Dancing Is Top Hobby

I recently came across a lifestyle article in msn.com titled "The top 10 hobbies that make people fancy you". The article reported: What do you find attractive in the opposite sex? Good looks? Charm? Wit? Have you ever watched David Beckham playing football and wondered why it was making you weak in the knees? Or seen a surfer on the beach and watched in admiration at his bravery?

Research by sports and hobby website www.clubbz.com might hold the answers they recently took of a poll of 1,392 Brits to find out which hobbies are the most attractive to the opposite sex. The study revealed that nearly half of men and just over two-thirds of women would be more likely to find someone desirable if they had a number of different hobbies, as it made them seem more exciting and interesting. See which ones made it into the top 10.

1. Dancing

2. Yoga

3. Swimming

4. Cooking

5. Pole Dancing

6. Football

7. Surfing

8. Photography

9. Rock climbing

10. Whitewater rafting

I am not surprised that (social) dancing and pole dancing made it to the numbers 1 and 5 spots respectively. This is what was written about these two hobbies. Dancing - It probably won't come as a surprise to you ladies that men rated dancing as the most attractive hobby for a woman to have. A whopping 89% of those questioned said they'd be more interested in ladies who knew their fancy footwork. Time to get your groove on, girls! Pole dancing - Pole dancing has become a popular activity in recent years and not just with women. Nearly half of all the men who took part in the study said they find the hobby appealing in the opposite sex.

Charity Belly Dance Concert

The Middle East Dance Academy and the Coronade Hotel, Kuala Lumpur in co-operation with the Pink Ribbon Deeds Foundation (PRIDE) recently hosted the first of its kind charity belly dance concert in aid of breast cancer awareness. The dinner on October 29 was attended by over 120 people including foundation chairman, Datin Azrene Abdullah and Datin Paduka Faridah Abdullah of the Noah Foundation.

The event saw 30 dancers take to the stage portraying the mythical Persian story of Scheherazade, a daughter of the prime minister, who saved a nation of daughters from being executed by their evil king whose heart was broken by his adulteress queen.The king would pick a new bride every week, only to have them executed the day after their wedding.

"We chose this story as we wanted to spread the message that even the most helpless situations can be overcome with strength and tenacity," said Middle East Dance Academy principal Nancy Bakshy. The biggest contribution of the night came from Datin Paduka Faridah and the Noah Foundation with RM10,000. The proceeds of the concert would go toward various PRIDE projects.

"We are very grateful to be the beneficiary of this initiative," said PRIDE general manager Richard Lim. "Belly dancing encourages women to feel good about themselves, regardless of their size or body type and that is also the message we try to spread to breast cancer survivors. That there is life after breast cancer and you should feel good about yourselves." (The Star)

Apps To Make You Dance

Dancing With The Stars has helped spur interest in ballroom dancing, but for many who would like to follow in the footsteps of the stars, lessons are often too expensive, too far away and socially awkward in the extreme. But if your partner is a mobile device, none of these obstacles apply. Mobile apps could be the best thing to hit ballroom dancing since the hurdler's stretch. The better ones like LDF Hot Salsa (up to US$3 for iOS), Pocket Salsa (US$3 for iOS or US$2 for Android) and Learn Argentine Tango (up to US$13 for iOS) - offer solid, inexpensive tutorials. And thanks to the mobile format, you can see them when no one's watching or brush up on your steps immediately before you try to impress a date in public.

After a few swings around my living room, I found the Hot Salsa series especially effective. There are three levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), with each anchored by a set of instructional videos featuring Christian Gutierrez and sometimes his partner, Liem Pham. The videos are adequate, if slightly less than professional quality. The audio is passable, the lighting is fair and the set is a living room, complete with fireplace. The video is framed from a point that was slightly too far at times for me to see Gutierrez's footwork clearly, although that problem was less bothersome when I tested the app on an iPad.

Aesthetics aside, the quality of the instruction was quite good. The 30 lessons featured in each app average roughly one minute each - just enough to cover one distinct movement. Gutierrez typically introduces a move by demonstrating and explaining it at full speed. He then offers a slower demonstration along with a more technically oriented discussion. The videos are bolstered by text explanations of each move, which I found helpful, if occasionally in dire need of proofreading. You can also add notes of your own to each lesson, which is a nice touch...... NYT

Dance National Association Officially Launched

The Dance National Association (DNA) was officially launched on 19th November 2011 at Wisma Peladang in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. A press release issued by DNA soon after the event, has this to say:

The dance industry today welcomes and celebrated the official launch of Dance National Association (DNA) this morning at Bangunan Peladang, Petaling Jaya. The event was marked by performances from varied genres of dances ranging from Standard Ballroom, Latin Dance, to Hip Hop, Line Dance and Belly dance. There were many lucky door prizes for members of DNA who attended the event. The event attracted approximately 400 people from all ages coming from all walks of life. There was also an interesting dance fashion show modelled by teenagers and children showcasing a variety of costumes for dancers and competitors.

Following the official launch, there was the inaugural DNA Ballroom Dance Championship which saw a participation of approximately 150 competitors for various Ballroom, Latin and Hip Hop competitive events. In her inaugural speech, DNA's president Ms Josephine Seow explained DNA's objective to promote dance and dancesport to the mainstream dance fraternity and also to the masses through championships, competitions, workshops, training programmes, social events and outreach programmes.

She added, "We appreciate the contribution of all dance teachers in Malaysia and it is our top priority to give top recognition to them and provide support programmes to ensure a thriving dance industry. In order to achieve these, DNA needs support in all manner and from all sectors of the corporate sectors and individuals." One of DNA's highlights is the 2012 Malaysian International Ballroom Championships to be held on 2nd March 2012 Kuala Lumpur where you can see a congregation of the world's top ranked competitors.