Dance, Be Merry And Have A Happy New Year 2009

Today, Christians all over the world will be celebrating Christmas. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Christians especially those visiting my blog "A Merry Christmas". I remembered those days many years ago when I was learning ballroom dancing. During the month of December, my dance teacher would add to the festive cheer by teaching the dances to the accompaniment of Christmas songs and carols. We would often waltz to "Silent Night", do the quickstep to "Jingle Bells" and dance the foxtrot to "White Christmas". It was kind of fun and enjoyable and I in fact always looked forward to the Yuletide season every year so that I could do ballroom dances to Christmas tunes.

Next week, denizens of the world will be ushering in the New Year 2009, the "Year Of The Ox." I guess many of us will be glad to bid farewell to 2008. What a year it was. It really was an annus horriblis (Latin for horrible year)! Let us all pray that the global financial crisis will soon be over and we will all be able to lead normal lives again. It is often said that life goes round in cycles with the good times interspersed with the bad. Someone once said that the good times, or a period of joie de vivre comes every 20 or 30 years. We had the "Roaring 30s", the "Swinging 60s" and the "Discoing 80s". Hopefully the good times or the halcyon days (together with a new fad or dance craze) will roll in again during the 2010s. It's long overdue.

Malaysians, like many of their counterparts around the world will be coming out in droves to welcome the New Year, recession or no recession. The mood may be somewhat subdued and many may tighten their belts, but it's party time nonetheless. In Kuala Lumpur, the places to join the festivities, watch the concerts and fireworks display would include the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), Bukit Bintang and KLCC. Over in George Town on the island of Penang, the action will be at the Esplanade and Gurney Drive. Down south in Johor Baru, the crowd will be converging at Danga Bay for a night of fun and merriment.

Many hotels, restaurants and nitespots will be having New Year parties. Merry makers will be making a beeline for Jalan P Ramlee in KL to chill out and party the nite away at the many clubs and restaurants there. Some dance schools and associations will also be organizing New Year bashes. The place to celebrate New Year in KL would undoubtedly be at the Royal Selangor Club. Their "New Year's Eve Ball" is an annual event which has been held for more than a century! At the stroke of midnite, the revellers at the club will link hands and sing "Auld Lang Syne" to welcome in the New Year while watching the fireworks display at Dataran Merdeka. Have a "Happy And Prosperous New Year 2009!"

Warmest Regards,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia