Dancing The Foxtrot - Mastering The Feather Step And Three Step

The foxtrot is often considered the most beautiful as well as the most difficult to learn of all the ballroom dances. The dance is characterized by long, gliding and controlled steps to give it a drifty and unhurried appearance. The foxtrot is not named after the so called trotting movements of a fox as is sometimes mistaken but is named for its inventor Harry Fox who premiered the dance in New York, USA in 1914. Not surprisingly, this dance is called the fox step (fox as in vulpine) in China. When this dance was first introduced to China, the Chinese translated the word "fox" literally, and the name has stuck since.

The time signature for the foxtrot is 4/4 meaning there are 4 beats in a bar of music. The first & third beats are accented and the tempo is normally set at about 30 bars a minute. The dance figures consists of various combinations of "Slows" and "Quicks". Each "Slow" has 2 beats of music while the "Quicks" have 1 beat each. Beginners learning to dance the foxtrot are well advised to master 2 basic figures; namely the Feather Step and the Three Step. Once you have learned to dance these 2 figures well and coupled with good technique you will really enjoy dancing the foxtrot and find it not so difficult a dance to learn after all.

The Feather Step is a four-step figure with a SQQS timing. For the man the first step is taken with his RF forward. On the second step he places LF forward preparing to step outside partner, left side leading. On the third step he places his RF forward in CBMP outside partner. The fourth step is taken with his LF forward. The stepping outside partner on the third step has to be done correctly and "shaping" is important here otherwise an ugly hip movement will result. For the lady who is moving backwards, it is important to release the toe of the front foot from the floor as it commences to move back towards the supporting foot.

The Three Step as the name suggests is a three-step figure with a QQS timing. For the man the steps are - 1. RF forward, HT; 2. LF forward, TH; 3. RF forward, H. The figure should be danced with a slight right side lead on steps 1 and 2. For the lady the steps are - 1. LF back, TH; 2. RF back, TH; 3. LF back, T. A slight left side lead is used on steps 1 and 2. It is important to release the toe of the front foot from the floor as it commences to move back towards the supporting feet. If the foot moves back with the toe of the front foot in contact with the floor, the movement will be seriously restricted and not be smooth. Happy Dancing!

Related Post

> A Discourse On The Foxtrot By Aleksandr And Irina

8th Sabah Open Dancesport Championship 2008

Imperial Ballroom Dancing School of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah will be organizing the 8th Sabah Open Dancesport Championship 2008. Details are as follows:-

Date: December 6 2008, Saturday

Venue: 1 Borneo Hypermall Ballroom, Kota Kinabalu

Events: Ballroom Standard - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz;
Ballroom Latin - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble

Participation: Open to competitors from the Asia Pacific countries only

For information and enquiries please contact Anthony Keung, the principal of Imperial Ballroom Dancing School at telephone numbers 6088-253090, 6019-8213322, fax 6088-238785 or email: ymmc7388@tm.net.my

Sabah is one of the 13 states and 3 federal territories which make up Malaysia. Known as the "Land Below The Wind", Sabah lies on the northern part of the island of Borneo. Sabah has lush tropical rainforests, beautiful islands & beaches and an idyllic lifestyle. The capital of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu which is the gateway to eco-tourism adventures like mountain climbing, caving, river cruising, white-water rafting and diving. Mount Kinabalu at 4095 meters is reputedly the highest mountain in South East Asia. Its main attraction is the Kinabalu Park with its rich diversity of flora, fauna and an amazing array of birds.

Other famous tourist attractions in Sabah include Sipadan Island which lies off the town of Semporna in the East. Sipadan which is famous for its teeming marine life has been named as one of the 5 most beautiful diving spots in the world by renowned oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. In the town of Sandakan to the North is the well known Agnes Keith House. This former British colonial government quarters was once occupied by famous American author Agnes Newton Keith who wrote Land Below The Wind (1939), Three Came Home (1946) and White Man Returns (1951). Nearby Sandakan is the Sepilok orang utan sanctuary where orang utans are raised before they are released back into the wild. Tourists can also take a river cruise along the Kinabatangan River to witness the proboscis monkeys and other wildlife.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

South Korean And Japanese Scientists Develop Dancing Robots

Scientists at South Korea's Institute of Science and Technology have recently developed a robot which can do household chores and also dance. Named "Mahru", the robot can display emotions by moving its lips, eyebrows and even pupils freely to make faces and emit two scents of fragrances to match its emotions. It can also move its upper body parts freely while walking on its legs. "Mahru" which can dance while moving its legs was developed as a humanoid robot capable of working in place of a human. It will open the way for commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework.

Over in Japan, scientists at Tokhuro University had in 2005 developed a Partner Ballroom Dancing Robot (PBDR) which was able to predict the steps of a human dance partner based on body movements and react accordingly on its three wheels. The robot had sensors to anticipate the moves of its dance partner and a complex wheel system that enabled it to move freely in any direction. The 1.65 meter tall robot (or "fembot") had a female face and a female body. It wore a ballroom gown and came in bright pink plastic. Although it could match the movements of a human partner's upper body it could not perform dance steps.

Japanese scientists had in 2007 also taught a human-sized robot named "Promet" to imitate the steps of a dancer. It was hoped that the robot could be used to record the movements of traditional dances that may be lost as their performers die off. To demonstrate what the robot could do, the scientists programmed the 1.5 meter tall "dancebot" to mimic the graceful sways and whirls of the Aizu Bandaisan, a Japanese folk dance. Although its interpretation of the upper body movements of the Aizu Bandaisan was impressive, the robot had difficulty with complicated leg movements.

It would not be in the realm of science fiction anymore that sometime in the not too distant future, scientists will be able to develop human looking robots or androids as dance partners and which can do your housekeeping as well. You may even be able to order a dancing robot to match your height, size, temperament, etc. Imagine bringing your own dancing robot to your dance school or social events. You can programme your dance routines into the robot and dance like champions. The best part of it is you can chide the robot and it will never talk back. That would be a blast!

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Dancing The Viennese Waltz And The Fleckerls

The Viennese waltz is one of the five ballroom dances; the others being the waltz, quickstep, tango and foxtrot. It is often considered a regal dance and has been popular in Europe for a very long time. For the the competitive ballroom dance events at the Blackpool Dance Festival in England and many major European dance competitions, the Viennese waltz has unfortunately been excluded. In the International version of the Viennese waltz, only seven dance figures are used. They are the Natural Turn, Reverse Turn, Forward Change, Backward Change, Natural Fleckerl, Reverse Fleckerl and the Check from Reverse to Natural Fleckerl. In the American version, variations like open hold, shadow positions, and under arm turns are permissible.

The time signature for the Viennese waltz is 3/4, meaning there are three beats in a bar of music. The first beat is accented. The music is usually played at about 58-60 bars per minute. Due to the fast tempo of the music the rise and fall is not as pronounced as in the slow waltz. The basis of the dance is a series of Natural Turns followed by a Change Step, then a series of Reverse Turns followed by a Change Step. Some dancers like to time the changes so that they take place at the end of an eight bar phrase of the music to give the dance a better rhythmic interpretation. Others may like to dance the Reverse Turns at the long sides of the dance floor and the Natural Turns at the short sides as it is generally more difficult to do Reverse Turns at the short sides.

One of the most beautiful ballroom dance figures is the Fleckerl. The Fleckerls are Viennese waltz figures where the dancers rotate around each other on the same spot. The Fleckerls which are very difficult to master are usually danced in the centre of the dance floor so as not to impede the progression of the other dancers. Due to the strong rotation, there must be a foot swivel on the flat foot on each step. The sequence is preceeded by dancing a reverse turn to the centre of the dance floor, followed by the Reverse Fleckerl, Check to Natural Fleckerl, Natural Fleckerl and finally dancing a Natural Turn and moving to the outside of the dance floor again to rejoin the other dancers.

One dance couple who were well known for their Viennese waltz was the English pair of Harry Smith-Hampshire and his wife Doreen Casey (pic). Smith-Hampshire and Casey won the World Professional Ballroom Championships from 1955 to 1961 and they were also the Blackpool Professional Standard Champions from 1959 to 1961. Their speciality in this dance was a vertigo-inducing finale of 64 bars of continuous Fleckerls at speeds of up to 84 rotations per minute! Casey died on September 16 2002 and Smith-Hampshire passed away after a heart operation, on November 9 2004. The Times Online saw it fit to pay a glowing tribute to this pair of Viennese waltz maestros in an obituary on November 29 2004.

