Girl, 7½, is youngest S'porean to reach international ballroom dancing competition finals in UK
She used to be a shy girl who loved singing and dancing but had stage fright.
Penelope Cai has come a long way since then - even though she is only 7½ years old.
She recently took part in The Open Worlds international ballroom dancing competition held in Blackpool, England, from May 9 to 14.
Competing in five categories, Penelope came in fifth in three of them:
- Under 8 Solo Latin
- Under 8 Solo Cha-Cha-Cha Challenge
- Under 10 Solo Latin (2 Dance)
Stomper Dom, who is her proud father, described the competition as the Olympics for Latin dancesport.
"She became the first Singaporean under eight years old to reach the finals and is currently ranked fifth in the world for her age group," said the Stomper.
Penelope posted on her Instagram: "It is with pride and joy to be the youngest Singaporean to compete at Blackpool and first in making it to the solo finals for The Open Worlds 2024 competing against 43 dancers from 14 countries like China, Italy, Spain and Ukraine!"
Her father told Stomp she started learning Latin ballroom dancing only about two years ago and overcame challenges with pure perseverance.
"She showed interest in dancing since young and requested dance lessons," said the Stomper. "So her mummy decided to let her explore the possibility of ballroom dancing as she was part of the Ngee Ann Dancesport during her polytechnic days."
Because of her stage fright, Penelope did not want to compete at first.
"So we requested the school help give her a chance to perform with her friends during the kindergarten graduation concert and take part in dance productions to gain confidence, which slowly gave her the courage to participate in a small competition locally, winning her first gold medals in December 2022," recounted the Stomper.
Penelope got third place at another dance competition.
"As a kid who always strives to be the very best, she set herself the goal of achieving gold medals. Hence, she cried when after receiving the bronze," said her dad.
"It broke our heart to see the tears in her eyes as parents even though we were proud of her achievements within such a short time of learning ballroom dancing."
Penelope's parents helped her understand that the journey is as important as winning.
"It is a lesson of not giving up and teaching her to be resilient," said the Stomper. "We're hoping that this will help her with the challenges she would face growing up."
After winning gold medals again in January 2024, Penelope soon grew an appetite for a larger stage.
"With the support and love from her teachers, she set herself the goal of winning in Blackpool where all the prestigious competitions are held, the spiritual home of dance for top professionals and world champions," her father told Stomp.
He said that Penelope was not expected to make it to The Open Worlds finals of the three events.
"Having to battle jet lag, waking up at 4am UK time for make-up, reaching the ballroom at 7am for warm-up and having to dance many heats and rounds from about 8.15am till 2pm was no easy feat for a young child," said the Stomper.
"The stamina and endurance required is high level even for an adult."
A sudden nose bleed in the midst of dancing during the competition also had to be managed.
Penelope posted on Instagram: "It is such a blessing to have with me teachers and friends from Singapore cheering me on. Deeply grateful for the love and support that pushes me through the long, long hours of competition."
Her dad told Stomp: "It is an honour to show the world that Singapore has its very own champion who could achieve the dream of standing on world's stage as a Blackpool finalist.
"We hope that her story can inspire others and through dancing, we can unite people to come together and overcome our differences, which is the mission of The Open Worlds."
