Charlene judges UAE dance competition

MANILA, Philippines—Actress, TV host and former beauty queen Charlene Gonzalez was in the United Arab Emirates to witness fellow Filipino dancers strut, shake, jump, sway and do everything imaginable and creative on the dance floor for the second Inter-GCC Ballroom Dance Competition organized by the Filipino Dance Club-Dubai.

The dance competition was held at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Deira, Dubai on August 29. Gonzalez, also an acclaimed dancer, was chairperson of the board of judges during the contest along with Kashif, a Pakistani businessman and major sponsor of the event, Ahlia Mohammad, a professional dancer from Mongolia and Mario Mira and Lirin Mosquera, two Latin ballroom dancers from the Dubai-based dance organization Piso Caliente.

Five pairs competed for the much-awaited ballroom dance competition in the Middle East -- two pairs from Dubai, one pair from Abu Dhabi, one pair from Bahrain and another pair from Kuwait.

Dubai pair Aika Apacible and Jay Bauzon topped the competition with a total score of 98.06 percent. The first runner up was the other pair from Dubai, Lee Olvido and Lesly Bautista while the second runner up was the pair from Kuwait, Aaron Pilola and Blance Bravo.

The officers of the Filipino Dance Club-Dubai had decided early this year to bring back the Inter-GCC competition after a long six-year hiatus.

Although at first, there were some contestants that would be coming from other Gulf countries like Oman and Qatar, only the Filipino dance clubs in Kuwait and Bahrain were able to send representatives.

The whole evening affair was also a celebration of the club’s 12th Year Anniversary, Graduation Party of Batch 47 of Basic Ballroom Dance Clinic Students and the swearing in of the newly-elected officers.

The Filipino Dance Club-Dubai is one of the first and oldest Filipino organizations in the UAE and the Middle East and has become one of the biggest in membership so far. - Quay Evano, INQUIRER.net, September 18, 2008