Lunch Beat

Some workers in Sweden have found a rather offbeat way to spend their lunch hour. Actually, on-beat is more like it. Dipping in sweat and awash in disco lights, they dance away to pulsating club music at Lunch Beat, a trend that started in Stockholm and is spreading to other cities in Europe. Then they go back to work.

"It is absolutely fantastic!" exclaimed Asa Anderson, 33, who broke away from her job at a coffee shop to bust away some moves last week. "It is the first time I am here. I'm totally happy and ecstatic, totally covered in sweat and I am full of energy. It does not get any better than this".

The first Lunch Beat was held in June 2010 in an underground parking lot in Stockholm. Only 14 people turned up. But they had so much fun they immediately planned another event. Word soon spread and now the Swedish capital has monthly Lunch Beats that attracts hundreds.

Similar events have been held in at least 10 other Swedish cities and in Finland and Serbia. Portugal's first try will be in Porto this month, organisers say. - AP

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)

Keeping Tradition Alive

Right foot out to the front and back to position. Left foot out to the back and back to position. Hands moving rhythmically from the elbows and wrists, while maintaining a small bent at the knees. Those are the simple moves of a joget dance. Dance instructor Azura Abal Abas, 43, from Havana Estudio in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur was demonstrating the steps to to a class of sarong-clad beginners who were trying to learn the joget. A few succeeded and many did not because the moves were not as easy as they appeared to be. "It may seem easy but when you do it, you realise it's challenging because we are so used to Western type of dances and tend to shift weight while taking a step and in the process create a hip movement or a shoulder movement," she said.

"Culture has a lot to do with our traditional dances. When we do joget, there are certain cultural aspects to follow like the women dancers' part is more demure with understated expressions," said Azura, who is better known as Ala, adding that the joget was influenced by a Portuguese cultural dance. " The bended knee is also an adat (custom) in the Malay culture as we bend our bodies forward when we walk past older people. Politeness is a virtue in our culture and this attitude is adapted into the dance. "It is details like these that make our cultural dances unique to us. You can see the difference in the way we sway our bodies - the lenggang and liuk" said Ala, who is currently lecturing on a dance subject at Universiti Malaya.

Joget is not the only traditional Malay dance that Ala is teaching at the school. In fact, the newly introduced Malay dance class at the school incorporates a combination of dances including joget, inang and zapin. Inang is a type of dance which has a faster beat compared to the joget, and Ala said it was a dance common among women where a scarf was usually worn. Meanwhile, Zapin is an Arab-influenced dance, which is popular in weddings and berkhatan (circumcision) ceremonies. The school's principal and owner Sharie Dekorte said most dance schools offered various classes on hip hop and other types of modern dances and by introducing the Malay dance class, she hoped to keep the tradition alive. (The Star)

Kung Fu Master Dances To Fame

Wushu master Chua Zjen Fong has swapped his cudgel for a pair of dancing shoes. After years of competing in the martial arts arena, he has traded in his macho kung fu skills for the flamboyance of Latin dancing; swinging and jiving his way to many titles to put Malaysia on the international dancing stage. Born in Selangor, the 25-year-old who now calls Miri in Sarawak home, used to be a national wushu master, quite at home with yielding swords and spears, before yielding to the allure of the dance hall.

Chua was among several Malaysian athletes such as former synchronised swimmer Jovial Lim and former gymnast Tengku Noor Fathima Zaharah, who have found a niche in the dance world - cleverly blending agility and sporting aptitude to dance their way to stardom. Chinese martial arts have always been a part of Chua's life. It is a discipline he has excelled in for more than 10 years during which he also represented Malaysia and Sarawak in wushu. However, for a career, Chua chose dancing. After years of training, he is now a qualified full-time Latin dance instructor. His crossover has been a journey filled with adventure and excitement as his dancing has taken him around the world like his success as a martial arts exponent had.

Chua started dancing in 2005 with the encouragement of his parents - father Chua Kian Hong and mother Chiam Poh Huay, who are themselves social dancers. He turned pro in 2008 after meeting his current partner Evon Chong, also from Selangor (Kajang) who in turn, introduced him to competitive dancesport. They have not looked back since. On 26 February 2011, Chua and Evon, the reigning MYDF national champions, left for China to train in the Angel Dance School outside of Guangzhou. The one-year training will be completing soon, and they hope to return and impart their dancing skills in Malaysia. (Borneo Post)

Learning To Belly Dance - Tips & Ideas

If you are new to belly dancing and would like to try for the first time, you may be wondering where you should start from. The advice is to start learning belly dance from a teacher because, although there are many good instructional DVDs around and books about belly dancing, it is always better to get direct feedback from a teacher to make sure that the movements you are doing are correct. You can easily look online to find a belly dance class close to you. Also, belly dance classes can be advertised on local press or through leaflets in the local area.

