Dance To Good Health

Want to cut down on stress? Need to lose weight? Could use a little cheer and a firm touch as you enter the last decades of your life? Try ballroom dancing. "It's a great cardiopulmonary activity," dance teacher June Rawls says with the zeal of a missionary, "and it's also a good way to socialise. The physical is very important, but so is the mental, and when you come here for an hour, you leave the world behind."

Bijoux Dance Centre is a 186 sq m mirror-lined dance hall in Miami, USA, tucked among commercial warehouses that have more to do with heavy equipment than intricate dance moves. Yet every Tuesday at 8 pm, about 20 middle-age and older Miamians gather there to waltz, fox trot and rumba. Or at least they try to. Rawls, 65 has been offering a ballroom dance class for the 55-and-older set since the beginning of the year. When she retired as a teacher, she decided her next career would be promoting her hobby and passion. As a lifetime ballroom dancer herself, she's a firm believer in the gospel of movement, particularly for her generation of baby boomers.

Speak to Rawls for any length of time and she will gladly enumerate the benefits. She'll even cite a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 that found dancing (as well as playing board games and musical instruments) might reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Ballroom dancing has become fashionable again in part thanks to the popularity of ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Dance studios from the Arthur Murray mainstays to a University of Miami club, report a hike in interest....... (McClatchy-Tribune Information Services)

D'Angelo & Amanda Wins Live To Dance

For the past two Thursday evenings, I stayed home to watch the finale of Live To Dance 2011, an American dance reality show on 8TV. Six finalists performed in the finale and the winner was chosen by telephone votes plus the decision of the judges. The angelic-looking couple of D'Angelo Castro, 10, and Amanda Carbajales, 11, was adjudged champions. D'Angelo and Amanda who danced an Argentine Tango in the first round and a Conga in the second round were in their element, and their performance was mesmerizing.

The pair walked home with the cash prize of $500,000. That's a lot of money for two kids who are still in elementary school. D'Angelo told the audience he wanted to go to Disneyland for a holiday. On a more serious note, D'Angelo said that he and Amanda practiced dancing 4 or 5 hours a day, six days a week! Amanda exclaimed that she intends to use the prize money to open a dance studio when she grows up. With their drive and passion, these adorable kids look set to become future world ballroom dance champions.

I do not know about the ratings of Live To Dance on 8TV but I know that another American TV show, American Idol is very popular here in Malaysia. Past winners of the show like Kris Allen (Season 8) and Lee Dewyze (Season 9) have even come to this country to give showcase concerts. It would be great if 8TV can bring in D'Angelo and Amanda to perform in Malaysia, either as guest artistes at a dance competition or maybe at a shopping mall. Hopefully, this will encourage more of our kids to take up ballroom dancing.

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.

No Age Barriers In Dancing

At 71, many ballroom dancers might have hung up their dancing shoes. But Tham Cham Soo, known as the 'one-leg dancer' among his friends after two stokes in 2005 left him walking with a limp in one leg, still travels with his dance partner Frances Teoh to learn new skills and take part in dance championships in the country and the region. After the stroke, he uses his left leg more in his dance moves. Tham said he and Teoh, who have been dance partners for 20 years, travel to Australia and China several times a year to hone their skills.

"We want to keep learning new things and we also needed a third eye to check our skills and posture," Tham said at the Nam Hooi Association in Chulia Steet, Penang recently. Tham, believed to be the oldest participant in the 18th Penang International Ballroom Dancing Championship on November 26, is gunning to win the Standard Senior title for the 11th time. He has been winning it with Teoh for the last 10 years. The semi-retired chartered architect and Teoh, who is in her 50s are the holders of a Guiness World Record and are in the Malaysia Book of Records for winning 184 times in ballroom dance championships in the Asia Pacific region.

