Sabah students to dazzle at international dance event

All the best: The Ngalay Yang’s team hoisting the Malaysia and Sabah flags at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport before their flight.

KOTA KINABALU: Nine students from Sabah got the chance to impress with their traditional dance moves in South Korea after missing out on an overseas event in Portugal.

The team members, all aged between 12 and 13, accompanied by their parents, flew out to South Korea on Thursday night to take part in the Andong Maskdance Festival.

Their participation in the cultural dance event came after they missed the opportunity to be in Portugal for the Dance World Cup.

Calling themselves the “Ngalay Yang’s”, the group had won the Dance World Cup Qualifiers here in March and was scheduled to fly to Braga for the finals in June but could not due to a delay in funding.

But thanks to the Sabah government, the youngsters got their wish granted.

Led by their teacher-manager Noorhayati Awang, the five girls and four boys will be competing in the festival’s qualifying rounds today by performing a creative ensemble of the traditional Sabah dance, the Limbai Bajau Samah, in the “Abroad” category.

“Our sincerest appreciation to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and the Sabah government, as well as other donors, for the contributions that enabled the team to take part in the event,” she said.

Speaking before their flight to South Korea at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Noorhayati said the students will compete against 30 other teams from various countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Slovakia and France.

“It will be tough but the team has practised hard and worked extensively to prepare for the annual competition,” she said.

This is their first international dance competition, she said, adding that her students were understandably nervous.

“But, at the same time they are all really thrilled and excited to be part of this programme.

“Some of them have never stepped foot on a foreign land so they are eager not just to show what they can do but also to learn new cultures,” Noorhayati said.

The competition in Andong, about 190km from Seoul, is being held from Oct 2-9 by the Andong City Hall as well as Korean tourism authorities, with 1.2 million guests expected.