By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 20: Seven-year-old Sarawakian dancer Sherlyn Voon Syn Jieh has won a Diamond Award at the 7th Asia Open Dance Championship 2026 in Kuala Lumpur with her Modern Contemporary performance, Whisper of Borneo.
Held from Sept 10 to 16, the championship saw Sherlyn score 90.33 points for her performance, which portrayed the story of the Borneo hornbill through music, choreography and expressive movements.
According to a press release, her performance also earned her the Top Scorer Award, Outstanding Dancer Award and Scholarship Award, bringing the piece’s total haul to five honours.
Meanwhile, her coach, Eileen Wong, received the Outstanding Instructor Award for her teaching and guidance.
Fellow seven-year-old dancer Angeline Jap also secured a Gold Award in the Lyrical category for her piece, Could Have Been Me.
In addition, 10 young dancers from Mine Dance Studio won a Gold Award and Best Troupe Award for their traditional dance performance, Doll Huadan.
The group comprised Sherlyn, Tia Chen Xin Li, Angeline Jap, Kennis Tan Xin Tong, Amerlyn Thian Yu Han, Chai Xin Yi, Chloe Chong Bo Xuan, Hannah Bong Jia Ning, Bong Sze Ting and Raychelle Voon Jia Xuan.
Their performance, noted for its synchronised movements, lively expressions and traditional cultural elements, also earned choreographer Alice Yong the Best Choreography Award.
Mine Dance Studio was subsequently presented with the Best School Award in recognition of the performances by its young dancers and teaching team.
The achievements highlighted the talent of Sarawak’s young dancers while bringing Borneo’s cultural stories and traditional elements to an international dance stage. — DayakDaily