Tham said he suffered two strokes within a couple of weeks in 2005. "One doctor told me to stop dancing and another advised me to continue. I listened to the later. I remember leaving the hospital and performing straight away at a Chinese opera show," said Tham who is also an opera singer. Having picked up ballroom dancing at age 23 when he was studying in Australia, Tham now dances for exercise. Tham and Teoh are the organizing committee members of the Championship. Some 500 couples are participating. (The Star)

Floor Work Exercises

If you have taken up dancing, having never done it before, you will find yourself using muscles you are unaccustomed to. These will ache at first, however after time and exercise, you wil grow used to using them and build them up over time. Here are four exercises designed to strengthen these muscles.

1. Weight training - Dancers are incredibly strong and they need to be able to perform all the moves they do. Ballerinas for example, need strong arms and legs in order to be able to hold positions and poses for long periods of time. In order to build up your limb strength, it is an idea to do some basic weight training. Now we are not talking about massive dumb-bells here, but light weights that will gradually tone your legs, arms and back.

2. Yoga/Pilates - Your muscular core is used extensively in dance, and as such many dancers do pilates and or yoga to strengthen these muscles. By doing so, dancers are able to hold their bodies in positions longer as well as minimising risk of injury. Yoga and pilates also allow you to build up muscles you might not otherwise use.

3. Go swimming - Dancing not only works your muscles but also your cardio-vascular system. It is therefore important to make sure you regularly work your heart. Jogging or running are good options, but swimming is probably the best as it not only exercises every muscle, but is an excellent way to keep fit.

4. Stretching - Once you have worked all these muscles, the only way to improve your flexibility is to stretch these muscles. You can do this in every day life by taking longer strides, holding your stomach in and reaching out your arms as far as they go. By doing a series of stretching exercises before and after dance, you will reduce the chance of injury. (Article republished with kind permission of www.worldbellydancer.org)

Ballrooms And Boardrooms

Whenever I am free, I like to view websites that are related to dance. There are quite a few of such good websites out there in the internet. One of my favourites is nytimes.com where you can find news and reviews on dance happenings in the USA and all over the world. One article which I found very interesting and which was published on 6 August 2011 is titled "Ballrooms and Boardrooms" by Catherine Burzik, chief executive of Kinetic Concepts Inc, a wound care company in San Antonio. Catherine and her husband Frank, are both into competitive ballroom dancing. Below is an excerpt of the article.

"I've been married to Frank Burzik, my high school sweetheart, for 40 years. We met while roller-skating when I was about 13. We have always liked to dance socially; we used to go to the Rainbow Room in Manhattan. We now go ballroom dancing together. In fact, we just built a house with a ballroom in it. Ballroom dancing can teach you a lot about life and business. You can dance well only if you are connected, myself as the follower and my partner as leader. I have to intuit in fractions of seconds how to respond to a lead. So you learn to read a person's mind.

I talk to my people at work about ballroom dance, about how to be connected, and to be aware of musicality. In a business sense, this means learning a three-dimensional presentation of yourself that allows you to understand how to harmonize with others in the organization, as well as with customers and patients. It gives you the insight and intuition to anticipate and take initiative quickly, and then to follow through in an informed way. Once or twice a year, I invite my leadership committee members and their spouses over to my house and we dance. And they've turned out to like it. A few are even taking ballroom dance lessons now. I like to think it's my influence."

Bill Clinton Loves To Tango

Think Chaz Bono is a polarising Dancing With The Stars contestant? It could have been a lot worse. Former US president Bill Clinton appeared on the Rachel Ray Show on September 20 and admitted he had been asked to compete on the hit dancing competition - but the grueling training regimen would have been too much for him.

Asked if he'd ever consider appearing on the show, Clinton said, "This is interesting. Actually, they contacted me once about this. And I told them I didn't have the time to train for it. You know, you actually have to go out there and train - you really work at it - so I had to pass. But I think it's a hoot."

But if he did have the time to put himself through the paces, Clinton is certain which dance he'd most like to take on. "I would like to master the tango," Clinton offered. "Just last night, Hillary said to me. You know, when I'm not Secretary of State anymore, we should take dance lessons." (Reuters)

There is something about tango which men find fascinating. Maybe it's the passionate character of the dance, the close hold or the music. Many think the tango is a difficult dance to master and shy away from learning it. Actually, of all the ballroom dances, the tango is the easiest to learn. So, for those who have always wanted to learn how to tango but were afraid to try - go for it!

Whither Dancesport In The Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a press release on 2 September 2011 announced that six cities have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees to apply to host the XXXII Olympiad in 2020. The cities in alphabetical order are: Baku (Azerbaijan), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Turkey), Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy) and Tokyo (Japan). The Host City of the 2020 Olympic Games will be chosen at the 125th IOC session to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 7 September 2013.

In early July 2011, the IOC had also agreed on a shortlist of sports that will be considered for inclusion in the sports programme of the 2020 Olympiad. The sports are: baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu; one of which could be added to the 2020 sports programme to be voted on by the 125th IOC session. It would be great if squash is included in the Olympic Games, as Malaysia is strong in this sport and our chances of winning medals in this event is good.

Hopes for dancesport to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Games have once again been dashed. In spite of the popularity of dancesport in nations like China, Japan, USA, Russia and the European Union; not much headway has been made. When will dancesport ever make it's way to the Olympics, if ever? The world dancing fraternity must put aside all politicking and work hard for dancesport to be made an Olympic event. Dancesport is now a medals event in the Asian Games and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

MyDance Festival 2011

MyDance Alliance in partnership with Asia Dance Magazine and University of Malaya is presenting the MyDance Festival 2011 which will be held from September 9 to 25. The fourth MyDance Festival brings the exuberance of energy and dance to Kuala Lumpur. During this three-week festival, you can watch spectacular dancing as well as join in the many interesting workshops.

You can experience the mystery of butoh, the magic of classical Indian dance, the physical spectacle of contemporary dance or the beauty of ballroom dance. Challenge yourself with masterclasses by local and international artistes. Or begin your journey into dance with introductory workshops for children and adults, including dance film and photography as well as an academic conference of renowned dance scholars; this festival has something for everyone!

MyDance Festival 2011 "All In One" creates an unforgettable celebration of dance, from traditional to cutting edge, young talents to reputable artistes, showcasing local Malaysians as well as dancers from the Asia Pacific region. Witness the depth, drama and diversity of dance in Malaysia, all in one! For more information check out mydancefestival.net.

Dirty Dancing Remake

Hot on the heels of Footloose, Dirty Dancing has become the next '80s dance movie to be remade for the big screen. Entertainment group, Lionsgate, confirmed on August 8 it was remaking the 1987 film classic. The original movie starred Jennifer Grey as "Baby" Houseman, a teenager who falls for her holiday camp dance instructor, Johnny Castle played by Patrick Swayze, and becomes his student in dance and love. The film won Oscars for Best Music and Best Original Song. Kenny Ortega who choreographed the original movie was set to direct and produce the remake.

Ortega said: "The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me. Growing up in the '60s on the dance floor helped defined me as a person and as an artiste. I am looking forward to assemblying a great creative team and an exciting cast to bring Dirty Dancing to the screen for a new generation. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look, there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can't wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple threat".

What is a triple threat? According to searches on the internet, a triple threat is a person who is adept in three different fields or in three different skills in the same field. In American football it refers to a player skilled in running, kicking and passing. In entertaintment, it relates to an artiste who can act, sing and dance well; for example Jennifer Lopez. In the movie Shall We Dance?, starring Jennifer Lopez as a dance teacher and Richard Gere as her student, she did dance the waltz and tango quite admirably. That cannot be said of Richard Gere who looked like he had two left feet.

