must be
\nhimself and show his own personality, he must be more expressive"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
"In fact his true personality is a little naughty, but there
\nis pressure for him not to show it."<\/p>\n
"It's very difficult to change your face to become a naughty
\nperson, because I am a kind person," said Denis.
\nJudges look for confidence, spirit, and energy coming from within
\nthe dancers, said Ita. So dancing requires that they build this
\nconfidence to express their true emotion.<\/p>\n
"We have to show the true feelings of ourselves. We should not
\nbe nervous, we should be happy with the music and the dance. We
\nhave to put our own self in the dance so that the dance becomes
\nalive," said Lucia.<\/p>\n
Matthew Cutler started dancing at the age of eight and said
\nthat dancing has an important positive impact on young people.<\/p>\n
"Being a teenager is quite a difficult time anyway, and
\ndeveloping confidence is so important during this period. Dance
\ncan play an important role in this," said Cutler.<\/p>\n
Besides confidence, success in dance sport requires finding
\nthe right partnership, said Ita.<\/p>\n
"A couple must have one durian and one kedondong (a plum-like
\nfruit)."<\/p>\n
"They make a great pair," said Ita, "because she is sweet and
\ngentle on the outside and hard inside like a kedondong, but he is
\nhard on the outside but sweet on the inside like a durian."<\/p>\n
-- Jock Paul<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/young-dancers-learning-to-let-themselves-go-for-naughty-edge-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }