Dance of the Centaur

The House of Rémy Martin, established in 1724, represents almost 300 years of French wine-growing and cognac-making tradition. It is accorded a legal recognition for superior quality of a Fine Champagne Cognac by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, the official governing body for fine spirits of France.

To create a cognac of this rare quality, Rémy Martin taps into the expert know-how and skilled craftsmanship of generations of cellar masters and uses the most sought-after rare grapes from the Cognac terroir — Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. Only a blend of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne crus would qualify to be called Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac. 

The House recently sponsored the Rémy Martin Centaur Dance Showdown Finals held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore. Six champion dance crews representing their respective countries competed in the finals: The Zoo from Thailand, Katoon Network from Malaysia, Team Swarup from India, S.I.N.E. Crew from Vietnam, Radikal Forze from Singapore and KrumPinoy from the Philippines.

On the day of the competition, a press preview was held where invited members of the media had a glimpse of what the dance crews had to offer. This was followed by the battle round where crews were pitted against each other in an exhibition dance-off. The evening’s highlight came when each crew had its chance to showcase its dance style and full routine of dance moves.

The panel of judges included Rémy Martin celebrity spokesperson and superstar from Taiwan Jolin Tsai, singer/model from Vietnam Ho Ngoc Ha, Japanese break dance artist Katsuyuki Ishikawa and Singaporean hip-hop artist Sheikh Haikel. The criteria were based on the crew’s overall performance, creativity, showmanship and stage presence, synchronization and execution and musicality.

The members of S.I.N.E. Crew from Vietnam danced their way to victory and were declared Centaur Dance Showdown Champion.

Xavier Desaulles, Rémy Cointreau International Pte. Ltd. managing director for Southeast Asia, Middle East and India, said, “Rémy Martin is proud to have organized this exciting dance competition, where six of the region’s best dance crews were gathered in Singapore to compete and, most importantly, to fulfill their dream of performing on a regional stage. We hope that this dance competition will bring more great opportunities for these very talented dancers. Through the art of creative expression in dance, we also hope to reach out and communicate to the increasing group of younger consumers about Rémy Martin’s well-entrenched reputation as a cognac brand that epitomizes superior quality, passion and finesse.”

Joey Pineda, Rémy Cointreau Philippines commercial manager, added, “It is really an outstanding evening, the crowd was really fantastic, as well as the participating dance crews. We are really glad to be here and very proud to represent the Philippines. Expect a stronger showing from the Philippine crew next year.”