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Second ISTD 2011 Malaysia Workshop

Yvonne Taylor-Hill, member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) Council and Chairman of the Disco/Freestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty will be in Malaysia in August 2011 to conduct a 'continuation' workshop for all dance teachers. This is the second ISTD workshop conducted since the beginning of 2011 and will be followed by another one in October. Details are as follows:-

Venue

GC Conference Suite @ GC Building Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, Shah Alam, Selangor

Dates

August 5 - Ballroom and Latin professional lectures
Fees: RM 100 for ISTD members, RM 150 for non-members

August 7 - Ballroom and Latin professional lectures
Fees: RM 100 for ISTD members, RM 150 for non-members

August 8 - Country and Western professional lectures (Covers full syllabus)
Fees: RM 300 for ISTD members, RM 400 for non-members

Time 9.30 am to 6.00 pm (one hour lunch break)

Private lessons at 50 Sterling Pounds per hour at your premises are available on August 6, 9 & 10.

For registration or more information, kindly contact Nelly Tsen at 6012-2848088 or Lim Sae Min at 6012-2030107.

MDSB Malaysia National Championships 2011

Malaysian Dancesport Berhad (MDSB) is organizing the MDSB Malaysia National Championships 2011 (MDSB Challenge Trophy). Further details of the competition is as follows:-

Date: 6th August 2011 (Saturday)

Venue: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Time: 12.00 noon to 11.30 pm

Events: Ballroom ~ Standard & Latin - Malaysia Amateur Close, Amateur Rising Star, Pre-Amateur, Novice I, Novice II, Senior Over 45, Junior Under 16, Juvenile Under 12, Ladies Events, Solo Open, Solo Under 12, Solo Under 8

Participation: Open to all Malaysians

Closing date for entries: 25th July 2011

A challenge trophy will be awarded to the champions of the Malaysia Amateur events (Standard and Latin sections). They are allowed to retain the challenge trophy till the next MDSB Championship. The challenge trophy will be given to the champions who have won 3 consecutive championships organized by MDSB. For more information, kindly email: malaysiandancesport@gmail.com or contact Janet Lim @ 012-3233839, Jovy Wong @ 012-3112203, Chong Kim Yee @ 012-2215727.

MDSB Beginners Ballroom Dance Competition 2011

Malaysia Dancesport Berhad (MDSB) is organizing the inaugural MDSB Beginners Ballroom Dance Competition 2011 in conjunction with its fourth MDSB Dinner & Dance. Further details of the competition is as follows:-

Venue: Royal Lake Club, Jalan Cenderamulia, Taman Tasek Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Date: 15th May 2011

Time: 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm

Events: Ballroom ~ Standard & Latin - Rainbow 8 and below, Juvenile 8 to 12, Junior 12 to 16, Adult 16 to 49, Senior 50 and above

Partnering: Couples can be Man with Lady or Lady with Lady

Participation: Open to all Malaysians

Closing date for entries: 1st May 2011

Entry fees: RM125 per person (inclusive of dinner)

MBSB reported in a communique: "The Beginners Ballroom Dance Competition is held with the main purpose of building a large core of competitors from the foundation level. We wish to focus on this level of dancers from all age groups as we feel that with a large number of competitors at this level, we would be able to nurture more dancers of high caliber in the future."

It further added: "We are also launching the 2011 MDSB Membership Drive campaign to encourage all teachers, parents and students of dancesport and all other disciplines to sign up as MDSB members. We sincerely wish and welcome members to contribute ideas and participate actively in our activities benefiting dance teachers, students, competitors and parents alike."

For more information on the Dinner & Dance and Competition, kindly log on to www.mdsb-my.blogspot.com or call Chong Kim Yee at 012-2215727, Josephine Siow at 012-2186463 or email malaysiandancesport@gmail.com.

ISTD 2011 Malaysia Workshops

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and the Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad (MBDTB) is jointly organizing two dance teacher workshops this weekend. The workshops will be conducted by Richard Hunt, Vice Chairman of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty & Imperial Dance and Dance Sport Faculties Board. Among the lectures to be covered will be popular Latin American and Ballroom dance variations.

