Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Argentine Tango Dance Classes For Beginners



Marguerite Brodie-Eu & Andreas Lehrke, renowned tango dancers, teachers and performers will be conducting Agentine Tango dance classes for beginners in Kuala Lumpur. The details are as follows:-

Venue: Hall of Fame,
Level 2, Indoor Sport Complex
Wisma OCM, Jalan Hang Jebat
50150 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date: Commencing Thursday July 31, for 8 consecutive Thursdays

Time: 8.30 - 9.30 pm

Fees: RM200 for all 8 classes, RM30 for drop-in

Marguerite Brodie-Eu has been instrumental in helping to promote Argentine Tango in Malaysia. It was through her efforts that the Kuala Lumpur Tango Club was born in 2003. The Kuala Lumpur Tango Club organized the 1st International Kuala Lumpur Tango Festival 2008 in July; an event which saw the participation of more than 100 tangueros and tangueras from 22 countries.

Brodie-Eu and Lehrke also conduct Argentine Tango classes for groups and individuals at a couple of clubs in the fine-dining enclave of Bukit Ceylon. In addition they regularly host dance workshops and milongas. For more information and bookings, please call +60(12)315-1008 or +60(12)662-8022. Alternatively you can check out their web site at www.tangomalaysia.com.

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado

Dancesport Malaysia



Monday, July 28, 2008

Whisks In The Tango

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In my post entitled "Whisks In The Waltz" (Article 5) of June 23 2008, I described the 3 types of whisks that are commonly used in the waltz. They are the whisk, the back whisk and the left whisk. There is also another dance figure in the waltz known as the fallaway whisk which is quite similar to the back whisk. This dance figure has however fallen out of favour and is seldom, if ever, taught in dance schools nowadays.

Besides the waltz, whisks are not specified dance figures in the other ballroom dances. Whilst the whisk is not a specified figure per se in the tango, it is often used in conjunction with other dance figures particularly as an ending to a chasse to the right. The whisk in tango is popularly used in amalgamation with the Oversway and The Chase.

I find the walks, contra checks, whisks and the sharp head flicks to be the distinctive figures and movements in the tango. A tango dance routine would normally incorporate at least one or more of these figures or movements. The whisk if executed properly can add a lot of flavour or character to the dance. Technique is of course important in dancing the whisk. The whisk should be executed with sharp, crisp movements for that special tango effect.

The correct technique is to for the man to stand with the full weight on his right foot. The left foot should then be swept back quickly and crossed behind the right foot in promenade position into whisk. With the weight now evenly distributed between the right and left foot, the man should be standing on the flat of the right foot and the ball of the left foot. The lady of course stands on her left foot and sweeps her right foot back in promenade position at the same time turning her head sharply to her right.

Here's a nice tango routine incorporating the whisk. Dance two walks followed by an oversway with a timing of S S Q Q S S. Next do a chasse to right, RLR and cross left foot behind right foot in promenade position into whisk. Then step right foot forward in PP and CBMP and place left foot forward in PP without weight. The timing is Q & Q S Q Q or Q & Q Q Q S but I personally prefer the first timing. Finish with a closed promenade, S Q Q S. Happy dancing!

Best Regards,

Dance Aficionado

To B(log) Or Not To B(log), That Is The Question - Part 1





I have always wanted to set up a web site or blog to promote dancing in Malaysia, seeing that dancesport may one day become a medal event at the Olympic Games. Prior to this site being launched 2 months ago, I believe there is no web site or blog dedicated to dancing whereby viewers can post comments or have a forum to discuss issues of common interest. Many dance schools in Malaysia have their own web sites to advertise their services but most do not publish articles or have a forum.

Unless you are internet savvy and know how to set up a web site all by yourself, you will most likely have to engage the services of a professional web designer. You will also need to register a domain name. As most of the good dotcom domain names have been taken up, you will most probably have to buy one that you fancy.In addition you will have to pay for the hosting service. Then there is the yearly renewal fee for your domain name. All these expenses can set you back a tidy sum.

Being an internet newbie, the thought of learning how to build a website from scratch, registering a domain name and then looking for a host service provider all by myself sort of petrified me. Fortunately I have a relative, Fai who is a computer techie. When I told him I wanted to set up a web site or blog, he told me all about Blogger, which is owned by Google. "How much will it cost me to set up the blog?" I interjected. "It's free!" was his curt reply. "Is it difficult to set up a blog?" I queried. "It's as easy as abc, as simple as 123" he waxed lyrical. His repartee reminded me of the lyrics of the song ABC by the Jackson 5. Fai then went on to tell me animatedly that with Blogger you can create a blog in 3 easy steps in less than 5 minutes. My interest was piqued.

That Saturday I went over to Fai's house and we sat down to set up my blog. I logged on to blogger.com. A message read - "Create a blog in 3 easy steps." The first step was to create an account. That was easy. The second step was to choose a name for my blog. As spaces, periods and underscores are not allowed in the domain name, I settled for and christened my blog, http://www.dancesportmalaysia.blogspot.com/. The third step was to choose a template. This was the easiest (or toughest, depending on your viewpoint) part as there were so many beautiful templates to choose from. After mulling over the choices available, I picked a template with a green colour theme and clicked the enter arrow.

Lo and behold! My blog was up and running. I edited my profile, wrote a little about myself, and published a post about the So You Think You Can Dance competition which was then being aired over TV8 every Thursday. I viewed my blog again. Voila! All that I had posted were shown on the site. I was smug and as pleased as Punch. Setting up a blog and blogging isn't so difficult after all, I told Fai. He smiled and nodded in agreement.

I told Fai that I had seen advertisements with the words "Ads By Google" in many web sites and blogs and was curious to know what they were all about. Fai told me that these are contextual advertisements that are relevant to the contents of the web pages.He further informed that the site owner or AdSense publisher as they are called will be paid a certain amount of money each time someone clicks and sees the advertisement. I was as curious as I was sceptical. "Who would want to advertise in a new blog like mine" I muttered to myself. Anyway since there were no joining fees involved, I signed up as a AdSense publisher with google.com/adsense and put up a small rectangle ad unit in my web page. We were done for the day and I then took Fai out for a nice dinner as a token of appreciation.

To be continued next week .....


Related Post

> To B(log) Or Not To B(log), That Is The Question - Part 2





Friday, July 25, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2 - Top 6




July 24 2008

The So You Think You Can Dance competition started on cue at at 9.30 pm at the Ruums Bar & Club, Kuala Lumpur. After the Top 6 finalists had performed the opening dance, the ever bubbly host Aishah Sinclair stepped on to the dance floor to welcome the audience and introduce the judges. Wearing a lovely black dress (black seems to be her favourite colour) Aishah introduced the panel of judges. They were the usual trio of Pat Ibrahim, Judimar Hernandez and Ramli Ibrahim. The guest judge was the renowned dancer, performer and choreographer Aida Redza.

It was then time for the competitors to battle it out on the dance floor. In this episode all the dancers had to do a partner dance in the first round and then perform a solo in the Dance For Survival in the second round.

The names of the couples and the dances they had to perform in the first round were:-

1) Sly & Jojo - Disco Mambo

2) Black & Sim - Argentine Tango

3) Hong & CC - Samba

The dances were well choreographed and all the couples performed commendably. It was really difficult for me to pick the best couple this time.

It was only in the second round that the competitors were able to break away from the constraints of partner dancing to really express themselves. The dances that the competitors had to dance were as follows:-

1) Sly - Hip Hop

2) Hong - Contemporary

3) Black - Hip Hop

4) Jojo - Contemporary

5) CC - Conga

6) Sim - Contemporary

Black was in his elements and shone in the dance that he loves and does best - the Hip Hop. He redeemed himself from his not-too-good performance in the Hip Hop in the previous episode. Dancing to the tune of Sweet Young Thing by Michael Jackson he did some great moves. Wearing a fedora and a white glove ala Wacko Jacko he gave his best performance so far. Unfortunately he did not do a Moon Walk . I would love to see him do a Moon Walk at the Grand Finals next week and hopefully walk away with the prize money of fifty grand Malaysian Ringgit. Ramli remarked that he captured the moment. Aida was so excited that she was lost for words!

