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  Chen Zhengfa and Huang Meijin had a lot of fun learning Latin dances and taking part in international competitions.

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  69 year old Chen Zhengfa and 61 year old Huang Meijin made a lot of friends of different ages while learning Latin dances and taking part in international competitions, widening their social circle.

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  A Latin dance dress put a lot of emphasis on material and cut.

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  Chen Zhengfa and Huang Meijin started taking part in competitions in 1998, and their greatest accomplishment so far has been taking first place in the age 60 and second place in the age 50 groups at the 2001 Singapore International Latin Dance Competition.

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  Huang Meijin (left) at the competition. Her style and charm definitely doesn't lose out to the younger contestants.

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SINGAPORE: The passion and spirit of Latin dances was what drew Chen Zhengfang and Huang Meijin to learn them 9 years ago, when they wanted to do something to keep fit. The elderly couple frequently take part in international dance competitions. In 2001 their superb skill won them first place in the age 60 group and 2nd place in the age 50 group respectively at the International Latin Dance Competition.

69 year old Chen Zhengfang and 61 year old Huang Meijin started learning Latin dances in 1998, and they take part in five or six competitions each year. Besides the 15 trophies they've won, the two also have an impressive collection of participation certificates from various competitions.

During an interview with Guang Ming Daily, Chen Zhengfa said that once, when they joined a competition with 20 other students from the dance academy, the whole group managed to bring back half the trophies from that competition. Everyone was ecstatic!

"We don't really focus on joining competitions. We also participate in charity events, demonstrations and performances. We think that happiness is something we have to find for ourselves, and dancing has brought us a great deal of happines." Huang Meijin revealed that she started dancing 9 years ago, and brought her husband along to dance classes because she needed a dance partner.

Constantly Building Upon Their Prior Achievements

Chen's principle is to do the very best he can at whatever he turns his hand to. So, it's not surprising that even though he started to learn dancing later then his wife, he quickly caught up with her.

Though their dancing has reached a professional level, the two aren't content to rest on their laurels, and continue to take part in both foreign and local dance competitions, challenging themselves and building on their prior achievements.

They both said: "We only want to do things that we like and which make us happy. Through dance classes and competitions, we've made many new friends of different ages, and really broadened our social circle. Our days have really been enriched because of our frequent conversations with the younger generation."

"For those who are getting on in years, dancing can help maintain a happy spirit and improve memory. This is because dancing isn't just about physical fitness, it also involves co-ordinating hearing and thought. At the same time it requires close attention to rhythm, footwork, body movement and the music. Only after doing all this can you dance well."

Chen said that he had encouraged friends who were his age to take up dancing as well. However, they said that Latin dances didn't fit their station or image and declined, which he thought was a great pity.

Revealing Dance Outfits Bad For Image

Though some might criticise Chen and Huang for dressing inappropriately in revealing clothes considering their age, this does not diminish their love for Latin dance.

Once, they were invited to perform at a dinner function that was held in a secondary school's assembly hall. Someone there spoke up and criticised them saying: "How can the elderly dress in such a revealing manner? And how could they hold such an event at a school?"

Chen said: “I don't think that I am being too open or revolutionary, but it is necessary to dress appropriately when performing a Latin dance. They have a misconception about the dance attire because they don't understand the beauty of Latin dances.”

Dance Outfits Emphasise Cut

Latin dance dresses put a lot of emphasis on cut and material. A proper Latin dance dress needs to have special properties, the cloth needs to cling to the body while at the same time being highly elastic.

Chen and Huang buy or order most of their dancing outfits and shoes in Malaysia and Singapore, though some were ordered from places like Australia, and England.

The price of an outfit can go up to several thousand ringgit, while women's dance shoes (with a 3-inch heel) usually cost about RM400. Men's leather dance shoes cost around RM200.