In order to start belly dancing, you do not need much: just comfortable clothes, such as a long and wide skirt or stretch jazz pants; a short top with good support and a scarf to tie around your hips. There are a lot of belly dance hip scarves with coins or beads around for sale, but if you are just starting, any light scarf tied around your hips will do. Also, belly dancing is done barefooted, so you will not need to buy any type of dance shoes. If your feet are cold, you can use soft ballet shoes or non-slippery socks.

Some types of exercise you can integrate with belly dance are Pilates, as it helps to strengthen the core muscles and it helps with body isolations, or yoga for strength and balance. So why not try now this entertaining and beautiful art form. Belly dance is good for fitness, it improves self confidence and most important of all is fun! (www.worldbellydancer.org)

Gotta Dance? Swing It Over

There are swinging parties in Manhattan nearly every night. The trick is in knowing where to find them. Take a recent Thursday: Sandwiched between a Blarney Stone and a liquor shop on Eight Avenue just south of Penn Station and up four flight of stairs was a scene invisible to most New Yorkers. Wild and sweaty, loud and crowded, it featured scores of smiling, ever-shifting couples energetically executing the kinetic choreography of the Lindy Hop, the Charleston, the Jitterbug, the Balboa, the Carolina Shag. They danced East Coast and West Coast styles and bluesy New Orleans freestyle.

This party, the Frim Fram Jam, is a weekly event organized by the local chapter of a national swing dance network called Yehoodi, after "Who's Yehoodi (Yehudi)?," a song popularized by Bob Colloway. Held at a studio called You Should Be Dancing and drawing more than 150 people a week, the Frim Fram Jam is a popular destination withing a throbbing, urban subculture: Manhattan's swing dance demimonde. The scene is the recent revival of a phenomenon that stated quietly in New York in the mid-1980s, waxed and then waned and then grew popular again in the decades that followed until the best swing dance spots were forced to close for lack of revenue in the new century.

Now enjoying a renaissance that began around three years ago, the current swing dance milieu consists of a network of clubs, events, instructors, dancers, DJs and bands. It is characterized by its own celebrities, etiquette and conventions, and enabled by social networking, particularly the New York City Swing Dance Group of MeetUp.com and Yehoodi.com. This scene is scored by composers whose names form the spine of the Great American Songbook: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Isham Jones and of course, Cab Collaway. (NYT)

Related Post

> Jive And American Swing Dances - The Similarites And Differences (Article 048)

4 Popular Belly Dance Styles

Belly dancing originated from the Middle East and as such there are many different forms of styles that have developed in different countries and regions. The most popular and recognized style is Cabaret/Egyptian that is glitzy and flamboyant, however there are several other styles that are becoming more popular around the wold.

1. Zambra Mora - Zambra Mora is a form of belly dancing that is infused with flamenco dancing. Not only does it use Middle East styles but the music is played on Spanish instruments such as guitar. Today Zambra Mora is famed for its chest circles and shimmies as well as the posturing associated with flamenco dancing.

2. Khaleeji - Originating in the Arabic peninsula, Khaleeji is different from the styles that are favoured in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Instead of hip movements, Khaleeji focuses on foot movement and as well as spinning. There is also a lot of movement in the upper torso and shoulders, allowing the dancers to toss their hair from side to side.

3. American Tribal Dancing - American tribal Dancing was founded in California, USA in the 1970's and is performed in groups as opposed to solo dancers. The group's head leads the dance signalling moves to the others via hand signals. Props are also used such as finger cymbals and even swords!

4. Gothic Belly Dancing - the bright colours of belly dancing may not be something that would have an immediate association with Gothic styles, but over the years a form of Gothic Belly Dancing has evolved. Known for their intensity, Gothic Belly Dancing incorporates elements of life and death to its styles making for a trance-like dance that utilises the styles of both the East and the West. (www.worldbellydancer.org)

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!

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.

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

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."

Flash Mob Glee In JB

Shoppers at the KSL City shopping complex in Johor Bahru yesterday were surprised when about 150 fellow shoppers suddenly performed a synchronised dance in front of them. The flash mob danced to a hip hop dance song, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. The event organizer Lai Jia Yan, 26, said the activity was to promote street performing among youths in the state of Johor. "This is our third stop after we did the same routine at Sutera Mall and City Square, both also in JB. Our purpose is to encourage youths to express themselves in public through healthy activities such as dancing."

