Rumba At The Royal Lake Club

More than 120 guests attended a dinner and dance cum workshop at the Royal Lake Club in Kuala Lumpur on March 27 2010. Organized by the dancesport section of the club, the function was held at the cosy Recreation Hall. The guest-of-honour was Dato' Abdullah Sani A Karim, the President of the club. George Lim, the President of Malaysian Dancesport Berhad, his wife Janet and many dance teachers from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were among those present. In his welcome speech, Dato' Abdullah said he was pleased with the good turnout and hoped that more of such events would be organized. Dato' Abdullah also regaled the guests with funny anecdotes of the ballroom dance activities of the club in the past.

The Rumba workshop was conducted by Amy Lee Ai Mei, principal of Amy Dancesport Centre, Kuala Lumpur and former South East Asia Professional Latin Champion. Amy explained to the participants the character and interpretation of the dance. She went on to elucidate the basic figures of the Rumba such as the Basic Movements, Progressive Walks Forward & Back, Side Steps, Cucarachas and Spot Turns. Amy also touched on the techniques of the dance, footwork, transfer of weight and the lateral and rotational hip movements. A simple dance routine was choreographed by Amy and the participants were then put through their paces. It was a fun-filled evening and a jolly good time was had by all.

The Royal Lake Club (founded 1890), Royal Selangor Golf Club (established 1893) and Royal Selangor Club (constituted 1884) were started by the British colonials and are probably the 3 oldest extant social clubs in KL. These clubs were where the British community gathered to socialise, dine or imbibe their stengahs. Stengah (from the Malay word setengah, meaning half), a concoction of whiskey and soda was a popular drink back then. What were the popular social dances during those days? Was it the English Old-Time, Polka and Mazurka? Unfortunately, most of the written records of the clubs in the then Malaya were destroyed during the Japanese Occupation from 1941 to 1945, so we are unable to know for sure.

The Cuban Connection

My article of July 9 entitled "Should Dance Figures Be Named After Persons?" in which I mentioned the Aida and Kiki Walks has elicited quite a few responses from my visitors via comments, emails and phone calls. Thankfully, all the responses have been positive. One regular visitor, Alan Liew called me to say that he found the article interesting and informative. Alan however pointed out that the picture that accompanied the article shows the dancers doing the Spiral Turn and not the Aida. Yes, Alan, the picture taken circa 1950 is that of Pepe Llorenz executing a Spiral Turn with his regular partner Suzy Riviera. Llorenz and Riviera were very well known dancers in Cuba back then. I was unable to find a picture of Llorenz dancing the Aida with Aida (his wife, after which the figure is named).

Speaking of Cuba, it is worthwhile to note that Cuba's contribution to the world of social and competitive dancing has been immense. The popular dances like the Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo and Salsa have their roots in Cuba. These dances, except maybe for the Mambo have caught on around the world. The Mambo remains a popular dance in the United States of America. In the US, there is a classification of dances known as the American Rhythm dances which consists of the Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, East Coast Swing and Bolero. American Rhythm dance competitions are regularly held there. The Mambo has a catchy rhythm and fun character, and songs like Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega or Mambo Italiano by Bette Midler really gets you in the mood for dancing the Mambo.

The Mambo dance was first introduced by Perez Prado at the La Tropicana Night Club in Havana, Cuba in 1943. The dance appeared in the United States during the mid-1940s in New York's Park Plaza Ballroom and it soon became a craze there. Interest in the Mambo however fizzled out in the 1950s, but the dance is now enjoying a resurgence in popularity in the US due to a number of movies featuring the Mambo as well as the efforts of a man named Eddie Torres (picture above). Known as the "Mambo King of Latin Dance", Torres created the modern version of the Mambo in the 1970s. The modern version that Americans today call Mambo or 'breaking on 2' is completely different from the Mambo that was created by Prado. The original style of the dance contains no breaking steps, whether on 1 or 2.


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Should Dance Figures Be Named After Persons?

The Aida is a popular dance figure used in the Rumba (as well as the Cha Cha Cha). In the Rumba, the dancers commence in contact position with the man facing wall, and then take 3 steps down the LOD in LSP. The man releases his R hand hold on the first step and turns his L arm out over the last 2 steps. The man turns a total of 1/4 to his R while the lady turns a total of 1/4 to her L. A good precede to this figure would be the 1-6 or 4-6 of the Reverse Top. The endings to the Aida are 1) Cuban Rock and Spot Turn, 2) Double Spot Turn, 3) Side Cucaracha or 4) Cuban Rock to Progressive Walks Forward in Right Shadow Position (Kiki Walks). The Kiki Walks are basically six Progressive Walks Forward with the lady in Right Shadow Position.

As I was curious as to know why these figures are known as the Aida and Kiki Walks, I decided to surf the internet to find the answers. I discovered what I was looking for in an excerpt to a book "A Concise History Of Latin American Dancing In The UK". Aida was the wife of a Cuban dance teacher, Pepe Llorenz (image above, man in centre) and as she danced this figure extremely well, it was named in her honor, circa 1950. Aida originally executed this figure with ending number 2 as shown above, that is, making 2 Spot Turns, but as it proved rather difficult for the average dancer, the other endings were introduced. Kiki on the other hand was one of the foremost dancers in pre-Castro Cuba and gave his name to this figure which he created.

