Forty-Eight Dancers to Represent Seychelles at First WADF Asia Cup in China
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Forty-eight dancers from four dance institutions will represent Seychelles at the upcoming 2025 Maikawa Cup World Artistic Dance Federation All Asia Championship, scheduled to take place from May 1 to 3, 2025, in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. The four dance institutions are the School of Dance of Seychelles, Artistic Dance Factory Seychelles (ADF), Emergency Crew, and Diamonds Dance Class. This is a historic moment as Seychelles makes its debut appearance at this prestigious international dance competition, hosted under the World Artistic Dance Federation (WADF).
At a send-off ceremony yesterday at the National Theatre, the delegation received air tickets. Dancers, ranging in age from seven years old to adult, will compete across multiple categories, including Latin, Afrobeat, Dancehall, Contemporary, and more. The delegation also comprises parents, officials from the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (Snicha), and the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC). In her opening remarks, permanent secretary for Snicha, Cecile Kalebi, said the event is an extending platform that brings together dancers from across the globe to celebrate creativity, discipline and culture expression through dance.
The Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan, said the key to state-to-state relations lies in close bonds between people, and that making cultural and people-to-people exchanges is an integral and important part of the Seychelles-China relationship. ‘The friendship and bond are deeply embedded in the hearts of our two peoples. The bilateral relations have been elevated to strategic partner and progressed rapidly over the past years.’ Head coach of Emergency Crew, Wilnette Joseph, expressed her pride in her group of 14 dancers. ‘Even now after the ceremony we are still going to practice some more and we are aiming high as we are used to it,’ she said. Team Seychelles departs for China this afternoon.