"We promoted the event through our Facebook page, where our followers learnt the dance moves through a video clip pasted on the group's page," Lai enthused. Lai, a lecturer, said the followers would then meet and dance at a random place and time posted on the page. "When we started the event in Batu Pahat a month ago, we only had about 30 participants, and I am happy that the number of participants have grown," she exclaimed, adding the participants were between 7 and 40 years old. Participant Tan Seok Yeow, 24, said he previously watched such flash mob events on the Internet. (The Star)

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 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. 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. (Wikipedia)

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.

Related Post

> Chace Crawford To Star In Remake Of "Footloose"

Waltz With Love 2011

On the evening of July the 16th, 376 Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) students literally waltzed in to the Malaysia Book Of Records at the Utar Perak Campus in Kampar. Led by Wincent Ch'ng, the students took six months to organise the gargantuan record breaking event. The large cafeteria at the Student Pavilion was converted into a ballroom for the event.

Themed "Waltz With Love 2011", the evening started with a series of performances by students before 188 couples took their positions and moved synchronously and gracefully to David Cook's waltz piece, The Times Of Our Lives, for the feat. "It's good to see undergraduates nowadays being so proactive, and this reflects their strong commitment towards the university" said Malaysia Book Of Records official Zul Hairi, after presenting the certificate for the largest participation in a waltz dance to Wincent to confirm the record.

"Waltz is not a culture in Malaysia. I'm really happy to see so many Utarians who are brave enough to step out of the norm (to participate in the event)," said Wincent. "I'm very pleased to know that our undergraduates can work together to achieve something of this magnitude," said Utar vice-president (Student development And Alumni Relations) Dr Teh Chee Seng. (The Sun)

F&N Big Fun Fest 2011

Tourists and shoppers who came as spectators turned into performers and all had a great time dancing at the busy intersection of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur as hundreds of motorists whizzed past the area. Despite the Sunday afternoon drizzle, tourists and even some local teenagers were thrilled with the use of multi-media technology "augmented reality" to enhance the feeling of participation in the F&N Big Fun Fest 2011 preview. The Big Fun Fest is back for the second year running and this time with the aim of introducing the biggest dance flash mob in Malaysia with the use of augmented reality.

F&N is blurring the line between the virtual and real worlds, with the integration of realtime interactive graphics into a live video stream. In doing so, passive shoppers passing by the busier parts of Kuala Lumpur get roped in as active performers. It enables the people to interact with characters in their own environment. F&N Malaysia brand marketing assistant general manager Jenny Wong said the screen was placed strategically at the intersection and this allowed passers-by to experience and interact with augmented reality dancers in a specially choreographed dance. It will be performed by a flashmob on July 23 at the same intersection.

Wong explained that augmented reality referred to a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment that contained elements augmented by computer-generated sensory input, such as graphics. "As a result, the technology enhances one's current perception of reality. In contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one," she said. "We want everyone in the Bukit Bintang area walking past the screen to learn the moves and join us in creating the biggest flashmob the city has ever seen," she added. (NB: the flashmob performance on July 23 has been postponed to a date to be announced later) ( The Star)

Poco Poco Gets Okay

Malaysians will be allowed to perform a controversial "poco-poco" line dance after top clerics ruled that its benefits to health outweigh concerns about taste and decency. The decision came after a mufti in the predominantly Muslim nation outlawed the dance in his state, saying it amounted to cult practices and that its crossed-shaped movements was associated with Christianity. However, Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the country's National Fatwa Council said Islamic clerics had decided against a ban, paving the way for its free use.

"If they can adhere to the regulations...and if it can bring about positive impact to the health, then we have no objection on that matter," he was quoted by Bernama news agency after chairing a special meeting Friday. Muslim women, however, have been reminded to not wear sexy clothes or mix freely with men while dancing. Harussani Zakaria, an elderly mufti from the state of Perak declared the "poco-poco" dance violated Islamic law and banned it. Regardless of the Fatwa Council's decision the dance will remained banned in Perak as matters pertaining to Islam are covered by local law.

In Malaysia, many adults and children take part in the dance, which is considered a recreational activity to keep fit. More than 60 percent of the nation's 28 million population are Muslim Malays and other faiths have expressed concerns of creeping Islamisation in this multi-racial country. Norazliza Alias, a dance instructor said her students were mainly women who just "love to sweat with poco-poco movements and music. The dance I teach is not linked to any religion. My clients really have fun, with mothers bringing in their sons and daughters to join in," she said.