Related Post

> Johann Sebastian Bach And The Viennese Waltz

Come Explore The Joy Of Dancing At YS Dancesport Centre

YS Dancesport Centre was established in 1989 and was one of the earliest dance schools in Kuala Lumpur. It was founded by Y S Lee who started off with his dance studio in the Cangkat Thambi Dollah area in Pudu. YS Dancesport Centre later moved to the nearby Pudu Plaza in Jalan Landak. From Pudu it shifted to Taman Miharja, Cheras for a short spell before finally relocating to its present studio at:-

Level 3, Block A-1-5

Menara Uncang Emas (UE3)

85 Jalan Loke Yew

55200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel/Fax: 603-92814668

YS Dancesport Centre specializes in teaching Latin American (cha cha cha, rumba, jive, samba & paso doble) and ballroom (waltz, quickstep, tango, foxtrot & Viennese waltz) dances. It is also well known for its competitors training classes and children training classes. Y S Lee is assisted by his lovely wife Amy Lee, a former South East Asia Professional Latin American Dance Champion and a team of dance instructors. Y S and Amy have trained and produced many dance champions and also assisted in organizing many dance competitions and events in Malaysia.

The studio is open every day (except public holidays). On Sundays the studio really becomes a hive of activity with classes starting from 10.00 am and ending way past 5.00 pm. YS Dancesport Centre has also recently opened a branch studio at no. 1978 (1st Floor),Taman Bukit Blossom, Jalan Tok Ungku, 70100 Seremban in Negri Sembilan. Come and explore the joy of dancing at YS Dancesport Centre. No prior dance experience is necessary and you need not come with a partner. YS Dancesport Centre also organizes dance performances for weddings, company dinners and other social functions. For more information and enquiries please contact Amy Lee at 012-3018668 or email: amy8668@hotmail.com.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Strictly Come Dancing China Season 1 Premiers On Astro

Strictly Come Dancing is a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television show which was aired in the United Kingdom in 2004. The show features celebrities partnering professional dancers and competing in ballroom, Latin American and other styles of dancing. During each show the couples will perform a dance before a live audience. The contestants will be judged by a panel of judges as well as from the television audience through their telephone votes. At the end of each show the bottom 2 pairs will face each other in a "dance off" and one pair will be eliminated. Finally at the last show of the season the judges and the television audience would then choose the champions.

The show was a roaring success in the United Kingdom. The popularity of the show could be due to the fact that the audience got to see some really great professional dancers perform and also that a certain percentage of the charges received from the telephone votes were donated to charity. For the Season 4 show which ran from October 7 to December 23 2006, more than 12 million telephone votes were received, raising a total of 1.5 million pounds for Children In Need. The show attracted more than 13 million TV viewers and the competition was won by Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy. The dancing greats who have taken part in previous shows included Paul Killick, Matthew Cutler, Hazel Newberry and Hanna Karttunen.

The show Strictly Come Dancing has been syndicated to television stations in many countries around the world. In the USA, Dancing With The Stars which is based on the format of the BBC series is a top rated show. In 2007, China Hunan TV entered into a joint collaboration with Television Broadcast Ltd (TVB) of Hong Kong to produce Strictly Come Dancing. The show for the China edition first season was well received in China and Hong Kong and is now into its second season. One of the two comperes for the first season was well known Hong Kong actress Carol Cheng. The first season of Strictly Come Dancing China is showing on Malaysia Astro WaTV channel 315 every Saturday at 9.00 pm.

Ten popular celebrities each from China and Hong Kong took part in the first season of the show.The celebrities from Hong Kong were Joe Ma, Carlo Ng, Stephen Huynh, Michael Tse, Benjamin Yuen, Sonija Kwok, Sharon Chan, Mandy Cho, Shirley Yeung and Janet Chow. In the first show which was aired over Astro on October 11, the 10 guys from China and Hong Kong got to perform with their dance instructors. Amongst the dances performed were the samba, rumba, paso doble, hip hop and Argentine tango. Their performances were insipid and most of them were unable to portray the character of the dance in their routines. Let us hope the ladies can rise to the ocassion and do better.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado

Dancesport Malaysia

Glenn Miller Orchestra To Perform Live In Genting Highlands Arena Of Stars

The Glenn Miller Orchestra from the USA will be performing live at the Genting Highlands Arena of Stars on October 31 (Friday) 2008. Based in Beverly Hills, California, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is in the very heart of the movie and television industry and has provided musical entertainment for easy listening and dancing at many social functions, parties, anniversaries and major fund raising events for charities. The Orchestra consists of 17 musicians and 2 vocalists and have participated in hundreds of studio recordings. The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been touring consistently around the world playing an average of 300 live dates a year.

Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa, USA on March 1 1904. As a young lad, Miller showed a keen interest in music and learned to play the trombone. Miller entered the University of Colorado in 1923 but dropped out later to concentrate on his career as a professional musician. He toured with many bands and played in Los Angeles before ending up in New York. In 1937 Miller formed his own band called the Glenn Miller Orchestra but found little success initially. It was only a year later in 1938 that the revamped band took America by storm, breaking attendance records in the East Coast. Those were the heydays of the "swing era" when the popularity of swing dancing was at its peak.

During World War 2, Miller asked to be inducted into the army in 1942. After his training he was transferred to the Army Air Corps where he helped set up the Glenn Miller Air Force Band. In 1943 the band was sent to England to entertain the Allied troops there. On December 15 1944, Miller boarded a plane in England bound for Paris to entertain the Allied troops which had liberated France. Miller was never seen again. The plane he was in was believed to have crashed into the English Channel. The remains of Miller and the wreckage of the plane were never found.

Tickets for the show are priced at RM150 (numbered seating) and RM120 (free seating). The show starts at 8.00 pm and ends at 9.30 pm with an intermission halfway. Be entertained with Miller's classic hits like Moonlight Serenade, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Stardust, Rhapsody In Blue, American Patrol and of course his masterpiece In The Mood. There will be general dancing for the audience after the performance. For reservations and enquiries please contact Kelvin Lau at 603-23336692 kelvin.lau@genting.com, Jennifer Lee at 603-23336698 jennifer.lee@genting.com or log on to http://www.genting.com.my/.

Related Posts

> Swing, American Smooth & American Rhythm Dances

> Jive & American Swing Dances - The Similarities And Differences

The Imperial Society Of Teachers Of Dancing (ISTD) Medal Tests

This month, Ballroom and Latin American dance students in Malaysia who are preparing for their Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) medal tests will be examined by an examiner from the United Kingdom. The ISTD which was established in the United Kingdom in 1904 is the leading dance examination board in the world. Every year about 250,000 people around the world are examined for which the ISTD provides grade examinations and medal tests to assess their proficiency. The medal tests start from Bronze, Silver, Gold to Gold Star 1, 2, 3, and above. The dances that the students generally have to perform for the various levels are:-

Ballroom

Bronze - Waltz, Quickstep, Rhythm

Silver - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Rhythm

Gold - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot

Gold Star & above - Waltz, Quickstep, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz

Latin American

Bronze - Cha Cha Cha , Rumba

Silver - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive

Gold - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba

Gold Star & above - Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble

There is a certain dress code for those taking the medal tests. The men are expected to wear long sleeve shirts (preferably white) with ties whilst the ladies have to be appropriately attired. Some couples taking the ballroom dance medal tests really dress themselves to the nines and come in tail coats and ballroom gowns.The passing mark (out of a maximum of 100) for each dance is 65. Those who gain 75 to 84 marks will be credited with a commendation while those who score 85 marks and above will be credited with an honours. A certificate and a plaque will be awarded to those who pass the medal tests.

The medal tests are an excellent avenue for dance students to see how they fare as the examiner will be able to gauge their strengths and weaknesses impartially. Students should take note of the invaluable comments of the examiner with a view to improving their dancing skills. Besides the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), the other institutions from the UK which conduct medal tests in Malaysia are the National Association of Teachers of Dancing (NATD), and the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA). To those taking their medal tests - Good Luck!

Best Wishes,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

15th Penang Open International Ballroom Dancing Championship 2008

Malaysian Dancers' Association (MDA) together with PenEvent will be organizing the 15th Penang Open International Ballroom Dancing Championship 2008. Further information are as follows:-

Date: November 22 2008, Saturday

Venue: Penang International Sports Arena (PISA), Penang

Events: Ballroom Standard & Latin - Open Professional, Asia Professional Closed, Open Amateur, Asia Amateur Closed, Pre- Amateur, Novice, Senior Over 50, Senior Over 40, Ladies Event, Junior Under 16, Juvenile Under 12, Beginners (1 Dance), Open Pro- Amateur, Medley Under 16, Medley Under 12; Salsa, Belly Dancing

The closing date for entries is October 20 2008

Tickets (inclusive of dinner) are priced from RM350 to RM120 each

For more information please contact Malaysian Dancers' Association (MDA) at telephone numbers 6012-4713266, 604-2615497; fax number 604-2615497, 604-2263807 or email mdamy@streamyx.com. Alternatively, you can check out their website at http://www.mda.com.my/.

