(From left) Zoe and Ken Vin celebrate after winning four awards in the 5th Malaysia Open DanceSport Championship.
On campus, TAR UMT students Zoe Tan Zi Wei and Ooi Ken Vin are two university students pursuing their respective tertiary education qualifications. But when they meet on the dance floor, they spin up some captivating moves that are worthy of world-class recognition.
In July this year, the duo represented Malaysia in the 5th Malaysia Open DanceSport Championship, where they finished in First place in the Adult Latin and Adult Standard categories, Second place in the Adult Ten Dance category, and Fifth place in the Open Latin category.
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) Malaysia Open DanceSport Championship is a premier international dance competition held annually in Kuala Lumpur. It is organised by the Kuala Lumpur DanceSport Association (KLDSA) and MY Dancesport Academy. Sanctioned by WDSF, DanceSport Asia (DSA), and Malaysia DanceSport Federation (MYDF), the championship attracts top dancers from around the globe to compete in various categories.
Speaking about their international competition experience, Diploma in Early Childhood Education student Zoe was proud of their accomplishments after having only been dance partners for three years.
“Even though Ken Vin and I have been dancing for around nine and 14 years respectively, we were still working on our dance partnership even as we headed into this competition. We are extremely grateful and proud of what we achieved – the results reflected the hard work, sacrifices, and dedication we put into our training. Competing against some of the best dancers around the world on the same stage allowed us to learn from others and push ourselves to perform at a higher level,” said the former Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Perimbun student.
Diploma in Business Administration student Ken Vin added: “To be able to compete internationally and represent Malaysia motivates me to give my best on stage. I hope our journey can inspire more student-athletes to keep on pursuing their passion and believe that they can achieve their dreams both in studies and in sports at the same time.”
Ken Vin, a former student of Sri Emas International School, gave credit to TAR UMT’s academic staff’s willingness to go the extra mile and adapt the academic syllabus to suit his and Zoe’s training and competition commitments.
“We appreciate our lecturers’ understanding and support in adjusting deadlines and checking on our academic progress so we do not fall behind. Their support and encouragement have allowed us to find a balance between our competitive pursuits and academic commitments so we are able to do our best in both aspects,” he shared.
Zoe and Ken Vin’s next target will be to represent Malaysia at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2027 that will be held on home soil.
“Competing on that stage will be a tremendous honour and dream come true for us. We will continue to put in the effort to improve our dance skills, achieve stronger results, and graduate from TAR UMT with flying colours,” added Zoe.
