KUCHING: Two young dancers from Sarawak have carved their names into the global DanceSport arena, clinching a total of six medals including three golds at the prestigious DSE Children Grand Prix and WDSF Bitola Open 2025 in Bitola, North Macedonia recently.
Eight-year-olds Jovanna Goh Yi Xuan and Ariella Tang Chen Xin, representing Tyng Dance Academy (TDA), impressed audiences and 15 international adjudicators from across Europe and Asia with their outstanding performances at the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF)-sanctioned international competition.
Jovanna emerged as a triple gold medallist, while Ariella captured two silver medals and one bronze, with both competing in the Juvenile 2 Solo Latin category, a division often dominated by older and more experienced contenders.
According to a media release today, Jovanna is now officially ranked fourth in the world under the WDSF Juvenile 2 World Ranking.
Their success marks a historic first for Sarawak, as the duo become the state’s first representatives to enter the WDSF World Ranking List in their category.
“Our children carry more than medals. They carry the spirit of Sarawak to the world
“This is our way of giving back to the land that raised us,” said principal coach and founder of Tyng Dance Academy, Chan Tyng Tyng.
The dancers train under TDA’s high-performance programme, which combines sport, cultural discipline, and international coaching, and according to Chan, this holistic approach is positioning Sarawak as an emerging powerhouse in the world of DanceSport.
Their win comes just months ahead of the 3rd Borneo Open International Dancesport Championship and Convention (BOIDC 2025), which is set to take place this October in Kuching.