Have A Sizzling Time At Malaysian World Salsa Congress 2009

Malaysia is all set and ready to host the Malaysian World Salsa Congress 2009 which will be held from May 1 - 3 at the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park & Convention Centre in Petaling Jaya. This event is organized by Salsa Havana Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Sunway Resorts Integrated City. At a press meeting, Simrin Sindhu, director of Salsa Havana said "It's going to be a hot and exciting event with workshops, beach parties as well as the appearances of international deejays. This year's beach party at Surf Beach @ Sunway Lagoon promises to be even bigger and better than the one held last year."

The Malaysian World Salsa Congress is known for its great live Salsa bands and amazing performers from all over the world. Among the many exciting events will be the participation of renowned Salsa dance teams, Imagen Latina, Salsa Y Punto and Sabor Colombia from Latin America. Martina, 10, who is the youngest professional salsa dancer in the world will be taking part as will be performers and instructors from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. A Latin band, Hugo Salcedo & TNT, as well as several international deejays will also be performing at this gathering.

There are numerous workshops ranging from Venezuelan Salsa, Colombian Salsa, Salsa On 1, Salsa On 2 and Cuban Rumba to choose from. Apart from having fun, the organizers said the congress is a good opportunity for Malaysian participants to gain exposure from the international instructors. For more information regarding the Malaysian World Salsa Congress, please log on to www.worldlatinsalsacongress.com or call 6017-3027031. Tickets to the parties at night can be obtained from www.axcess.com.my.

Salsa Havana is a Salsa club that was founded by Venezuelan born salsero Martin Elias Reyes, and it opened for business on July 14 2004 at the 1st Floor, Federal Hotel, 35 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. It is open every day of the week. Besides being a club, Salsa Havana also conducts dance classes in Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Bachatango (a fusion of Bachata and Argentine Tango). For free beginners Salsa and Merengue classes or more information, please check out their website at www.salsahavanakl.com.

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Chace Crawford To Star In Remake Of "Footloose"?

Paramount Pictures Corporation, USA is reportedly on the lookout for a new lead actor to star in a remake of the 1984 dance movie "Footloose" after Zac Efron (pic, right) pulled out of the deal. Zac, a "High School Musical" star, said he's not interested in doing another musical right now. One of the hopefuls who may replace Zac is "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford (pic, left) and who had supposedly auditioned for the role. There has not been any official press release from Paramount yet. The movie remake will be directed by Kenny Ortega and is due for release in the fall of 2010.

Footloose revolves around the story of a teenager, Ren McCormack who was born and raised in Chicago. Ren and his family relocate to a small town in the West where he's in for a real case of culture shock. You see, the town council has banned rock music and dancing! Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance as the senior prom is around the corner. They must however circumvent the law and a bible-thumping pastor who feels it is his God-given mission to keep the town free from the "sins" of rock music and dancing.The movie was based loosely on events that took place in the tiny rural farming community of Elmore City in Oklahoma.

The original movie starred Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack. It featured a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. The fast-paced drama is filled with such great hit songs like "Footloose" by Kenny Logins and "Let's Do It For The Boy" by Deniece Williams. Both these songs reached the number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and received the 1985 Academy Award Nomination for Best Music (Original Song). Footloose also received a 1985 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song - Motion Picture. A musical version of Footloose has also been staged.

Hollywood has always been looking at hit movies of the past for inspiration, hoping to turn them into future blockbusters. In the pipeline are movie remakes of about 40 "cult" films, amongst them "A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Thing, The Birds, Logan's Run, The Dirty Dozen, and Fame". Which begs the question - will Hollywood ever produce a remake of the 1939 classic "Gone With The Wind"? The iconic "Gone With The Wind" has remained as one of the greatest and most popular movies of all times and a remake of this masterpiece would be a tall order and a tough act to follow indeed!

YS Dancesport Centre To Organize 1st Melaka Dancesport Championships 2009

YS Dancesport Centre of Kuala Lumpur will be organizing the 1st Melaka Dancesport Championships 2009. This event is endorsed and supported by the International DanceSport Federation (IDSF), Malaysian DanceSport Berhad (MDSB) and Olympic Council Of Malaysia (OCM). Further information regarding this competition is as follows:-

Date: June 14, 2009 (Sunday)

Venue: Sekolah Menegah Pay Fong, 40 Jalan Tan Chay Yan, Melaka

Events: Ballroom ~ Standard & Latin American - Grade A Open, Grade A Closed Malaysia (National Ranking), Rising Star, Pre-Amateur, Novice, Master 1, Master 2, Junior Under 16, Juvenile Under 12, Beginners (1 Dance), Ladies Event (Latin American only)

Participation: Open To Asian Countries

Closing Date for Entries: May 15, 2009

The results of the Grade A Closed Malaysia event will be used by the MDSB as the National Ranking for the 3rd Asian Indoor Games 2009 to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam and the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China. Competitors taking part in the Grade A events must be members of their respective ISDF member associations. During the evening events, there will be a Latin American showdance performance by SEA Games Gold Medallist Winners, Watchanakorn & M L Warapan of Thailand.

YS Dance Studio which has its main studio at Level 3, Block A-1-5, Menara Uncang Emas (UE 3), 85 Jalan Loke Yew, Kuala Lumpur, was established in 1989 by Y S Lee. It also has a branch studio at 1078 (1st Floor), Taman Bukit Blossom, Jalan Tok Ungku, Seremban, Negri Sembilan. For more information regarding this competition kindly contact, Y S Lee at 012-3844668, Amy Lee at 012-3018668, fax:603-92814668 or email:amy8668@hotmail.com.


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Samba Rhythm's Gonna Get You Dancing

The Latin American Samba or known simply as the Samba has its origins in Brazil. It is however not to be confused with the Brazilian Samba which is the dance of celebration and joy at the Carnival held in Brazil each February. This kind of Samba is very diffferent from the more stylized international version which we are more accustomed to watching and dancing. The Brazilian Samba is danced solo whereas the international (Ballroom) Samba is a dance for couples. It is danced to a "Quick, Quick, Slow &" rhythm using fast three-step weight changes. There is little or no bounce action and the speed or tempo of the music can reach up to 58 bars per minute!

The Samba is a bubbly dance characterized by the use of bounce action and pelvic action. The time signature of the dance is generally 2/4, which means that the rhythm has two beats to one bar of music. There is a musical accent on the first beat of each bar. The tempo of the music can vary from 48-52 bars per minute. Most Samba music is written in two bar phrases. It is desirable and more enjoyable for each figure or group of movements to commence at the beginning of a musical phrase. This is achieved by choosing the correct Precede or Follow to suit the phrasing. The Samba is a dance of contrasting rhythms, and the following rhythms are generally used.

Counts (Alternative method of counting) --- Beat Values

1. 2 (S S) --- 1. 1

1 a 2 (S a S) --- 3/4. 1/4. 1

1 a 2 a 1 a 2 (S a S a S a S) --- 3/4. 1/4. 3/4. 1/4. 3/4. 1/4. 1

1. 2. 3. (No alternative) --- 3/4. 1/2. 3/4

SQQ (1. 2 and) --- 1. 1/2. 1/2

SQQQQQQ (1. 2 and 1 and 2 and) --- 1. 1/2. 1/2. 1/2. 1/2. 1/2. 1/2

QQS (1 and 2) --- 1/2. 1/2. 1

SSQQS (1. 2. 1 and 2) --- 1. 1. 1/2. 1/2. 1

The normal bounce action which is so characteristic of the Samba can briefly be described as a slight straightening of the knees on the first 1/2 of the beat and a slight flexing on the second 1/2 of the beat. There are two beats to a bar in Samba music and two complete bounce actions to the bar. The Samba bounce action should be a gentle rhythmic action felt through the knees, ankles and instep of the leg supporting most of the weight but you must be careful not to exaggerate it. Bounce is not used where there is a "Quick" in the timing of the figure. Bounce action is used on all figures having the count of "1 a 2" ( 3 steps to a bar).


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Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown" Set To Be The Latest Dance Craze

Lyndsey Parker has in her article "Dance Dance De-Evolution:Dumbest Dance Fads" which was posted recently in Video Ga Ga Music Blog mentioned that the latest dance craze or attempt at one is Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown." In case you don't know, The Hoedown Throwdown is a mix of hip hop, popping, locking and shuffle. Parker has also taken a satirical swipe at the fad dances of yesteryears and named the following as the dumbest dance fads:-

The Village People - "YMCA"

MC Hammer - "Too Legit To Quit"

Los Del Rio - "Macarena"

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - "Crank That"

Webstar - "Chicken Noodle Soup"

Las Ketchup - "The Ketchup Song"

Beyonce - "Single Ladies"

Cherish, Lil Jon - "Snapping"

Dem Franchize Boyz - "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It"

Kaoma - "La Lambada"

Vince Neil - "The Chicken Dance"

Poison - "Unskinny Bop"

The Rolling Stones - "Harlem Shuffle"

Bart Simpson - "Do The Bartman"

"Dance Dance De-Evolution:Dumbest Dance Fads" seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest. The article has elicited a deluge of comments on the Video Ga Ga Music Blog. While there were bouquets praising Parker for writing an entertaining piece of article, there were also many brickbats as well. Many of the comments posted were informative, entertaining and funny. I found this comment hilarious: "The Mashed Potatoes, Fly, Jerk (no offense), Swim, Frug, Madison, Limbo, Watusi, Pony, Popeye, Lambada, Stroll, Hustle, Walk, etc - May they rest in peace. Hey, now I feel like dancing!"

Sandy G wrote: "I knew the Macarena was a crap when my grandmother came home from a fat camp for old people asking if we had learned about it yet. Said they did it every day as a form of cardio. It was about a month later that it hit town. Another visitor responded: "The article sure sparked interest though, didn't it? I laughed all the way through it. Great entertainment. Way to light a fire under everyone's butt, you go Lyndsey Parker!" I liked this well-said comment: "These dances are meant to look cool, they are meant to be fun and letting loose and forgetting what the others think of you. Just do it and having fun is what it's all about!"

Fad dances, also known as dance crazes are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity. In the 1960s, the Twist was a sensational fad dance which took the world by storm. Several dance crazes of the Sixties had names of animals like the Pony, Dog and Monkey . In the 1970s the emergence of the disco phenomenon spawned a succession of dance crazes including the Funky Chicken, Bump, Hustle and YMCA. This continued in the 1980s with the popular song "Walk Like An Egyptian", in the 1990s with "Macarena" and into the 2000s with "The Ketchup Song" dance. Yes, having fun is what dancing's all about! Like Nike proclaimed - Just do it!

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