BACOLOD CITY – Five Kansilay Dancesport Team members from Silay City, Negros Occidental won four gold medals in the World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) Cebu Open and 3rd Kind Open 2023 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City last week.

THE Kansilay Dancesport Team from Silay City, Negros Occidental led by head coach Philip Lui Deocadiz (second from left), along with World Dancesport Federation (WDSF) Top Amateur Couple from Poland Edgar Marcos Borjas (third from left) and Alina Nowak (fourth from left), pose during the WDSF Cebu Open and 3rd Kind Open 2023 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City on September 30. (Kansilay Dancesport Team)
The Kansilay Dancesport Team led by its head coach Philip Lui Deocadiz also bagged two bronze medals in the competition on September 30 participated in by about 1,000 dancesport athletes from Spain, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam, among others.
Darlene Callas and Carl Vincent Besonia, who competed in the teacher category, and Anthony Arbolante and Deocadiz, who competed in the 3rd Kind Latin (Male to Male) category, earned gold medals.
Deocadiz and Josephine Fuertes also competed in the Senior 1A category and won bronze medals.
According to 30-year-old Deocadiz, it was a wonderful experience competing against the best couples and partners in Asia and the world.
Deocadiz said that as an advocate of grassroots program for young dance athletes, it is interesting that a lot of Filipinos are now engaged in the world of competitive dancing.
He is hoping to inspire more athletes not just to compete but also practice the true essence of sportsmanship and camarederie.
The WDSF, formerly known as International Council of Amateur Dancers in Wiesbaden, Germany, is the world governing body for dancesport. It was founded in 1957 and is now a non-government international organization constituted under Swiss law.