The workshops, which are open to ALL professional dance teachers will be held at the Conference Suite at GC Building Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, 7 Jalan Perintis U1/52, Kawasan Perindustrian Temasya, Bandar Glenmarie, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. Richard Hunt will also be available for private lessons. Additionally; ISTD Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship training can be arranged.

Latin American Teachers Workshop

Date: 19 February 2011 (Saturday)

Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Fees: ISTD Qualified Teachers - RM100, Other Professional Teachers - RM150

Ballroom Teachers Workshop

Date: 20 February 2011 (Sunday)

Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Fees: ISTD Qualified Teachers - RM100, Other Professional Teachers - RM150

For registration or further information kindly contact Lim Sae Min at 012-2030107, Chong Kim Yee at 012-2215727 or Nelly Tsen at 012-2848088.

Joy To The World

Christmas is just round the corner and soon after that we will be ringing in the New Year 2011. Many of the malls here in Malaysia have already put up Christmas decorations and the festive feeling is in the air. At the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, several giant Christmas trees bedecked with baubles and tinsels are on display. Red, green and gold are the dominant colours as usual. The place comes alive and looks like a fairyland at night!

I quite look forward to the Christmas season for the joy it brings. Listening to Christmas carols being played in the malls and dance studios adds to the festive cheer and help lift one's spirits. Many yuletide songs evoke happy feelings and can put you in the mood for dancing. I could imagine me and my partner waltzing to Silent Nights, dancing the foxtrot to the strains of White Christmas or doing the cha cha cha to Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer at a Christmas eve party.

Speaking of Christmas eve parties; know your limits and do not go on a drinking binge. If you have one drink too many, I'll bet you'll be doing a lot of Tipples Chasses and Tipsys when dancing the quickstep! Many hotels and restaurants are having special Christmas eve dinner promotions and some of the menu that I have seen look really mouth watering. Go easy on the food and look after your waistline though. Have a "Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year 2011!"

China Dominate Dancesport At Asian Games 2010.

China brushed aside the competition to win all 10 gold medals in the dancesport event at the 16th Asian Games 2010 which was held in Guangzhou from November 12 to 27. Powerhouse China took all the 5 gold medals in the Standard and 5 gold medals in the Latin categories to emerge as the undisputed number one dancesport nation in Asia. The official medal tally is as follows:-

China - 10 golds

South Korea - 7 silvers, 3 bronzes

Japan - 3 silvers, 4 bronzes

Philippines - 2 bronzes

Kazakhstan - 1 bronze

Here are the detailed results of the individual events:-

1. China

Gold - Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango, Standard Five Dances, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble, Latin Five Dances

2. South Korea

Silver - Foxtrot, Tango, Standard Five Dances, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble

Bronze - Waltz, Quickstep, Latin Five Dances

3. Japan

Silver - Waltz, Quickstep, Latin Five Dances

Bronze - Foxtrot, Tango, Jive, Samba

4. Philippines

Bronze - Cha Cha Cha, Paso Doble

5. Kazakhstan

Bronze - Standard Five Dances

Malaysia did not take part in the dancesport events. The Philippines, which is one of the strongest dancesport nations in South East Asia did fairly well to garner 2 bronze medals. Thailand and Vietnam which were expected to put up a good show failed to live up to expectations. The Central Asian countries were also disappointing and only managed to win a bronze medal through Kazakhstan. It looks like China which won a record 199 gold medals in the 16th Asiad is set to dominate dancesport in Asia.

