July 2011
Mei Ling
Malaysia
2nd Place Overall (2003 Asian Pacific Dance Championships : Classic Intermediate Open-Female); Overall Champion (2004 Asian Pacific Dance Championships: Classic Intermediate Open-Female). Eversince she could remember, Leong Mei Ling has always enjoyed dancing. Throughout her schooling years and as a young adult, she would enthusiastically indulge herself in this favourite pastime whenever the opportunity presented itself.
It was in 1993, during a trip to Perth, Australia that she first caught a glimpse of line dancing. She was totally smitten by it. But dance had to take a back seat while she focused on starting her new family.
In 2002, after her second child, Mei Ling came across line dancing again and lost no time in signing up for classes. She attended both Beginner and Intermediate classes every week and by the end of 2002, she was teaching her first class. Mei Ling currently teaches 5 days a week at fitness and private centres near her home.
From 2003 to 2005, Mei Ling actively competed in line dance competitions in both team and individual categories. Among her wins are:
She was also part of a team, the Wild West Babes, that took home the Overall Champion award two years in a row in 2003 & 2004 at the Bangi Equatorial Cup Challenge.
In 2008, Mei Ling was invited to Tokyo as a guest instructor, by Hiro Suzuki, for his annual Tokyo Crazy Country Dance Festival. It was an honour to be able to teach alongside (and also learn from) the event's Main Instructor, Judy McDonald. It was also for this event, that Mei Ling choreographed her first line dance, BORN TO ROCK! To her delight, this dance was later selected as the Novelty dance for a competition in Sweden the same year.
Another choreography by Mei Ling, WILDCATS GO!, was also very well-received. It was among the many dances danced at Orchard Road, Singapore during their Christmas Mass Line Dance event 2008. The dance was requested again at the same event in December 2009 together with another of her choreography, DANCING IN THE STREET.
The success of WILDCATS GO! in Singapore caught the attention of Linedancer Magazine and a story on Mei Ling was featured in their March 2009 edition.
Mei Ling resides in Malaysia with her husband, Allan, and her 3 lovely boys Brandon, Justin & Ethan.
Background & Achievements
- 1993: Came across Line Dancing (or bootscooting as they call it) whilst on holiday in Perth. Was intrigued by it.
- 2002: Started Line Dancing
- End 2002: Started teaching
- 2003: Began competitive Line Dancing
- 1st Place (Team category) - Equatorial Bangi Line Dance Championship
- 2nd Place Overall (Intermediate Open) - Asia Pacific Line Dance Championship (sanctioned by UCWDC) in Singapore
- 2004: 1st Place (Team category) - Equatorial Bangi Line Dance Carnival
- 1st Place Overall (Open Intermediate) - Asia Pacific Line Dance Championship (sanctioned by UCWDC) in Malaysia
- 2nd Place Overall (Intermediate Crystal Category) - APDC in Malaysia
- Current: Line Dance Instructor at several major fitness centres, and for private groups