Should dance figures be named after persons? I am of the opinion that dance figures should not be named after persons due to the fact that most people do not know who they are and their names are soon forgotten. As it is, most dancers (even teachers) I spoke to, do not know who Aida and Kiki were. There is an advanced Waltz figure known as the Rudolf (Rudolph) Ronde. Was the Rudolf Ronde named after Rudolf Laban the dance theorist or Rudolf Nureyev, the ballet dancer, or some other Rudolf? I am unable to find the answer in the world wide web. I believe dance figures should be named after the description or action of the figures, for example the Hockey Stick or Fencing in the Rumba or the V6 or Fishtail in the Quickstep.


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Cuban Rumba And Latin American Rumba - Dances Of Love And Seduction!

The second season of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), USA which is presently being shown here on TV8 every Sundays at 11.15 pm introduced audiences to many different styles of dances. During the "Top 18" show which was telecast on January 4 2009, audiences got to watch the krump and the American jive. The krump is a relatively new urban street dance form born (circa 2001) in the streets of South Central Los Angeles, USA and is a fusion of several dance styles including, hip hop, breakdancing and clowning. The American jive is similar yet slightly dissimilar from the Latin jive which most of us are more familiar with.

At the "Top 16" show of SYTYCD which was aired on January 18 2009, a group of six dancers called "Step, Hop and A Jump" performed an American swing dance, the lindy hop before the competition began. It was entertaining and fun to watch. During this episode, audiences also got to watch one pair of competitors dance the Cuban rumba, which is totally different from the Latin American rumba which we are so used to watching or dancing. The Latin American rumba is a slow, sensuous and romantic dance characterized by the the use of strong hip actions. The Cuban rumba on the other hand is a fast-paced, energetic dance with little emphasis on hip actions.

The Cuban rumba was performed by couple number 2, Ryan Rankine and Heidi Groskreutz (pic). Heidi, a trained Latin American dancer who thought she had it easy was surprised to learn that the Cuban rumba is so different from what she had expected. Alex Da Silva who choreographed the routine said that the feature of the dance is of a man trying to seduce a woman, and of the woman resisting his advances. The dance is often considered risque, even vulgar at times. Ryan and Heidi however put on a splendid performance which won praises and applause from the judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Olisa Thompson and Cicely Bradley.

The Cuban rumba is believed to have derived directly from the dancing of African slaves from around the West Indies and the Caribbean during the late 19th century. The dance moves require a high degree of athleticism and frequently includes acrobatic moves like handstands, flips and cartwheels usually performed by the man. The refined and elegant Latin American rumba or sometimes known also as the ballroom rumba is a variation of the Cuban rumba. It has a much slower tempo and is meant to feature the female teasing and seducing her partner culminating in the two becoming as one. If dance be the food of love, carry on!

Good Luck,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

Rapt Rumba Dance Figures

The rumba is often referred to as the queen of the Latin American dances. It is a slow, romantic and sensuous dance characterized by the use of strong hip action. Although the first step of each figure is taken on the second beat of the music (count 2), the dance is commenced with the hips already moving on the preceding beats 4 1. Every step commences to move with a slightly flexed knee. The knee straightens just before the foot reaches its position. As the weight is taken fully on to the step, the hips move naturally in the direction of the leg receiving the weight. Here are some popular rumba dance figures.

Cucarachas - Cucaracha means cockroach in Spanish. This dance figure supposedly mimics the action of squashing a cockroach with one's foot. A Cucaracha is a group of three steps ended with feet together. Either foot is placed in any open position with part weight. Weight is then transferred to the other foot and the moving foot will close. A rotary or lateral hip movement may be used. In some figures two steps of a Cucaracha are danced in which case these are known as a Cucaracha action.

Cuban Rocks - The "rocks" here do not refer to any stony outcrops or islets off the coast of Cuba. They refer to the oscillating or rocking movements of the dancers' hips. Cuban Rocks are a group of three weight changes keeping the feet in place and may be danced in any position where the feet are apart with weight on either foot. They may be danced together or individually while partner dances a solo Spot or Switch Turn. A rotary or lateral hip action may be used.

Hockey Stick - This dance figure is popular with beginners and it traces out the contour of an ice hockey stick or an inverted obtuse letter "L" as shown by the lady's steps. This is a six-step dance figure. The first three steps outline the "blade" of the hockey stick and the next three steps outline the "shaft" of the hockey stick.

Fencing - A delectable dance figure mimicking the actions of a fencer. The man steps RF forward and across in Promenade Position with R knee flexed. The lady steps LF forward and across in Promenade Position with L knee flexed. Both dancers recover to stand in Open Counter Promenade Position. As you lunge, extend your arm on that side and imagine you are thrusting a fencing foil. Raise the other arm for balance and effect. En Garde !

As the rumba is a slow dance it is considered relatively easier to dance than the other Latin American dances. Strong hip action is however often emphasised. There are basically two types of hip action - lateral and rotational. A lateral hip action is where the hips move to left or right with minimal rotation whilst a rotational hip movement is where the hips rotate around the vertical line of the spinal column. Happy dancing!

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