Alex Lim Crowned Gatsby Styling Dance Champion

Alex "Poppin' Rex" Lim (pic) has done Malaysia proud by winning the Gatsby Styling Dance Contest Asia Finals in Tokyo, Japan on February 27 2010. At this street dance competition which was held at the chic Shibuya O-East Arena in Tokyo, Alex beat contestants from the other participating countries; Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore to grab The Greatest Gatsby Award, a cash prize of 300,000 Yen (RM11,400) and a dance exchange tour to any two of the participating countries. The joint first runners-up were 4C The Power of South Korea and Bloos Dynamite of Hong Kong. Both teams each won a cash prize of 100,000 Yen (RM3,800) and a dance exchange tour to any one of the participating countries.

The judges for the Gatsby Styling Dance Contest Asia Finals were Karisma Kantaro, Fishboy, Dee, Miho Brown and a representative from each of the seven participating countries. As all the contestants were equally good, the judges initially had a problem deciding on the winner. Eventually they all agreed that the crown should be given to Alex "Poppin' Rex" Lim for his creative and fresh dance moves. Alex showcased an improvised and simple street dance routine without much of the thrills and frills. Dressed in a gold-coloured Chinese kungfu jacket and black jeans, he had the crowd in stitches with his funny antics and facial expressions. Besides winning The Greatest Gatsby Award, Alex also clinched a Gatsby Grooving Award.

The affable Alex, 21 who hails from the royal town of Klang in Selangor took up hip hop dancing when he was 18 and trained at the Royal Phantom Dance Studio in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. He was soon taking part in local hip hop dance competitions and winning numerous championships along the way. Even though Alex knows that the job prospects for dancers are quite limited in Malaysia, he intends to further his studies in dance and pursue a career as a professional dancer. He hopes that with further exposure, the dance scene in Malaysia will grow to be as big as those in other countries like Japan. Hopefully, Alex's victory at the Gatsby Styling Dance Contest Asia Finals in Tokyo will give a fillip to street dance in Malaysia.