SEA Games dance heroes to get Europe training for world tourney

Philippine Dancesport partner Sean Mischa Aranar and Ana Leonila Nualla dance their way to three gold medals, ruling the Tango, Viennese Waltz and Five Dance events during the 30th Sea Games held at Clark, Pampanga. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Southeast Asian Games triple gold medalists Sean Aranar and Ana Nualla will set up camp in Europe for one month in preparation for the World Dancesport Federation World Championships Standard Adult competition on Nov. 21 in Vienna, Austria.

“We’re in the process of finalizing our training camp and we are considering Lithuania, Germany or Italy. It will certainly help us as we compete in different tournaments out there prior to the world championships,’’ Aranar said.

Nualla and Aranar, ranked 103rd overall among 300 dancesport couples in the world, captured gold medals in the single dance Viennese waltz, tango and five dance mixed events during the SEA Games last month in Angeles City, Pampanga.

“The competition level in Europe is very high. It will prepare us well going into the tournament,’’ Nualla said.

The couple attributed their SEA Games victory to the training camp in Lithuania a month before the SEA Games under famed coaches Donatas Vezelis and Lina Chatkeviciute.

Joining Aranar and Nualla in the camp for the world championship are Michael Angelo Marquez and Stephanie Sabalo, who claimed the SEA Games gold medals in the single dance paso doble and Latin dance events.

Aranar and Nualla likewise won the Amateur Standard A Open in the Giai Vo Dich KVTT T&T DanceSport Cup Invitational Open in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, on Dec. 22, while Marquez and Sabalo pocketed the gold medal in the Latin A event.

The national dancesport team collected 10 gold medals in the SEA Games, the second most successful national sports association in the Games after the Philippine arnis squad.