Clerics Ban Poco Poco Dance

Islamic clerics in a Malaysian state want Muslims to avoid a dance they claim has Christian influences.

The "poco poco" is a line dance that is common in social events in Muslim-majority Malaysia. It is widely thought to have originated in Indonesia.

Islamic scholars in Malaysia's Perak state say they believe the "poco poco" is traditionally a Christian dance and that its steps make the sign of the cross.

State cleric Harussani Idris Zakaria said Friday the scholars have issued an edict forbidding the dance. It is not clear if other states will ban it.

Some Muslims insist the ban is unnecessary. Malaysian clerics have also banned yoga for Muslims and barred girls from behaving like tomboys, but the edicts are not legally binding. (AP)

Passion Of Buenos Aires

Experience Argentine tango when the Passion of Buenos Aires comes to Kuala Lumpur. The festival aims to let this beautiful dance of the heart foster goodwill, happiness and harmony among the participants. For many, dance has become a passion. It lifts the spirit, exercises the body and mind and allows one to enjoy the company of others in a genial way.

The festival will be held in the Annexe Gallery in Central Market. Supported by the Embassy of Argentina, the festival continues to attract more tango enthusiasts in its fourth year. The tango maestros attending the festival are Marcelo Gutierez and Johana Cessiecq, Pablo Nievas and Valerie Zunino, and Stefano Fava. The pace of the festival will be relaxed with emphasis on instruction and fun. 

Workshops will be conducted from April 22 to 24, from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm with two sessions daily. Every night there will be milongas (social tango dance parties) and Saturday night will be  'Tango Tradisi' the Gala Dinner and Dance, where the three pairs of instructors will delight the crowd with their performances. The milongas and 'Tango Tradisi', held at the ballroom of the Raintree Club are open to the public.  (The Star)

Dine And Dance For Earth Hour

Whether dancing in the dark or having a nice dinner by solar-powered light, choose to reduce your energy consumption during Earth Hour on March 26. To mark the occasion, WWF Malaysia will be organizing a huge dance event called "Dance In The Dark" at Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya. Participants will take part in the 'flashmob' and dance to the Paul Simon song The Lion Sleeps Tonight at the Oasis Boulevard from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm.

WWF Malaysia communications unit manager Suan Tan said it had initiated the "Live Green: One Switch At A Time" pledge, which aims to promote sustainable living beyond just Earth Hour. "Those who purchase an Earth Hour T-shirt and sign our pledge will get a free glow-in-the-dark armband," she said, adding that all proceeds will go to WWF Malaysia's conservation work.

Meanwhile, those without dinner plans should head over to Ikea for some Swedish meatballs whilst dining by the light of its Sunnan solar-powered table lamp. All proceeds collected during Earth Hour will also be donated to WWF Malaysia's conservation and outreach efforts. The Ikea building facade and external lights will be turned off from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. (Sourced from The Star)

Flashmob Dance For Charity

Inspired by the Girl Effect movement spreading around the world, Malaysian teenager Aisyhy Vimal will perform flashmob dances in four venues in the Klang Valley to raise funds for the movement created by the Nike Foundation. Her first flashmob dance will take place on March 31 at 8.00 pm at Starbucks in Bangsar Village 2 in Kuala Lumpur, and one of the sponsors is Live & Inspire magazine, said Aisyhy, 14, a performing arts student at a dance academy. Also confirmed is a performance at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya on April 20. Two other shows are likely to take place at Pavilion KL and at Bangsar Village 2 again.

In a flash mob dance which is particularly popular in the United States, a group of strangers breaks into a dance spontaneously and when the music stops, the dance also stops and the crowd disperses. "I started thinking about doing something for the less-fortunate while doing my geography homework when I learnt that 80% of the world's population live in poverty," said Aisyhy, who credits her mother and elder sister for encouraging her. "Then I came across this organization called Girl Effect which encourages teenage girls to help the poverty-stricken in the developing world."

Girl Effect receives financial and intellectual contributions from NoVo Foundation and Nike Inc and its key partners include the United Nations Foundation and Coalition for Adolescent Girls. "For 14-year-0lds like me, the hardest thing is passing our school exams but there are many unfortunate girls our age who are victims of child labour, child marriages, teen pregnancies and unwanted diseases," said Aisyhy who has also created a Facebook page which has generated a growing fan base. Her page can be viewed at facebook.com/girleffect.flashmob. (Sourced from The Malay Mail).

Related Post

> Flash Mob Dance Craze Hits Malaysia