KUALA LUMPUR: An 11-year-old dancer from Klang has made the country proud after clinching first prize at the prestigious international dance competition, The Dance of Asia 2026, held in Chengdu, China on Saturday (March 21).
Yoshnaa Logenthiran of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Ladang Highlands secured the Gold Award in the Under-13 category and also received a Silver Award for her overall performance at the three-day event, which began on Thursday.
Sharing the joyous moment, entrepreneur B. Mohanaeswary, 42, described the achievement as a truly special milestone for the family, marking her elder daughter's debut on an international stage.
"Yoshnaa has been dancing since she was five, dedicating countless hours to perfecting her technique and routines, and this achievement is truly the reward for all her hard work and perseverance," she told Bernama.
The mother of two added that seeing her shine on an international stage, standing out among so many talented dancers from across the Asia-Pacific, was simply incredible.
"Until now, Yoshnaa had only competed at the local level, so this was a completely new experience for her. It was both challenging and exciting, and we are extremely proud of how she performed," said Mohanaeswary, who accompanied her daughter to the competition.
The duo are expected to arrive in Malaysia at around 6.30pm on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Melaka police Asst Supt S.Logenthiran said that the moment his daughter's name was announced as the winner, his heart overflowed with joy and pride.
"I felt so emotional watching all her hard work come together in that one beautiful moment. It was truly one of the proudest moments of my life," he said.
He added that, unfortunately, he could not accompany Yoshnaa and her mother to Chengdu due to work commitments, but he closely followed the competition updates and videos shared by his family.
"Even from afar, I felt every emotion as if I were there with them. Seeing her perform so confidently and gracefully on an international stage was overwhelming. I am immensely proud of her dedication, talent and the way she represented our family and country," he said.
The Dance of Asia is an international platform celebrating movement and artistic expression, featuring a wide range of categories including ballet, belly dance, hip hop, K-pop and Latin dance, among others. - Bernama