The Penang Open International Ballroom Dancing Championship is into its 15 year of competition and attracts top dancers from all over the world. Roberto Villa of Italy who has regularly been a grand finalist in the Blackpool Professional Ballroom Dancing Championship competed in the Penang Open in 1996. This is one event not to be missed.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado

Dancesport Malaysia

Johann Sebastian Strauss And The Viennese Waltz

The Vienna Operetta Orchestra will be staging a performance on November 1 2008 at 8.30 pm at the Auditorium Majlis Bandaraya in Shah Alam, Selangor. Under the baton of conductor Siegfried Andraschek, together with featured vocalists Michael Suttner (tenor) and Izabela Labuda (soprano), the orchestra will perform favourites composed by the great composers like Johann Sebastian Strauss and Franz Lehar. The orchestra will be joined on stage by local singer and actress Amy Mastura. Together they will be entertaining the audience to an evening of authentic Viennese song and dance.

Franz Lehar (born 1870) was an Austrian of Hungarian descent. He is best known as a composer of operettas; the most famous of which is "The Merry Widow". Besides operettas he also wrote sonatas, marches and waltzes including the popular "Gold And Silver". Lehar died in 1948 in Bad Ischl near Salzburg where he is also buried. Johann Sebastian Strauss (1825-1899) was an Austrian composer well known for his waltzes. Besides the waltz, Strauss also wrote polkas, marches and operettas. Die Fledermaus which was composed by Strauss in 1874 remains the quintessential Viennese operetta.

It is of course the waltzes for which Strauss is most famous for. Known as the "Waltz King", Strauss composed more than 60 waltzes, amongst them the Blue Danube Waltz, Tales From The Vienna Woods Waltz, Emperor Waltz, Voices Of Spring Waltz, Wine, Woman And Song Waltz and Artist's Life Waltz. It must be remembered that the great waltzes were published in concert, not dance arrangements and the original compositions are generally not suited for dancing the International Viennese Waltz due to the tempo changes, pauses and long playing time. The Blue Danube, Tales From The Vienna Woods and Emperor have a playing time of more than 10 minutes each!

The versions of the great waltzes that people dance to nowadays have been rearranged by other musicians, abridged to about 3 minutes playing time and set to strict Viennese waltz tempo. Several modern songs have of course been composed with strict Viennese waltz tempo. My favourite is "A Summer Place", whether it is the instrumental version by the Percy Faith Orchestra or the one sung by Andy Williams. There is something very special about this song that can evoke strong emotions for me. Whenever I hear this song being played in a dance hall I just have to step out on to the floor with my partner and dance the Viennese waltz. It's just pure bliss! Happy Dancing!

Related Post

> Dancing The Viennese Waltz And The Fleckerls

Walks In The Tango

The Tango is a passionate and romantic dance characterized by the use of staccato movements. The hold is similar to the hold in the other ballroom dances but is more compact. There is no rise & fall and sway in Tango. The feet are slightly lifted and placed on each step rather than gliding to position as in the other ballroom dances. The feet are moved with a sharp or staccato action and the back foot on a forward walk is delayed for as long as the music will allow. The Tango in its very basic form is perhaps one of the easiest dances to learn because it is based on walking. Among the popular Tango walk figures are the following:-

Walks - The beginner will usually start off by learning how to do the basic walks. Remember to be very positive and place the whole weight on the standing leg before proceeding with the next step. One popular sequence would be to dance two walks followed by a progressive link or sometimes known simply as two walks and a link. When doing the progressive link the lady must turn her head sharply to her right when taking the second step. This gives the dance its very character or flavour. End with a closed promenade and delay the closing of the feet as long as the music will allow.

