The West Frisian dance formation Double V is preparing on behalf of the Netherlands for the Latin World Cup in Hong Kong. The dancers leave tomorrow, where they can compete with their opponents on Monday. Laura Tool from the dance group says that Double V is ready for the competition and the trip, although a donation campaign has been started to partly finance the trip.
The dance formation from Blokker will stay for a week in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, as the area is officially called. Double V leaves tomorrow, on Monday December 18 they will dance their match at the world championship. “So we still have a few days to acclimatize a bit and of course to deal with the jet lag,” says dancer Laura.
Preparing for the joint dance at the world championship took about two years. The dance group started creating a new choreography and planned a number of extra training weekends. In the previous year, Double V danced this routine in a number of competitions.
Listen to WEEFF’s interview with Laura Tool below:
“Then it was somewhat disappointing at an international level – despite the fact that the results were good,” says Laura. “But after that we managed to win the Dutch title twice. And from there, I think, we have laid a very nice foundation to be able to do this dance after two years at the World Cup in Hong Kong.”
Dancers must pay for their own travel and accommodation
Since the travel expenses and accommodation for the dancers in Hong Kong are not fully reimbursed by an association or sponsors, Double V has to pay a considerable amount out of its own pocket. “It’s quite a journey for us,” she says. “Usually we have competitions nearby, but this year we can go all the way to Hong Kong. The trip requires 35,000 euros, which has to be paid by the dancers themselves. That is why we a donation campaign have started, and it’s going very well.”
This weekend, more than half of the amount has already been raised by acquaintances of the dancers and other unknown people. The Dutch General Dance Sports Association also made a contribution for the trip to Hong Kong. This amount has not yet been included in the total.
“The target amount is 10,000 euros,” says Laura Tool. “The trip has been booked and will continue anyway. It now depends on the donations how much contribution has to come from the dancers themselves, and whether we can still finance part of it in this way.”
Family atmosphere ensures good performance
Double V has reached the World Cup final twice in the past. Whether that will work this time remains to be seen, says Tool. “In any case, we have trained very hard, so as far as we are concerned, things are going very well. But it remains a jury sport, so it is actually always beyond your control. We are going to do our best, and then we will see what the results are later.” hangs on it.”
According to Tool, the strength of Double V lies in the family atmosphere that exists within the dance formation. “We train so much together that you ultimately have a good bond. We also enjoy doing this together,” says the dancer. “Double V has been around for over 40 years, so there are also many experienced dancers in the team. But there are also members who are participating in a world championship for the first time. It is a mixed company, very diverse.”