Sim also gave a commendable performance and executed some beautiful leaps in the contemporary dance. She is the only dancer in this SYTYCD competition not to have fallen into the Bottom 4 or Bottom 6 during each episode. CC and Hong did pretty well as did Sly who is nifty in Hip Hop. The weakest was Jojo and it does not help that she does not smile much. In dancing it is as much as dancing the steps as it is in expressing the joy of dancing in your moves and facial expressions.

While waiting for the sms vote to come in, the male dancers did a Malay Contemporary dance whilst the girls did a Hip Hop to entertain the crowd. The Top 4 finalists chosen were Black, Hong, Sim and CC. They will be competing in the Grand Finals which will be held on Friday, August 1 at 8.30 pm at the same venue.

The Top 4 finalists of So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2 will be meeting their fans at Sg Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur on July 29 from 2-4 pm. Be sure to catch them there.

Best Wishes,
Dance Aficionado


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj To Perform In Kuala Lumpur

Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincelj, 9-times World Professional Latin American Dance Champions and 7-times Blackpool Professional Latin American Dance Champions will be performing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as part of their World Dance Tour Performance. The details of the performance are:-

Venue: Olympic Council Hall, Wisma OCM
Jalan Hang Jebat
Kuala Lumpur 50150

Date: August 1, 2008 (Friday)

Time: 7.00 pm to 11.30 pm

Tickets are priced from RM1200 to RM1800 for a table of 10 and a 8-course Chinese dinner will be served.

This event is presented by Professional Dancers (M) Berhad (http://www.pdmb.com.my/) and is not to be missed.

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado

Monday, July 21, 2008

Dancing The Double Reverse Spin


In my post dated June 2, 2008, I had discussed the Double Reverse Spin and mentioned that it is not an easy figure to dance, especially for lay dancers. Figures incorporating turns and spins are generally more difficult to execute for beginners and weak dancers. One of the reasons is that the person who is turning or spinning on the outside have to turn a bigger arc or circle and would therefore have to take bigger steps. At the same time both partners have to maintain a good posture and balance to counter the effects of centrifugal force.

In the Double Reverse Spin, the man does two steps and a "toe pivot" while the lady does four steps using a timing of 1, 2, & 3 (or a 1, 2, 3 & timing for advanced dancers). As the lady has four steps to dance, it is important for her to hasten the pace on the second step (heel turn) so that the second and third steps are the quick ones. The fourth step must be balanced and controlled with the balance kept well over it to enable the next step to be taken with ease.

The man takes the first step forward on the LF turning body to left with a CBM. He then places his RF to the side and makes a turn or "spin" to his L on the ball of his RF and closes LF to RF without weight (toe pivot). The lady must do a proper heel turn to assist the man to execute his turn easily. Some ladies tend to "cheat" when doing the heel turn. Instead of turning on the heel of one foot, they turn on the soles or flat of both feet causing a loss in momentum thus making it very difficult for the man to execute his turn properly. One of the tips for dancing the double reverse spin well is for the partners to maintain a good topline and individual balance while at the same time keeping their knees soft.

A nice sequence incorporating the Double Reverse Spin would be this:- At corner do a Natural Reverse Turn to end backing DC. Do the 4-6 Reverse Turn to end facing the LOD.Now do the Double Reverse Turn making a complete turn. For novice dancers follow with a Drag Hesitation and a Back Lock.

The Drag Hesitation is a nice and easy figure to dance and it sort of helps weak dancers to control and regain their balance after doing the relatively "fast paced" Double Reverse Turn. Unfortunately I understand that the Drag Hesitation has been dropped from the syllabus of at least one dance institution. An alternative to the Drag Hesitation would be a Progressive Chasse To Right. To add a little panache to their dance routine, advance dancers can do another Double Reverse Spin immediately after the first one using a 1,2, 3 & timing. Happy Dancing from Dancesport Malaysia!

Related Post

> Is The Double Reverse Spin Really A Double Reverse Spin?

> Dancing The Waltz With Style And Technique


Friday, July 18, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2- Top 8


July 17, 2008


The impatient crowd at Ruums Bar & Club, Kuala Lumpur broke into applause when host Aishah Sinclair stepped onto the dance floor to commence the show. Using shawls and walking sticks as props, the Top 8 competitors did a Middle Eastern contemporary opening dance with shimmies and all, much to the delight of the audience. After being introduced by Aishah it was time for the judges to be introduced. They are as Aishah puts it, renowned choreographer and creative director Pat Ibrahim, "the lady with many adjectives" Judimar Hernandez and "the purveyor of contemporary and classical arts" Ramli Ibrahim. The guest judge was Marion D' Cruz; dancer, choreographer and executive producer of the Five Arts Centre.

It was then the dancers' turn to battle it out on the dance floor. As with the previous episode, the couples had to perform 2 dances over 2 rounds. The names of the couples and the dances they had to perform were:-

1) Sly & Jojo - Hip Hop/Middle Eastern & Paso Doble/Flamenco

2) Ray & Farah - Hip Hop & Malaysian Contemporary

3) Hong & Cecilia - Hip Hop/Viennese Waltz & Hip Hop

4) Black & Sim - Latin American Fusion & Hip Hop

Black and Sim brought the house down with their awesome display of energy and pizzazz in their first dance, the Latin American fusion. They did a slick interpretation of the cha cha cha, samba, mambo and salsa in their dance moves. Black started the dance by doing a split in mid-air.Looking like a vamp, Sim really shone with her dazzling moves and is the dancer to watch in this competition. She is versatile and it showed in the way she performed this dance routine even though Latin American is not her forte.

The judges were floored by their performance. Ramli said their dance was fantastic and electrifying and that he felt the temperature in the room go up by 10 degrees! He even compared Sim to the late Hong Kong diva, Anita Mui! The other judges were also lavish in their praises. Judimar exclaimed "what a pair" and that she could feel the fuego (Spanish for fire) on the dance floor..

However their performance in their second dance routine, the Hip Hop was a bit of a let down considering that Hip Hop is Black's cup of tea. In this dance both dancers donned red track suits and wore masks. The attire looked awful compared to what they wore in their earlier round. The dance was slow paced and Black seemed languid; not his usual exuberant self. This is the first time that masks have been worn in this competition. In a dance competition like this, masks should not be worn as we are unable to see the facial expressions and the dancers are not able to express the joy of dancing in their facial expressions.

The guest judge Marion commented that it is difficult to perform dances wearing masks and Ramli said that Black looked tired, considering his explosive performance earlier.Pat said that the couple did not give their all when performing this dance.Let us hope that masks will not be used in dance routines in future episodes or ever in this competition.

One couple who did pretty well in this episode is couple number 3, Hong & Cecilia (Cc). Last week both of them were in the Bottom 6. This week both are in the Top 4! In their first dance routine, they gave a credible performance in the Hip Hop but when it came to dancing the Viennese Waltz both were off-timing and struggling to do their steps. They however redeemed themselves and gave a polished performance in the second dance routine which was again a Hip Hop.Towards the end of the dance, they showed their prowess by executing a spiral turn beautifully. They get my vote for the Best Couple in the second round.

After all the couples had performed their dances it was time for the judges to pick the Bottom 4. They were Jojo, Ray, Farah and Black. Ray and Farah did not make it to the Top 6. The dancers of So You Think You Can Dance will be meeting their fans at the Seremban Parade in Seremban this Saturday, July 19 from 2-4 pm. Be sure to catch them there to give your support.

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Monday, July 14, 2008

Dancing In KL In The 1970s - Part 2

In my post of 30 June 2008, I had reminisced about the disco scene in Kuala Lumpur in the 1970s. Looking back, we really had a lot of good discos during those halcyon days. Many of these places had sophisticated sound & lighting systems and were great joints for meeting up with friends. Disco hopping and applying for disco club memberships was quite a favourite pastime for the well-heeled. What were the popular dances back then?

The Hustle was an extremely popular disco dance during that era and was made popular by Van McCoy in their hit song The Hustle. The Hustle was the generic name for several variations of disco dances which were popular back then. In this dance, the partners had to hold each other loosely and move to beautifully choreographed dance steps. Today it mostly refers to a unique partner dance in ballrooms and nightclubs in the USA.

Then there was The Bump which was another popular dance fad. In this dance the partners had to lightly bump their hips against each other's while dancing to the music. As the passion became hotter, the moves would become more intimate. The bumping would increase in intensity with the partners bumping hip to derriere, derriere to derriere, gyrating their hips, etc. The song Lady Bump by Penny McLean in the mid-'70s boosted the popularity of this dance. Our very own cartoonist Lat, even drew a rib tickling cartoon about this dance craze.

One of the craziest dance then or ever was the Funky Chicken where the dancers had to mimic the actions of a chicken. One of the moves was known as the chicken wings in which the dancers imitated the flapping of wings by moving their elbows up and down. In the chicken legs, the dancers had to kick their feet out and back. Another zany move was the crazy chicken where the dancers had to scratch the floor with their feet while making clucking noises.It was hilarious watching dancers do the Funky Chicken.

The release of the blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta in 1977 gave a fillip to the disco dancing mania. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack featuring songs by The Bee Gees became the best selling soundtrack ever. This movie also started a vogue for the so-called "John Travolta shoes"; which were slim, high-heeled (up to 3 inches) shoes with pointed toes. These shoes were murder on the feet but were considered (together with tight fitting shirts and bell bottom trousers) de rigueur at the discos!

Crowds packed the discos and it was at about this time that the discos started to engage disc jockeys or deejays to spin records. Some of the deejays became entertainers in their own right with their wild antics and gift-of-the-gab. Live bands became less popular and the bands had to look for other joints to play, like in the lounges and pubs. Some eventually disbanded with the members going their own ways or playing solo gigs in pubs, coffee houses or other places.

The discos were to continue pulling in the crowds for a good many more years to come. In the '80s, a new form of entertainment was to take the world by storm - the karaoke. By the late '80s, interest in the discos had started to wane. Faced with dwindling crowds and growing competition from karaoke or KTV lounges, the discos started to close down or were converted into lounges or for other uses.

For many of us "old timers", the good old days of disco partying in the '70s will always be remembered with fondness and nostalgia. The '70s were great times. There was a sense of joie de vivre. The feel-good factor was there and it felt really good while it lasted. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. Thanks for the memories, KL!

Related Post

Friday, July 11, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2- Top 10

10th July 2008

With the cry of "Malaysia, give it up for your Top 10", host Aishah Sinclair stepped on to the dance floor of Ruums Bar & Club, Kuala Lumpur to start the show and usher in the dancers. Looking gorgeous in jeans, black shimmering blouse , dark jacket and a new hairstyle to match, Aishah next introduced the panel of judges to the audience. They were the usual team of Pat Ibrahim, Judimar Hernandez and Ramli Ibrahim. The guest judge this time was the lovely actress and dancer, Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.

It was then time for the dance couples to show off their stuff. In this round, the 5 couples who are partnering each other for the first time had to perform one dance and then come back again to perform another dance. The names of the couples and the dances they had to perform were:-

1) Raymond & Jorida - Mambo, Pop Rock

2) Sly & Jojo - Hip Hop, Lyrical Waltz

3) Ray & Farah - Salsa, Contemporary

4) Black & Sim - Contemporary, Hip Hop

5) Hong & Cecilia - Contemporary Pop, Rock n' Roll

Black & Sim stole the show and took the judges' breath away. In their first dance which was a contemporary number (with middle eastern influences) they were in their elements and Sim did some sexy shimmies like an exotic belly dancer. Very sensuous indeed. Not to be outshone, Black gave an electrifying performance in the second dance, the Hip Hop. Both their dances were artistic and entertaining and both danced like champions!