Stalking Walks - Stalking walks are a delight to dance and to behold. Standing on one leg, the dancer places the other foot in front and slightly across and points the toes at the floor. Like an animal stalking its prey, the dancer takes alternate stalking steps and dances a few of these walks before continuing with a fast-paced figure. Sometimes when dancing this figure I imagine I am a lion stalking its prey and ending with the chase. Must have been watching too much of "National Geographic!"

Skating Walks - This is one of my favorite Tango dance figures. In this figure, the dancers skim their feet on the dance floor in a semi-circular motion as if to mimic the skating actions of an ice skater. The Italian pair of William Pino and Alessandra Bucciarelli (http://www.william-alessandra.it/) were maestros at performing skating walks. When dancing this figure they give the illusion that they are skating rather than dancing on the dance floor. Ces't Magnifique!

They say that the simplest of things can sometimes be the most difficult to master. Ditto for the Tango walks. When I first learned to dance the Tango I remembered how flustered I was when my dance teacher used to instruct me to spend 30 minutes during each lesson just doing the Tango walks. Little did I realize that those basic steps were the most important steps that I had ever learnt. Once you have mastered the fundamentals and the techniques of any dance that you learn, you will learn to really enjoy the dance.

Related Post

> How Can I Dance Better?

Shakeup In The Professional Ballroom Dancing Scene

There has been quite a number of partnerships breaking up in the professional ballroom dancing scene during the past couple of years. The latest to split are the English pairs of Christopher Hawkins & Justyna Hawkins and Timothy Howson & Joanne Bolton (partners for 18 years). Christopher Hawkins and Joanne Bolton are now partnering each other. As for Timothy Howson and Justyna Hawkins there is no news of their plans yet.

The American pair of Jonathan Wilkins and Katusha Demidova went their separate ways last year. Wilkins is now partnering Hazel Newberry and both are dancing for England. Hazel Newberry was Christopher Hawkin's previous partner and they were the World Professional Standard Dance Champions from 2002 to 2004. They were a fantastic couple and famous for their quickstep. As for Demidova, she is is presently dancing with Arunas Bizokas for the USA.

The partnership of the Latin American dance pair of Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnoff of the USA ended about a couple of years ago. Before the retirement of 9 times World Professional Latin American Dance Champions Bryan Watson and Carmen Vincelj of Germany from competitive dancing in 2007, Kryklyvyy and Smirnoff were tipped to be the next champions, but sadly this was not to be. After leaving Smirnoff, Kryklyvyy went on to partner Elena Khvorova before ending up with Hanna Karttunen of Finland. Smirnoff was last heard to be dancing with Dmitri Timokhin of Russia.

We'll have to wait to really see how well the new couples will perform on the dance floor and we wish them all the best. We can also expect more promising dance couples to split up in future. This has happened quite regularly in the past and is going to happen again in future. Maybe as they say, the only constant is change. C'est La Vie!

Best Regards,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

ACTS School Of Performing Arts Charity Dance Workshop 2008

ACTS School Of Performing Arts of 73 Jalan Setia Bakti, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur which teaches ballet, jazz, contemporary, salsa and line dancing will be organizing a charity dance workshop from November 21 - 23. The event will kick off with a gala dinner at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) at Jalan Strachan, Sentul Park, Sentul. Raja Datuk Seri Eleena Azlan Shah, the president of the Malaysian Children's Aid Society (MACAS) will be the guest of honour at the dinner. Proceeds from the workshop will be donated to MACAS.

A professional dance troupe called Ad Deum comprising seven dancers from Houston, Texas USA will be teaching dance techniques of various popular genres such as contemporary, jazz and ballet. Angeline Yew, the principal of ACTS said that the workshop would showcase some of her dancers alongside the American dancers. She further said that the workshop is for those who are passionate about dancing and it does not matter if they do not have a background in dancing.

Ad Deum with its base in Houston, Texas, USA was founded in 2000 and is a professional contemporary/modern based dance company. The company consists of dance artists who have found a new home in Houston from all across the United States and other countries of the world. The pursuit of artistic excellence is what attracts dancers to this dance company. Ad Deum have toured North America, Europe, Asia and Australia and have received rave reviews of their performances worldwide.

As an incentive, ACTS is giving freebies for its students who register for the workshop in the form of free classes for two weeks and free tickets to watch the Ad Deum dancers. For more information please contact Angeline (012-6579924) Jo (016-3117335) or Ms Liew (016-2024250).

Warmest Regards,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia