Live To Dance

Live To Dance was a television reality programme and dance competition in the United States. Dancers from all over the US auditioned for Live To Dance in specially constructed 'dance domes'. All genres of dance were allowed and there was no age limit. The youngest contestant was a 9 year-old kid whilst the oldest was a 90 year-old granny. Shortlisted contestants in the auditions would go on to fight it out in the semi-finals and finals where the winner was awarded the prize of $500,000.

The show premiered in the USA on 4 January 2011 and was headlined by dance choreographer, singer and former American Idol judge Mariah Carey as lead judge with Andrew Gunsberg as host. The other two judges were former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt, and Travis Payne, a long-time choreographer of the late Michael Jackson.

In the first show which was screened on 8TV Malaysia on 12 January 2012, eighteen contestants participated in the audition. Among the dances which were performed were hip hop, breakdance, krump, Cuban rumba, tap and contemporary. There was also an Indian bhangra dance. Overall the show was quite entertaining and fun to watch. It was announced that Live To Dance wouldn't return for a second season.

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

You've gotta dance like nobody's watching

Love like you'll never get hurt
Sing like there's nobody listening
And live like it's heaven on earth

I came across this poem while browsing through Wikipedia. The above poem is attributed to William Watson Purkey (born 22 August 1929), an educator and professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA. An active writer, Purkey has published nearly a hundred professional publications and written more than a dozen books. At his lectures, Purkey used to close his speech with the above quotation and it has now made it into the public domain.

Although Purkey is the source of the above poem, it has been attributed to many others. Lines from it were included in the song Come From The Heart written by Susannah Clark and Richard Leigh in 1987. Whatever it is, the poem written or 're-arranged' by Purkey is a beautiful one. It's about having a zest for life and living life to the fullest. If you dance like nobody's watching and are really enjoying yourselves even if you don't dance so well; it's like heaven on earth!

Pole Dancing Finesse

Pole dancing to the music of a 20-piece live orchestra, including violins? Yes, says one Philippine pole dance troupe that seeks respect for its art and athleticism. Against the background of women around the world turning to pole dancing as a form of exercise, the Manila-based group Polecats proved at a recent week-end show that the performances are no longer only for strip clubs and sleazy bars - or just for women, either.

As the orchestra played classical-style arrangements of modern songs, dancers of both genders swung and climbed gracefully up 4m poles, combining flexibility, strength, and moves bordering on acrobatics, with sensuality. "You don't go to Cirque du Soleil to get turned on, although maybe you will, but I just want people to see that we're really good at what we do, and not just hot," said Christina Dy, the Polecat's director.

"Routines involving swings and twirls require balance, concentration and a high level of technical skills, and that is what audiences should appreciate," she added. "The group has gathered male performers, as well as male viewers, by focusing on the athletic aspects of performing," said Job Bautista, the first man to become a regular Polecats member. "Now here in the Philippines we're trying to promote the more acrobatic type of pole dancing, which we Polecats think is more suited to men," he said. (Reuters)

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!

Into The Centre Of Dance

Sutra Foundation is presenting Into The Centre, an international dance production celebrating the timeless spirit of both Eastern and Western dance traditions co-produced by Sutra Dance Theatre of Malaysia and Battery Dance Company of New York. The show is under the artistic direction of Ramli Ibrahim and Jonathan Hollander. It will feature a world premiere, revivals and repertory items performed by a cast of dancers from Malaysia and the USA. Four performances will be presented from 22 to 25 September 2011.

September 22 - Premiere and Gala Night

September 23 - Presented by Malaysian American Alumni Partnership and Fullbright Alumni Association of Malaysia

September 24 - Public Night

September 25 - Presented as Watsons Corporate Night

Venue: Auditorium DBKL, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur

Entrance to Into The Centre performances is by invitation only

Enquiries: 603 4021 1092

Email: sutradancetheatre@yahoo.com

Website: sutrafoundation.org.my

The Sutra Foundation was established in 2007 to develop awareness of traditional and contemporary performing and visual arts, upholding the philosophy of nurturing a society that appreciates art, while embracing the nation's cultural diversity. Spearheaded by Ramli Ibrahim, one of the most accomplished artistes of his generation, the foundation is his legacy to Malaysia. The foundation encompasses Sutra Dance Theatre - where new choreography is crafted and performed; Sutra Academy - where future dancers are trained; and Sutra Gallery - where visual artists exhibit their works. All of these activities are concentrated in the premises of Sutra House, the foundation's nerve centre.

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.

Countdown To New Year 2011

Ambank Group will be organizing a concert at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on December 31 to usher in the New Year 2011. The countdown concert, titled Ambang 2011 will begin at 8.45 pm. The artistes who will be making an appearance include Datuk David Arumugam (formerly of The Alleycats), Pop Shuvit, M. Nasir, Ramlah Ram, Amy of Search, Pop Idol 2 winner Daniel Lee, The Singing Shop and bhangra group Gold Kartz.

Cultural performances have been planned as well. Dancers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be performing the 1Malaysia and other Malay traditional dances. CN Dancez will be doing Chinese folk dances while Vehaara Arts will be putting up Indian contemporary dances. Not to be sidelined, the Mah Meri orang asli will be showcasing their aborigine dances. The DBKL Orchestra will be in attendance to provide the musical accompaniment.

Many VIPs will be attending this gala event. Amongst them is philanthropist Tan Sri Azman Hashim, the chairman of Ambank Group. Tan Sri Azman, who has a keen interest in music is expected to go up on stage to croon a song or two to entertain the crowd and also lead the countdown to the new year. The Ambang 2011 concert will be telecast live over TV2 from 10.15 pm to 1.15 am. Have a Happy & Prosperous New Year 2011!

Holograms And Home Entertainment

The 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa comes to an official close today after a month of soccer mania. Football fans all over the world were able to watch the games live at giant screens set up in their city parks or squares. In Kuala Lumpur, two jumbo screens were installed at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and fans were able to catch the matches at 7.30 pm, 10.00 pm and 2.30 am local time. Those following the games at home could avail themselves to the latest 50 inch, light emitting diode, high definition, 3 dimension TV or what is known simply as a LED, HD, 3D TV. That's quite a mouthful, isn't it? But nothing beats the thrill of watching the matches live at the stadiums, notwithstanding the cacophony caused by the incessant blaring of the vuvuzelas!

Recently I read in a science journal article that scientists are working on a holographic projection system whereby people would be able to watch holograms of any events around the world live. Let's take for example the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Brazil. If all goes well with this system, scientists would be able to transmit holographic images of a football match being played in a stadium in Brazil live to another stadium elsewhere; let's say the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Spectators in KL will be able to see holograms of the World Cup football players playing in the Bukit Jalil Stadium. The players will appear life-like in three dimension and the spectators in the Bukit Jalil Stadium will feel as though they are watching the games live in the stadium in Brazil.

This holographic projection system has got many people all excited. Imagine being able to watch the Olympic Games or All England badminton finals here in Malaysia. Or feel the excitement of the Blackpool Dance Festival. Other possibilities include watching concerts, operas and shows. It is in home entertainment that the holographic projection system offers the greatest potential. Scientists are also working on a home video entertainment system whereby you can watch holograms of your favourite entertainers right in your living room. Wouldn't it be great to be able to see Lady Gaga perform 'live' before your very eyes, watch Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis dance a cha cha cha or gape at Michael Jackson moonwalk across the floor? That, would be simply awesome!

Going Gaga Over Waka Waka

Watched by 85,000 spectators and more than 100 million TV viewers worldwide, the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 11 went off with a bang. Thirty two countries from all the continents are competing in this month-long football tournament. A day earlier, a kick-off concert was held at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, with performances by international headliners amongst them Shakira, Alicia Keys and Black Eyed Peas. Colombian diva Shakira rocked the stage with her songs Hips Don't Lie, She Wolf and Waka Waka (This Time For Africa).

