Kota Kinabalu: The all-girls team from Ballet By Nora, who represented Malaysia at the Dance World Cup 2025 (DWC2025) in Burgos, Spain, brought home four international medals, making history for Malaysian ballet.
Competing in eight categories – six solos, one duet and one group – the dancers earned the followings:
Silver: Children Solo National & Folklore by Tiara Izz Zayani
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Silver: Children Classical Ballet Duet/Trio En Pointe by Ashlyn Chong & Shanelle Santani
Bronze: Group Classical Ballet/Repertoire (Valse Reverie) by Adrea Yu, Faith Kennedy, Ashlyn Chong, Shanelle Santani, and Ivana Iman.
Coach Nora Ridzwan praised her students’ graceful movements and strong connection on stage.
“Their connection on stage was like poetry, and their hard-work had paid off” she said.
Tiara, who previously won gold in the Children’s Folklore Trio at the 2024 finals, impressed the crowd with her performance of “Kreasi Zapin Galit.”
Despite dancing in pain, she finished with strength and determination.
“Tiara danced until her nails came off, but she never complained,” said her mother, Tuya, tearfully. “She told me, ‘I just wanted to finish strong.’
Ten-year-old Ivana won silver in the Mini Ballet Any Style Solo category, shared that she felt nervous at first, but once she started dancing, she just imagined she was home. She felt proud to be able to dance in international stage.
Coach Nora added, “This double silver means more than just medals. It shows years of hard work, late nights, and strong commitment. Tiara and Ivana have inspired us all.”
Ivana’s parents, Dr. Natassia and Mr. Mohammad Ezral, said,”We’re very proud of Ivana.
She danced with joy, and that joy brought her this far. We’re also happy to celebrate this moment with Tiara and her family.”
These young dancers are now seen as ambassadors for Malaysia, showing the world the beauty of Sabah’s culture and talent.
Meanwhile, more Sabahan dancers won on the world stage when in the Children’s National and Folklore categories, the Parhakow team placed 4th in the world in two events, namely;
Small Group National and Folklore (Boya), just 0.1pc behind the 3rd place winner, and Small Duo/Trio National and Folklore (Nyebang).
Team member Farish Hail Umar Farruq, 13, won a silver medal in the Solo National and Folkdance Boys category.
He was accompanied by his mother, Maria Sularso, who was extremely proud and excited about the team’s achievements, even though none won gold.
Another Sabahan team from Tawau students brought home bronze, they are two students from SK Muhibbahraya, Tawau also made Sabah proud by winning third place at DWC2025.
Muhd Syahmi Asyraf bin Sulaiman and Muhammad Ammar Asyraf bin Mohd Taufik impressed judges with their energetic Zapin performance titled “Suara Siam.”
Their success was guided by teachers Sarena Sanin and Basri Kambung, with support from headmaster Tuan Haji Sapri bin Haji Raupu, who said the win reflects the school’s vision to help students succeed internationally.
These young dancers competed among 120,000 participants from over 60 countries, proving that Sabahan talent can shine on the global stage.
