Twenty-four adjudicators from 11 countries hold the fate of nearly 600 dancesport athletes in their hands in the much-anticipated World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) Cebu Open 2018 and 10th Dancesport Sa Sugbu at the Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino this Saturday, September 8, 2018.
These adjudicators include Keiji Ukai of Japan, Silvia Pitton of Italy, Kabdullah Balzhanov of Kazakhstan, Munkhtsetseg Ganbold of Mongolia, Kum Ok Lee of Korea, Ang Ai Nee of Singapore, Nguyen Hong Thi of Vietnam, Royce Yeh of Chinese Taipei, Rainbow Ho of Hong Kong, Bee Kee Sau of Malaysia and from the Philippines, Gloria Alcala, Julie Flintham Plummer and Crisaldo Rendon.
To judge the other categories aside from the WDSF and the Asian DanceSport Federation (ADSF) categories are Philippine National Adjudicators Ronnie Steeve Vergara, Maira Rosete Bernales, Joel Ocsena and Emmanuel Reyes.
For the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) category, adjudicators include Harumi Ebihara, Vicki Anne Summer, Evelou Villodres, Jeah Canoy, Masashi Ebihara, Leo Leparto and Diodilito Laniton.
Among the factors the judges will consider in choosing the winners are posture, correct musical timing, pleasing lines, musicality and expression, appropriate characterization and overall performance. Also considered are how the dance couples work together – how the symmetry between them looks, whether they look pleasant or relaxed, how synchronized their movements are, how they use their feet, legs and bodies for a controlled and powerful performance and how they navigate around the dance floor while managing not to interfere with the other dancers.
A lot of the athletes competing this Saturday are products of the DanceSport sa Barangay program of the lead organizer, DanceSport Team Cebu City. The winners of the DanceSport Challenge — a series of competition held in Cebu City’s barangays — were automatically qualified to join. Non-winners were also given the option to join upon review and all of them will perform in a special dance during the opening program.
The main reason why the WDSF Cebu Open and Dancesport Sa Sugbu is organized is to provide an opportunity for these barangay child trainees to get a first-hand experience of what it is like joining in a professionally officiated dance competition. The exposure will instill in them self-discipline, self-confidence, and self-worth. This experience will inspire the children to train harder and aspire for a better future.