The song Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), composed by El Mundial is the official anthem of the World Cup 2010. It has a rhythmic and infectious beat to it and really gets your feet tapping. I especially liked the dance routine performed by Shakira and her backup dancers. The choreography which is simple yet beautiful and meaningful contains elements of hip hop, African tribal, Indian classical and belly dance. This is what I would call a 1World Dance - a dance for world peace and harmony. It would be great if someone here could organize a flash mob dance based on this song and dance routine.

There is also an official dance created by South Africa Tourism specially for this World Cup. Known as the Diski which is South African township slang for soccer, the dance is intended to capture 'the rhythm of African football'. During the International Friendly Football Match held between South Africa and Jamaica on November 17 2009 in Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, the spectators were taught the Diski during half-time. The Diski looks like a mix of line dance, shuffle and football moves. You can learn how to do the Diski at SouthAfrica.info. Just feel the rhythm, boet (Afrikaans for brother)!


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> Flash Mob Dance Craze Hits Malaysia

Flash Mob Dance Craze Hits Malaysia

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual or pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media or viral email. It is generally not applied to events organized by public relations firms, protests and publicity stunts. The first flash mob was created in Manhattan, USA in May 2003 by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine (source: Wikipedia). A flash mob dance is thus an event where a group of people gather in a public location to perform a pre-choreographed dance routine. The biggest flash mob dance ever held was at The Oprah Winfrey Show's 24th Season Kickoff Party in Chicago on September 10 2009. At this celebration, the crowd of more than 20,000 people performed a choreographed piece to I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas.

The first flash mob to be held in Malaysia was the "KL Freeze In Unison" on April 13 2009. This gathering attracted well over a thousand participants who had to remain 'frozen' or still for four minutes at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. On August 14, a flash mob dance was held at Suria KLCC where the participants had a swell time dancing to songs by Pitbull, Michael Jackson, Vanilla Ice, The Beatles and various artistes. It was however the song Joget Berhibur by Siti Nurhaliza which had the crowd thrilled and raring to dance. More than 100 of them, including some 'aunties' took to the floor at the centre court of the shopping mall to dance the joget, a popular Malay traditional dance. Last month, Glee Flash Mobs (pic) dancing to the songs Bust A Move, Rehab and Don't Stop Believin' were seen at Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur Sentral and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur to publicize the screening of the TV dance show, Glee.

Media group, Star Publications (M) Bhd is organizing a flash mob dance on June 22 at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor in conjunction with The Star Online's 15th and In.Tech's 25th joint anniversary celebrations. The dance routine called Flash Mob Masala Dance, a Bollywood dance style performed to Pussycat Doll's Jai Ho will be conducted by fitness instructor Candi Soo. You can preview the routine at youtube.com/user/candisoofitness. For more information regarding this event, kindly contact Nerry at 03-23001574. Over in Sarawak, there will be an attempt to set a Malaysia flash mob dance record at the state-level youth assembly (Perhimpunan Belia 2010) which will be held at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching on July 24. The Ministry of Social Development and Urbanization Sarawak which is organizing this festival is hoping to attract more than 5000 youths to take part in this event.

Big Toe Gets A Leg Up

Eight B-boy crews from seven countries in the region competed in the R16 South East Asia Finals 2010 held recently at Life Centre in Kuala Lumpur. They were Soulfresh (Taiwan), Laobangfai (Laos), Big Toe (Vietnam), 99 Flava (Thailand), Rebelz In Rhythym (Indonesia), Floor Techniques (Singapore) and Wakaka Fever and Giller Battle, both representing Malaysia. The panel of judges comprised of Bboy Free of Soul Shifters Crew from the United States and South Koreans Bboy Born of Rivers Crew and Bboy The End of Gamblerz Crew. Judging was based on 1) Creativity, 2) Execution, 3) Stage Presence, 4) Difficulty and 5) Overall Performance.

The MC Jazz Ivy and DJ Dust, two cool dudes from "The Land of the Morning Calm" endeared themselves to the 2000 strong audience who turned up at the bash. While waiting for the results of the competition to be announced, the crowd were entertained by guest artistes Dust and local rappers Altimet and Dose Two. Big Toe of Vietnam (pic) who got a leg up with the boisterous support of their fans, impressed the judges with their awesome performance to emerge winners. They will go on to compete against 15 teams from all across the world at the R16 Korea World B-boy Masters Championships 2010 which will be held in Seoul on July 3 and 4.

R16 and Urban Arts Festival was created in 2007 by the Korean Tourism Organization and the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to support grassroots youth culture such as Hip Hop and B-boy. The four-day celebrations which is held in South Korea every summer attracts famous artistes, musicians, dancers and promoters from all over the earth. It is a celebration of the creative energy behind urban youth culture. 'R' stands for Respect and '16' refers to the sixteen dance crews from fifteen countries who compete for the R16 Korea World B-boy Masters Championship titles in two categories: Best Crew Performance and Best Crew Battle.

Martha Stewart Captivated By Malaysia

Martha Stewart, well-known American lifestyle guru, author, publisher and host of the popular TV talk show "The Martha Stewart Show" recently visited Malaysia at the invitation of the Ministry of Tourism. Accompanying her on her first trip to Malaysia were her niece Sophie Herbert and good friend Memrie Lewis. While in Malaysia, Stewart tweeted about her experiences to her two million fans via Twitter. Stewart took the opportunity to try the local cuisine, visited many places of interest and watched how local handicrafts like pewter and songket were made. She had tea with Her Royal Highness, Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah and brunch with Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the Prime Minister.

In Kuala Lumpur, Stewart toured the Petronas Twin Towers, Islamic Arts Museum and Kuala Lumpur Bird Park where she had fun playing with the birds. She took a helicopter ride north of the city and was amazed by the sight of miles and miles of padi fields. Stewart also witnessed the "Colours of 1Malaysia" celebrations held at Dataran Merdeka on May 22. "Colours of 1Malaysia" is a collection of street performances which was first launched in 1999 by the Ministry of Tourism to highlight Malaysia's cultural heritage through music, song and dances. The finale of the evening was the Tarian Cuti Cuti Malaysia, a dance specially choreographed by the Ministry which was performed by the 5000 odd dancers.

Stewart had a walkabout in Melaka which she mentioned had a colourful history since the fifteenth century. She also visited the resort island of Pangkor Laut, Perak where she waxed lyrical about the beautiful beach at Emerald Bay. Sabah which lies on the island of Borneo was also on her itinerary. Stewart described Sabah as "the home of orang utans, tarsiers, slow lorises, elephants, wild boars, proboscis monkeys, 622 species of birds and more". Among the places she went to were the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary and Pulau Gaya where she watched a giant clam rehabilitation project. It's a pity she did not make a trip to Sipadan which is rated as one of the top five diving spots in the world.

I am surprised that Stewart did not visit the Agnes Keith House in Sandakan. Agnes Keith (1901-1982), was an American adventurer and author who was noted for her autobiographical accounts of North Borneo (now Sabah) before, during and after the Second World War. The three books about North Borneo written by Keith: Land Below the Wind, Three Came Home and White Man Returns, gives a vivid depiction of life in the region during those turbulent times. Agnes and her husband Harry left North Borneo in 1952. The house she and her husband lived in has been restored and turned into a museum. It contains displays about them as well as life in Sandakan during the first half of the twentieth century.

The Year 2009 In Review - Part 2

Of the many popular social dances in Malaysia, salsa remains a hot favourite. Salsa aficionados from far and wide came to participate in the 2nd World Salsa Congress in Petaling Jaya from May 1 to 3. Hot on the heels of this event was the 4th Malaysian Salsa Festival in Cherating from July 23 to 26. There was also a 6-days salsa cruise from November 23 to 27 on board the Legend Of The Seas for hardcore salsa devotees. Hip hop continues to be hip with the youngsters with many 'battles' being staged at shopping complexes. Public listed companies Astro, F&N and KFC gave hip hop a shot in the arm by organizing some hip hop events and competitions. Break Out, the much-acclaimed stage dance comedy from South Korea performed to sold-out shows in Kuala Lumpur and Penang during the later part of May.

As for the ladies; line, belly and pole dances were all the rage with many social events and haflas organized. One of the major competitions organized was the 3rd Asia Pacific Dance Explosion held in Kuala Lumpur on July 18 & 19 where more than 300 contestants competed in line, belly and hip hop events. World-renowned belly dancers, Sadie and Nath Neo were here to perform and conduct workshops in Penang and KL. Socialite Puan Sri Chelsia Cheng and her friends put up an electrifying belly dance performance at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Shopping Centre on February 8 and helped raise a cool RM500,000 for charity. Pole dance which was introduced here last year managed to hold its own, with the finals of 2 major competitions - Pole Stars and Pole Idol held in KL on June 6 and October 24 respectively.

Argentine tango managed to attract a following of ardent tangueros and tangueras. The 2nd International Kuala Lumpur Tango Festival from April 9 to 12 and the Extended Weekend Tango With Patricio & Eva workshop held in KL from June 19 to 21 packed them in. As for the other social dances, there were initiatives by some studios to popularize dances like the lindy hop, bachatango and zouk. On the flip side, the popular television dance reality show So You Think You Can Dance Malaysia was axed and the Viennese Ball mothballed. A couple of well-established dance schools in the Klang Valley decided to call it a day. All in all, it was a pretty exciting and eventful year where dance was concerned. To my blog visitors out there, I would like to wish you all a "Happy & Prosperous New Year" and carry on dancing!


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> The Year 2009 In Review - Part 1

The Year 2009 In Review - Part 1

As the year 2009 draws to a close, many people will be looking forward to welcoming in the new year 2010. On new year's eve, Malaysians like many of their counterparts all over the the world will be coming out in droves to party and dance the night away, and ring in the new year. In the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the best places to join in the festivities, watch performances and fireworks displays will be at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and in the shopping districts of Bukit Bintang and KLCC. The economic slowdown this year may have impacted the spending habits of many but how has it affected the dance activities held here in Malaysia? Let us take a review of the dance happenings here in 2009.

Dancesport enthusiasts were treated to an awesome display of dance artistry by some of the best dancers in the world at the 5th Malaysian International Dance Championship 2009 cum second leg of the Asian Open Dance Championship Tour 2009 at Genting Highlands on February 27 & 28. Among the ballroom competitors who took part were Arunas Bizokas & Katusha Demidova, Jonathan Wilkins & Hazel Newberry and Roberto Villas & Moreno Colagreco. In the Latin section we had Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko, Franco Formica & Oxana Lebedew and Maurizio Vescovo & Melinda Torokgyorgy. Dance maestros Marcus Hilton, Bryan Watson and Carmen Vincelj were among the judges at this competition.

The other major international dancesport competitions organized this year were the 7th Crystal Dancesport Championships 2009 in Kuala Lumpur on August 30 and the 16th Penang International Ballroom Dancing Championship 2009 in Georgetown on November 28. In between, several minor dancesport competitions were held in Melaka, Johore Baru, Muar and Kota Kinabalu. Some well-known ballroom dancers like Roberto Villas & Moreno Colagreco, Aleksandr Zhiratkov & Irina Novozhilova and Barry Winters stayed behind after taking part in the competitions here to conduct workshops and classes at the Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association. (To be continued. Part 2 of this article will appear next week).

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> The Year 2009 In Review - Part 2

Happy Days Are Here Again!

With the economy in the doldrums and people struggling to make ends meet, many old timers are yearning for the good old days of the 1960s & 1970s. Those were the days when "living was easy", the crime rate was low and words like global warming, carbon footprint and good corporate governance were not yet in the vocabulary. One person who has fond memories of those halcyon yesteryears and who hopes to help people relive the memories of those good old days is restaurateur Fariz Abdullah. Inspired by the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days, Fariz has opened a Good Ol' Happy Days Diner at 55-A, Jalan USJ 10/1F, Taipan USJ in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Visitors to the restaurant cannot miss the green Holden sports car which is perched above the signboard. The interior decor is done up in a 1970s retro style with black and white chequered floor, upholstered chairs, a jukebox and 2 pool tables. The cuisine is mainly American with burgers, steaks, pizzas and lobsters on the menu. After dinner, customers can have a swinging time and enjoy themselves to rock 'n' roll and pop music as well as music from the 1960s and 1970s. A live band will be in attendance on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The restaurant is open from 11.00 am to 1.00 am on weekdays and 11.00 am to 2.00 am on weekends.

At a launching ceremony of the restaurant held recently, guests had a wonderful time tucking in the grub, dancing and watching the many performances. The resident band kept the guests entertained with oldies music and songs. Datuk Leonard Tan impressed the audience with an Elvis Presley impersonation act. There was also a limbo rock competition to see how low the contestants can go. Showman Alfro Wong, the Malaysian King of Limbo Rock showed what stern stuff he is made of, when; blindfolded he slided under a flaming pole which was placed about 60 cm (2 feet) above the floor! Certainly not for the faint-of-heart and not to be tried at home!

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"The Merchants Of Bollywood" Enchants

The Merchants of Bollywood - The Musical which premiered on July 14 2009 at the Istana Budaya (National Theatre) in Kuala Lumpur and which ran to packed houses for two weeks, held its last performance on July 26. Those who attended the finale included Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia Tuanku Nur Zahirah, the Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Agriculture & Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Noh Omar and many other dignitaries.

The Merchants of Bollywood is produced by Mark Brady, directed by Toby Gough, with music by AR Rahman and choreographed by leading Bollywood choreographer, Vaibhavi Merchant. Known as the Queen of Romance in the industry, Vaibhavi is from the dynastic family around which the legend of The Merchants of Bollywood is woven. The show has been performed more than 600 times over the past 4 years to rave reviews in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Australia. This is the first time the musical is being staged in Asia. Besides Malaysians, the show also attracted tourists from Europe and the Middle East.

With a storyline revolving around the Merchant family, ambition, sacrifice and love, the musical showcased dances which ranged from Bollywood, Indian traditional, disco, hip hop, street and funk. The cast danced their way into the hearts of the audience with their eclectic routines, colourful costumes and enchanting performances. The audience were caught up with the music and many were seen dancing at their seats and in the aisles to the tunes of It's Time To Disco and Shava Shava just before the curtains came down. After the show, Datin Seri Rosmah went on stage to meet the cast and present bouquets to the lead members as a token of appreciation.

Namaste & Jai Ho,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Thriller Fever Sweeps The World!

Fans of Michael Jackson all over the world plan to celebrate what would have been his 51st birthday on Aug 29 by organizing Thriller dance performances as a tribute to the King of Pop. The fans will be doing the zombie dance and recreate the moves from his 1983 mega hit Thriller. Starting in Mexico, the performances will be held in Mexico City at the Zocalo, the city's main square which can reportedly hold up to 100,000 people. The organizers of this event in Mexico City hope to break the official Guiness World Record for simultaneous Thriller dancing set in May 2008 by 242 students in Virginia, USA. Celebrations in honour of Michael Jackson are expected to continue around the world and culminate in a Thrill The World 2009 event to be held on October 25. It would be frightful if this event were to be held on October 31, which is Halloween's Day, instead!

The Thrill The World 2009 event is set to begin at 0030 GMT on October 25 in several countries including Canada, USA, England, Israel , Singapore and Malaysia. This dance festival was started in 2006 by Ines Markeljevic of Canada, a dance choreographer and diehard fan of Michael Jackson. The first event which was held in Toronto attracted 62 dancing zombies and set a Guiness World Record for Thriller dancing. The following year, the event drew 1722 participants in 52 cities from around the world. Last year's event attracted 4179 dancers from 72 locations in 10 countries, namely Canada, USA, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia! However, according to the organizers, it is not recognized as the the largest by Guiness as it did not adhere to specific guidelines laid down by Guiness.

The organizers of Thrill The World 2009 hopes to unite the world through the joy of zombie dancing. Participants are encouraged to turn their local Thrill The World gatherings into fund-raising or charity events. Thrilltheworld.com already lists 74 registered dance locations for this year's event and are hoping to set a new Guiness World Record by drawing an astounding 270,000 dancing zombies worldwide! The Thrill The World 2009 event is set to begin at 8.30 am local time on October 25 in Malaysia and Singapore. Please however reconfirm the time and locations with the organizers. Speaking of world records, do you know what is the record for the world's largest simultaneous dancing? The current Guiness World Record is 197,569 elementary school students dancing the hokey-pokey in 681 locations across Canada on March 22 2002!

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Spectacular Showdance Performances At KLDA Gala Ball 2009

More than 350 people turned up at the Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association (KLDA) Gala Ball 2009 which was held at its premises at Wisma OCM in Kuala Lumpur on August 8. Among those who were present that evening were Datuk Sieh Kok Chi the Honorary Secretary of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Datuk Cheong Siew Kai the patron of the KLDA, Barry Winters renowned ballroom dancer from England, and several well known dance teachers from among the many dance schools in Malaysia. While having their dinner at the Fame Hall, the guests were entertained to Chinese traditional music by the Dunhuang Ensemble. After dinner, the guests proceeded to the Superstar Hall for general dancing to ballroom, Latin American, salsa, merengue and bachata music.

In his welcome speech, C C Lai, the president of the KLDA thanked the guests for their patronage and continuous support. He said that the money collected from this event will be channeled to the KLDA Scholarship Project which was set up to assist young talented dancers who are members of the KLDA by way of subsidizing their dance lesson fees. With this intiative it is hoped that more youth would be encouraged to join the KLDA. After the speech, it was time for the show to begin. The show started with a Malay traditional dance by C K Lee and his wife Elayne. Dancing an inang to the tune of Inang Cina, the couple incorporated elements of ballroom and Latin American styles in their routine, in a dance meant to symbolize unity in diversity.

The next event was a wonderful Viennese waltz performance by Samuel Sum & Chew Su Fen. Samuel and Su Fen were one of five couples in the Viennese Ball 2008 Kuala Lumpur chosen to attend the Vienna Opera Ball in Austria in February 2009. Rising stars Johnston Lim & Nicole Tan then glided onto the dance floor to fascinate the audience with their foxtrot. It was then time for a ballroom formation dance. The five couples calling themselves "Happy Feet" performed a simple yet lovely medley of the waltz and tango with choreography by Eric Tan See Meng. The following two Latin American dances, a rumba by Alfred Choo & Carmen Choo and the jive by Vernon Choo & Cheah Yen Thing had by then raised the temperature in the dance hall by a few degrees!

Japanese expatriates, Mr and Mrs Osamu Sakai then mesmerized the audience with their beautiful waltz and tango performance. Lim Sae Min next took to the floor to sing Edleweiss while his partner Nathalee Owyang did a ballet routine and handed out roses to the ladies. Sae Min and Nathalee (image above) then executed a potpourri of dances such as the waltz, quickstep, Viennese waltz and polka to songs from The Sound of Music. Alfred, Carmen, Vernon and Yen Thing returned to sizzle the dance floor with a paso doble. Samuel & Su Fen also came back to delight the audience with a quickstep. This was followed by two line dance performances: one by the Dance Habitat Dancers led by the emcee Bronya Bishorek, and a solo by Sae Min.

David Chieng brought the house down with his slick impersonation of Michael Jackson. Dancing to Michael's hit Dangerous, David thrilled the crowd with the moves MJ was famous for: the slides, fast multiple swivels and of course the moonwalk. The finale to the show was an explosive Latin formation dance performance by five young couples known as the "KLDA Idols". The high energy routine which was choreographed by Dean Craig Kim of South Korea was an interesting mix of the cha cha cha, rumba, jive, samba and jazz. What an awesome show it was! One guest who enjoyed it so much suggested that the Kuala Lumpur Dancers' Association rebrand the show as "KLDA - The Musical" and stage it at the Istana Budaya (National Theatre)!

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Mason Wins "So You Think You Can Dance Season 5" Competition

The finale of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) America Season 5 was telecast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on August 5 & 6. The host for the show was the bubbly Cat Deeley, and judges were Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels, Tyce Dioro, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen and Lil' C. Competiting in the finale were the top 4 finalists, namely, Jeanine Mason, Brandon Bryant, Evan Kasprzak and Kayla Radomski.

Jeanine Mason, a 18 year old contemporary dancer from Pinecrest, Florida was voted as the winner of So You Think You Can Dance America Season 5. With that she also won the title of America's Favorite Dancer as well as a cash prize of US$250,000. During the finale, Jeanine performed two jazz routines, a contemporary dance, the paso doble and a solo in her own style. The runner up was Brandon with Evan and Kayla coming in third and fourth respectively.

The dances that were performed during Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance America included ballroom (waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango & Viennese waltz), Latin American (cha cha cha, rumba, jive, samba & paso doble), hip hop, contemporary, Broadway, jazz, disco, Argentine tango, Bollywood, pas de deux and Russian folk dance. This is the second time the Bollywood dance and pas de deux are making an appearance in this TV reality dance competition.

These two dances were introduced during Season 4 of SYTYCD in 2008 and were one of the most memorable dances of that season. The Russian folk dance was showcased for the first time in this season of SYTYCD. Surprisingly,the American swing dances, mambo and the krump which were shown in previous seasons and which were highly entertaining were not shown this time around. Season 6 of SYTYCD will premiere on September 16 2009.

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Elvis Presley Remembered

Fans of Elvis Presley across the world will be pulling out all the stops at events to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of his death, come August 16. It was on this date in 1977 that Elvis passed away at the age of 42. There will of course be the candlelight vigil at Graceland in Memphis, United States of America where the King of Rock 'N' Roll was laid to rest. Thousands of fans will be flocking to Graceland for the pilgrimage that day. All over the world, Elvis impersonators will be coming out in full force to sing his songs and imitate his dance moves at many Elvis Tribute Artistes events. In the United States there is even an Elvis cruise which will sail from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel in Mexico.

Over here in Malaysia between fifteen to twenty of Malaysia's own Elvis Tribute Artistes will be gathering at the Ol Skool Bistro at 125 Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, (telephone: 016-2066444) on August 16 to perform and pay homage to the greatest singer and entertainer of them all. Ol Skool Bistro, situated opposite the EPF Building is a favourite hangout and watering hole for the fans of Elvis. The tribute to Elvis has sort of become an annual event here. The festivities which will kick off at 3.00pm and continue till 3.00 am the next morning will bring together Elvis impersonators from Penang, Melaka, Seremban, Selangor and Sarawak who will be belting out the songs of Elvis from the 1950s to the 1970s.

I remembered that an Elvis Presley impersonation competition was held at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur a couple of months after Elvis passed on. The event attracted about a dozen Elvis wannabes. Rocky Teoh, the then reigning Elvis Presley of Malaysia, was there as a guest artiste. The contestants who took part in the competition were actually quite good. Not only did they sing like Elvis, some even looked like Elvis from afar! The competition was won by Eddie Francis who did a mean impression of the King. After Eddie won the competition, he received so many offers to perform at functions and events that he resigned from his job to become a full time Elvis impersonator.

Back then during the 1970s, there was an Elvis Presley Fan Club which had its headquarters at a bungalow at 1 Jalan Sultan Ismail in KL. I went once to this place to have a chat with William Honda Tan, the president of the club. William knew Elvis like the back of his hand and regaled me with interesting snippets about Elvis. He also showed me his collection of Elvis records. William used to organize bashes on the anniversary of Elvis's birth or death and he would often turn up at these functions in his jumpsuit complete with cape, scarve and sunglasses, a la Elvis. The bungalow at 1 Jalan Sultan Ismail is there no more. It was reported that William left the building sometime in the 1990s to join Elvis.


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