Power And Energy In Ballroom Dancing

Some 40 dance enthusiasts attended a workshop on Advance Tango Techniques conducted by Dmitry Novikov and Marina Gaevskaya of Russia at the Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association (KLDA) on November 13. Novikov and Gaevskaya started the session by doing a simple tango routine consisting of two walks and a link followed by a close promenade. We, the participants could notice that the steps they took were big and positive and their actions powerful. Even though the 'standard' timing for the progressive link is 'Quick Quick', Novikov said he preferred using the 'Slow &' timing as it gives the figure a strong and distinctive character.

The Russian couple then demonstrated to the audience how to close their bodies when doing the close promenade. Novikov said the man should 'roll' his waist to signal to his partner that he wants to close their bodies. The man must never use brute force when executing this move. Gaevskaya then proceeded to show the ladies how to square their bodies on the third step of the close promenade. A slight flick action of the right leg was used on the third step to effect the turn of the body. At the same time the lady must turn her head sharply to her left. The audience were then told to practice the figures and put through their paces.

Novikov mentioned that there are three types of control in ballroom dancing. They are 1) mental, 2) physical and 3) emotional control. He also talked about power and energy and how to feel the energy. "If you cannot feel the energy, you cannot show the energy. Dancers must use their body weight energy and not their muscle energy" he said. Transfer of body weight using the supporting leg was also discussed and demonstrated by Novikov. The audience exclaimed that the movements looked like taiqi (tai chi) moves, to which Novikov quite agreed! We had a jolly good time and certainly learnt so much about advance tango techniques that evening.

Golden Palm Tree International Dance Championship 2010

Some 160 dancers from 18 countries in Europe, USA and Asia competed in Ballroom, Latin American, Salsa and Argentine Tango events in the inaugural Golden Palm Tree International Dance Championship 2010 held at Golden Palm Tree Resort & Spa in Sepang Goldcoast, Selangor on October 29. Among those who took part in this competition were British Professional Ballroom Champions and Blackpool Grand Finalists Warren & Kristi Boyce (pic) of England.

The guest-of-honour at this function was Heng Seai Kie, the Deputy Women, Family & Community Development Minister. Heng said that her ministry recognizes the potential of ballroom dancing in enhancing family relationships. She also congratulated Golden Palm Tree's efforts in promoting dance as a sport for the family and community development.

The winners of the major categories are as follows:-

Professional Standard - Warren & Kristi Boyce (England)

Professional Latin - Alessandro Carmerotto & Nancy Berti (Italy)

Amateur Standard - Mikhail and Olesya Eremeeva (Russia)

Amateur Latin - Massimo Acrolin & Luba Mustuck (Italy)

Pro-Am Latin - Michael Badong & Soleil Mahani Kamil (Philippines)

Junior Latin - Sam Hunter & Charlotte Plant (England)

ISTD Conducts Masters' Workshop

More than 60 dance teachers and students attended a masters' workshop organized by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) on October 27 2010. Held at the conference suite of GC Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam, Selangor; the workshop was conducted by Richard Hunt (Vice Chairman of the ISTD Modern Ballroom Faculty and Imperial Dance & Dance Sport Faculties Board) and Yvonne Taylor-Hill (Chairman of the Disco/Freestyle/Rock 'n' Roll Faculty and member of the ISTD council).

The topics that were discussed at this workshop covered Ballroom and Latin American dances. Poise, balance and centering were explained. The character of the various dances were mentioned and demonstrated. As for Ballroom dancing, the different types of rise and fall were elucidated. Hunt and Taylor-Hill emphasized the use of good technique and showed the simple teaching aids that can be used to improve technique. A Rumba and Tango routine were demonstrated and the participants were then put through their paces.

Hunt and Taylor-Hill said they were pleased with the good turnout and support shown by the teachers and students at this workshop. There are plans to organize more of such workshops in future. They thanked those present and the coordinators of the workshop, namely Nelly Tsen (Examination Organizer - Ballroom Faculty ISTD), Lim Sae Min (president of Malaysian Ballroom Dance Teachers Berhad) and Chong Kim Yee (principal of Swan Link Dance Studio) for their assistance in organizing the workshop.