Cambodia breaks Guinness World Record for largest Madison dance

Cambodia on Wednesday broke Guinness World Record for the largest Madison dance, a judge announced.

The 2,015 participants performed the Madison dance for five minutes at the complex of the Angkor world heritage site in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap City to celebrate Khmer New Year, which began on Tuesday for three days.

The dance was organized by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, which is led by Prime Minister Hun Sen's youngest son Hun Many.

"I have the pleasure to announce that the largest Madison dance was achieved by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia in Cambodia's Siem Reap with 2,015 participants," Seyda Subasi Gemici, a Guinness World Records judge from Germany, declared the result, which was live broadcast on local Bayon TV channel.

She said it was a historical day for the Cambodian participants to make a successful attempt of setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest Madison dance, beating the last record of the largest Madison dance with 1,155 participants in Australia in 2014.

The Madison, originated in the United States in the late 1950s, is particularly popular over Khmer New Year celebrations and wedding receptions.

Hun Many said that it was the second Guinness World Records title for Cambodia after a 4.04 ton sticky rice cake, produced for the Khmer New Year celebration, was included in the Guinness Book of Records on Monday as the largest ever sticky rice cake made. Endi