Parchal || The Algarve region has every reason to celebrate – local dancing schools participating in last weekend’s Dance World Cup in Parchal won a total of 24 medals and five special awards. And the organisers that put on the show at the Centro de Congressos do Arade have been praised by the Cup’s chairman, who said: “This has been the most successful and well-organised edition ever.”
John Grimshaw revealed he was very happy with the way the competition unfolded and said the Centro de Congressos do Arade pavilion was “perfect” for the competition. “It is a top-class centre. And we were made to feel very welcome,” he said.
This certainly spells good news for the venue, which needs all the publicity it can get to become a top stage for other high profile events in order to ensure its financial future, confirmed Lagoa Mayor Francisco Martins in an interview with the Resident this week.
Equally happy was tourism chief Desidério Silva, who said that the organisation of the Dance World Cup is proof that the region has the potential to host large-scale events, “from golf to dance, from racing to music.”
Silva also praised the results received by the region’s dance schools, saying he felt “proud” that they had won “so many gold, silver and bronze medals”.
The Companhia de Dança do Algarve alone won 22 medals in the categories of Classical Dance, Character Dance, Contemporary Dance and Hip Hop. The school was also distinguished with five special prizes, including best male dancer, best quartet and best contemporary dance group in the category of children under 13, and best quartet and best character dance group in the youngsters class (up to 25 years old).
The other two medals were won by the Academia de Dança do Algarve, which earned a gold medal in the category of hip hop, and the Academia de Dança de Albufeira, which took home a bronze medal for tap dancing.
The Cup took place between June 29 and July 5, with around 3,000 participants from 27 countries and around 8,000 spectators showing up to see the young dancers.
Enjoying a full house, the closing gala even included fireworks over the Arade River.
It will likely be many years until the Dance World Cup returns to Portugal as it moves on to a different country each year to allow access to as many nations as possible.