The Judges were grinning from ear to ear and bestowed accolades on their performance. Some of the the superlatives heaped on them were "most wonderful performance of the night", "best couple", "best dancers", "the couple to beat", "perfecto".

After the competitors had performed their dances, it was time for the judges to pick the Bottom 6. They were Cecilia, Hong, Ray, Jojo, Jorida and Raymond. It was then time for them to do their Dance For Survival and garner sms votes. While waiting for the sms votes to come in, singer Nita went on to the floor to give a rendition of the song Objection. The ever obliging Pat Ibrahim stepped on to the dance floor and did a dance with Nita while she was singing.

In future episodes, it would be a great idea if we could get the judges like Judimar to do a salsa or Ramli to do a Malay contemporary or Indian classical dance while waiting for the sms votes to come in. I am sure the audience (including yours truly) would love to see them dance and certain that the ratings of 8TV (http://www.8tv.com.my/) would skyrocket!

The 2 competitors who did not make it to the Top 8 were Raymond and Jorida. While they did pretty well in their second dance, the Pop Rock, it was their not-so-good performance in the first dance, the Mambo which let them down.

The Top 8 of So You Think You Can Dance will be meeting their fans in Mahkota Parade, Melaka this Saturday, 12th July from 2 - 4 p.m. Be sure to catch them there and read the very interesting commentary of the next episode of SYTYCD on Dancesport Malaysia.


Best Regards,

Dance Aficionado

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

First Amateur Pole Dancing Competition In Malaysia









Clorets will be organizing the first Amateur Pole Dancing Competition in Malaysia. The preliminaries will be held from 1 July to 3 August 2008.

Pole dancing has recently caught on as an increasingly popular form of exercise and dance in which women (and sometimes men) use the pole as a prop for their workouts and dance routines. The latest fitness sensation to hit the streets of KL, pole dancing is a fun, physically demanding form of exercise that can make one feel fit and sexy at the same time. It is gaining recognition as an art form and is now performed in various places such as theatres, cabarets and clubs.

Clorets have placed a full page advertisement in The Sun yesterday and put up an easy step-by-step guide for those keen to participate. They are

Step 1- Find a pole (or a chair)

Step 2 - Wear comfortable clothes that expose your arms and legs

Step 3 - For maximum grip, do not apply body lotion.

Step 4 - Choose 1 of the 6 dance routines featured on http://www.cloretspower.com/.
The 6 dance routines are Hip Hop, Ballroom, Eastern/Belly, Exotic, Sporty & Duo.

Step 5 - Create a 40-second video of yourself performing that routine

Step 6 - Submit your video via
http://www.cloretspower.com/.

The competition is open to everyone (I believe that includes men) over the age of 18.

15 lucky semi-finalists will be selected and specially trained by a pole dancing instructor before competing in the Grand Finals which will be held at Ruums Bar & Club, Kuala Lumpur on September 5.

The prizes that will be up for grabs are:-

1st prize: RM5000 cash and a Celebrity Fitness 1-year gym membership worth RM3000

2nd prize: RM3000 cash and a Celebrity Fitness 9-month gym membership worth RM2500

3rd Prize: RM2000 cash and a Celebrity Fitness 6-month gym membership worth RM1500

You can catch local celebrities pole dancing at http://www.cloretspower.com/ and also obtain free pole dancing lessons by downloading your free voucher from the same website.
The sponsors of this competition are Clorets, Fitness First & Viva Vertical. To know more about pole dancing classes, contact Fitness First and Viva Vertical.

