Sensual,
Sexy, Sizzling!
 It's
shake your bon-bon time, baby! And not just 'cos hot bods like Ricky
Martin and Jennifer Lopez are vigorously shaking theirs. Music,
dance, fashion and all things Latin are sending temperatures soaring
with its fiery rhythm and passion. Don't get left out in the cold
while the rest of the world salsa, samba and otherwise steam up
the dance floors. Put on one of these dancing queen acts and boogie
the night away!
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By Tanny
Chia
<eastciti.com, september 15>
Sensual
Tango
 Remember
the scene from the movie, Scent Of A Woman, where a blind Al Pacino
led beautiful Gabrielle Anwar in a sultry dance routine while a
hushed audience watched mesmerised? The crisp footwork and aristocratic
elegance of the tango haunted me back then in 1993, and returned
to cast its spell when I recently dropped in on a class at the Singapore
Art Museum. Despite the jumble of footwork and lost coordination
(the students were mostly beginners), the quiet poise of Tango was
not easily lost. In fact, once the students got the basic posture
(chin up, back straight, feet pointed straight ahead) down pat,
even the novices looked elegant while sweeping around the dance
floor with their partners.
 Hollywood
may have been overdoing it a little, but according to instructor
Kace Wong, it's really possible for a blind man to do the tango
as the dance involves feelings more than anything. The technique,
too, is not difficult to pick up - the basic step is the la Caminata
or The Walk. Get this right and you will find it easy to do the
basic cuadrado (square) pattern with a partner. As with most other
Latin dances, the male leads the female in this 6-step sequence,
tracing out a small square around the room (thus the name).
More
complicated sequences are often variations of this basic. Forget
loosening your hips on the hula-hoop before this class though -
the Tango does not get its smouldering sultriness from the swivelling
of your behind. Instead, the sizzle comes from the passionate embrace
of the partners, whose faces are pressed intimately close and whose
entwined bodies ravish the dance floor in rhythm. Both tango dance
and music evoke feelings not of wild abandon, a la Jennifer Lopez,
but that of frustrated love (think Romeo and Juliet in dance). Not
surprising, considering that the style evolved from Argentina's
underbelly where prostitutes danced out their bleak relations with
their pimps in this 'dance of sorrow'.
 Dancing
Queen act:
The sleazy roots
of tango notwithstanding, no other Latin dance even comes close
to oozing the same kind of sensual femininity and elegance. Slip
on your strappy heels, sexy evening dress (yes, that with the plunging
back and thigh-high slit so absolutely essential for freedom of
movement) and red, red lipstick and get ready for an evening of
passion and romance with your chosen partner.
Venue:
Singapore Art Museum (332-3677) holds Tango
classes every last 2 Wednesdays of the month. Cost is at $10person,
registration at the door.
Sexy
Salsa
 Not
even when the lambada took the world by storm has a dance become
such a worldwide phenomenon. Salsa hits top the music charts ever
so often and salsa clubs and bars are springing up in all the hottest
cities. Even artistes with not a drop of Latin blood in them are
taking to doing the salsa to boost their appeal. Maybe it's got
something to do with the dance making a sexy siren out of anyone
who does it (now, how could you not look even a tad seductive when
every step of salsa you take swings your hips side-to-side oh so
saucily?). Or perhaps it's because the dance looks sexy without
appearing vulgar, like the lambada does.
 Either
way, salsa is definitely catching on in Singapore as evidenced by
the 30 or so Jennifer and Enrique wannabes in the salsa class at
Jitterbugs in Orchard Point. It helped that instructor Lionel Araya
is a true-blue Latin American who salsas with an easy swagger and
makes the learning such fun that initially bashful students were
soon swaying their hips with nonchalance, 2 left feet notwithstanding.
The largely free form also makes it an easy crowd-pleaser. The basic
step is much like walking - step backward with your right leg, close,
step forward with your left, close - and does not look like much,
initially. But put a little swing into your hips, step in rhythm
to the lively music, toss your hair a bit and there you have it
- a passable Ms Lopez impersonation. Salsa is traditionally danced
with a partner (that's when the sparks fly) but if you don't have
one, go to class anyway - the guys are 'rotated' so you will get
your turn.
Dancing
Queen act:
 Compared
to many other forms of dance, salsa is less structured and formal
and more open to improvisation. Tog up any way you want, almost
anyway. The key is to look casual yet effortlessly sexy. That means
to toss the hairspray in favour of the wind-blown look, put on denim
rather than leather, and chuck the ruby red lipstick in favour of
the soft mocha. And don't forget heels - very essential to adding
extra swivel to your bon-bons.
Venue:
Jitterbugs ( 887-0383) at Orchard Point holds
6-week courses for beginners. A single lesson costs $12 for members
and $18 for non-members. Membership is $50 per annum or $25 for
students and NSF. Call Fen for details on the next class available.
Sizzling
Flamenco
 Flamenco
is surely one of the most underrated dances around, ever. Expressive,
defiant, liberating, and downright fiery, it's a wonder why this
Spanish dance form is still the relative unknown it is here. I would
have remained ignorant had I not gatecrashed a class at Dance Circle
Studios conducted by Rose Borromeo, a former professional dancer
and now the only established flamenco maestra locally. Poised, confident,
yet very warm, Rose is the epitome of what Flamenco stands for.
It was hard not to be inspired by her, especially when accompanied
by the stirring flamenco music, she demonstrated every move with
the haughty strut of a peacock - the very essence of the dance.
Class
that afternoon was almost exclusively comprised Japanese tais-tais,
but I wouldn't have been able to guess from looking at the haughty
women stomping their feet and tossing their buoyant skirts with
flourish. Maybe it's because the dance has its origins in gypsy
culture, where the women are known for their feistiness and free
spirits.
 Or
maybe it's because the dance is rooted in defiance back when Spain's
nomadic immigrants sang and danced about the injustices done to
them by the same upper class who watched their performances without
understanding a word. Whatever the reason, usually reticent Japanese
were transformed during the class into confident and very hot-blooded
women who flirted (albeit to their own reflections) with come-hither
glances, who proudly tilted their chins and gave no heed to bashfulness,
who expressed their anger or happiness by stamping or clapping.
Flamenco may be a traditional dance, but it represents all that
the modern woman is today - take-charge, independent and passionate.
Dancing
Queen act:
 The
dance involves lots of hand movements, stomping of the feet and
periodic tossing of the skirt to accentuate a move or emphasise
a feeling, so dress for freedom. Take a cue from the original dancers
- the gypsies. Long and full brightly-coloured skirts add to the
sizzling charm. Court shoes with solid heels are a must - you don't
want to break your stilettos - as are chilli-red lipstick and loads
and loads of attitude.
Venue:
Dance Circle Studios (472 8143) at Anchorpoint holds classes based
on the Syllabus of the International Spanish Dance Institute. A
single lesson cost $20 for registered students and $25 for non-registered
ones. Annual registration fee is $25.
Do
you have any good Latin dance spots to recommend in Singapore?
>>
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