KOTA KINABALU: SK Mutiara from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, will send a team to compete at the Dance World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic, this year.
The team will comprise eight pupils, accompanied by eight teachers and led by head coach Carmelliny Tony.
The world finals will be held from June 27 to July 6, featuring more than 7,500 dancers from over 50 countries.
SK Mutiara earned its ticket to represent Malaysia after winning the nationwide selection process held by the National Department for Culture and Arts, said headmistress Junaidah Yassin.
"This will be the second time the school is competing after the first outing in Braga, Portugal, in 2019.
"We returned with first place in the solo boy category, three third places in the solo girl category and two second places in the trio and group categories. It was a fruitful outing for us, especially as we are a cluster school for cultural activities.
"We are very proud of the pupils' achievements. The dancers excelled and brought honour to the school.
"This is our first participation after the pandemic. We expect our dancers to excel in Prague as they did in Portugal."
Parents and teachers were very involved in the preparation for the competition in the past eight months, she said.
The pupils are excited and have been training hard to achieve their dreams, she said.
This time, the dancers will participate in three categories: a solo girl performance of a Lotud dance called Giring, a solo boy performance of a Murut warrior dance, a trio performance of a Bajau Sama dance and a group performance of a welcoming dance called Pesorong Kam.
The 12-hour flight to Prague will be handled by AIC Footprints Travels and Tour Sdn Bhd, which also managed the trip to Portugal for the school in 2019.
The school will raise funds to send the dance team to Prague.
SK Mutiara Parent-Teacher Association chairwoman Rejanah Bahanda, a beauty and health products entrepreneur, said she was selling a product specifically for the cause.
"We will contribute 50 per cent of the proceeds towards the expenses for this event," she said, adding that at least RM300,000 is needed to cover all expenditures for the competition, including airfares, accommodation and food.