Best Regards,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Monday, July 7, 2008

Dance Like Champions

In my posting of 16th June 2008 entitled "How A Dance Competition Is Judged", I had talked about the factors that the judges would generally look for in a dance competition. The article was written in response to the comments made to my earlier posts by 3 of the competitors of SYTYCD, namely; Black, Sim and Hong. These 3 competitors had sought my advice on how they can improve their dancing skills and become better dancers. I hope my article had been of help to them.

When Black, Sim and Hong wrote to me, they were then in the Top 18 . Based on my observations on their performance in the earlier rounds, I had predicted that all 3 would make it to the Top 10. I was spot on as all 3 had indeed made it to the Top 10. Congratulations to the 3 of you for a splendid performance. So far you all have danced well except for a couple of minor slips here and there.

The competition is now heating up and is getting to be cut-throat. To be a winner, you will have to stand out from the rest of the crowd in your dance interpretation, showmanship, demeanour, etc. To be a winner, you must look and dance like a champion! In competitive ballroom dancing we talk of the 4 P's - Poise, Posture, Performance & Perfection.

The couple to watch will be Black and Sim. Black is good in Hip Hop whilst Sim's forte is in Contemporary. Both are strong dancers in their own genres. Since they will be partnering each other from now on (and hopefully till the finals), they must learn to dance together and complement each other's strengths. Both will make a great couple but will henceforth, need to put in many long hours of practice in order to achieve perfection. The way to perfection is practise, practise, practise. Like they say - "Practice makes perfect".

I believe that Black and Sim will make it to the Top 4. Well, I am even willing to predict that both or one of them will make it to the final Top 2. Both must however not become complacent and rest on their laurels. I'll be cheering them on in the coming episodes of So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2 on 8TV. To Black and Sim - step out on to the dance floor and dance like champions!
Good Luck & Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Friday, July 4, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia 2 - Top 12

The show at the Ruums Bar & Club, KL started on cue at 9.30 p.m. The 12 top finalists stepped on to the dance floor and were introduced by the lively host, Aishah Sinclair. Aishah next introduced the panel of judges to the audience. They were the usual threesome of Pat, Judimar and Ramli plus the guest judge, the lovely Manuela Oliviera, a dance choreographer from Australia.

Then it was time for the contestants to show off their stuff. The dances were mainly of the Contemporary and Hip Hop genres. The names of the couples and the dances they had to perform were:-

1) Ray & Cecilia - Contemporary Jazz

2) Black & Farah - Hip Hop

3) Hong & Sarah - Malaysian Contemporary

4) Raymond & Jojo - Hip Hop

5) Sly & Sim - Malaysian Contemporary

6) Belalang & Jorida - Viennese Waltz Contemporary Mix

Most of the contestants performed their dances pretty well. The exception had to be couple number 6 Belalang & Jorida who did a poor rendition of the Viennese Waltz. The judges commented that there was no waltz character in the dance and there was no chemistry between the partners.

My vote for the Best Male Dancer is Black whilst Sim gets my vote for the Best Female Dancer. In this episode they got to perform the dances that they are really good in - Black in Hip Hop and Sim in Contemporary. They were in their elements and gave their all. "Black, you stole the show" and "Sim, your performance is the best tonight" were some of the comments given by the judges to these 2 contestants.

After the contestants had performed their dances, it was time for the judges to pick the Bottom 6. They were Jorida, Belalang, Sarah, Hong, Cecilia and Ray. The lines were then opened for the audience to cast their votes by sms to determine which 2 contestants would be sent home.

While waiting for the votes to come in, host Aishah announced that the contestants would be paired off with different partners for the next round (except for the Bottom 2 in this round). The names of the new couples are:-

1) Sly & Jojo

2) Belalang & Sarah

3) Ray & Farah

4) Raymond & Jorida

5) Hong & Cecilia

6) Black & Sim

After the telephone lines had been closed and the votes tallied, Belalang and Sarah were told that they had been chosen as the Bottom 2. We are now down to the Top 10 from the earlier Top 20. Let's hope to see the contestants "sizzle" on the dance floor in the coming episodes.

Watch out for my new post titled "Dance Like Champions" which will appear on 7th July.

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado