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TAIWAN FUN MAGAZINE, January 2003.

Cover Story :

These boots were made for dancing

By Donovan Smith

      A few months back, I did something wildly out of character. I started attending a dance class to impress my girlfriend. When I mentioned this to friends, their rampaging mirth contorted their faces into something resembling tortured beets. Admittedly, they were more than a little justified in their amusement, as I have dance skills that only the Taliban could appreciate.

      But, while I lumbered about like an ox with a smack problem, an odd thing happened--I started to enjoy myself. As the steps became second nature, a liberation of sorts took place. I became absorbed in the motions, neither fully conscious nor unconscious of my actions. The line between willing my actions and my body simply carrying me forward became fuzzy and indistinct and, for one hour a week, I became totally disconnected from normal life.

      The reasons that people take up dance vary widely; some for very good reasons, some for reasons even sillier than my own. Many women pick up dance to become more graceful; many men pick up dance to pick up women. Some are trying to lose weight, while some want to impress their friends. Others have loftier goals of artistic self expression.

      Professional dancers like Brook Hall (¦ó«T§Æ), who live for dance, take it a step further, exalting in "finding limitations of the body and testing limits". But, in the end, those that stick with it have the same reason: the sheer joy and release it inspires.

     In this article, we'll introduce you to the forms of dance that are available to beginners in Taiwan. Until fairly recently, the most widely available option in Taiwan was ballroom dance. In the beginning, these dances were a mainstay of European upper-class social activities. No self-respecting lord or lady was without a ballroom in their home for hosting grand fetes and social events. Classic ballroom dancing remains a formal affair, both in terms of dancing style and the appropriate attire--nice dresses for the women and tails for the men.

      Nowadays, these erstwhile dance styles of the rich and famous have evolved into a competitive sport, although I doubt we'll soon see any headlines like "Ballroom Hooligans Riot: Wild Waltzers Bash Tango Toughs!". Much of what is taught in classrooms is geared towards preparing for these competitions, and no studio is without pictures and trophies attesting to past glories.

      Classic ballroom styles like the Waltz and Foxtrot retain a certain classiness and stiff grandeur. Over the last century, ballroom began to incorporate new Latin dances like Tango, Cha-Cha, Mambo and Rhumba and modified them to suit ballroom sensibilities. These dances are a bit more dramatic and daring than the classics, and the clothing even more so--these are the folks in the sequined shirts open to the navel and slinky dresses.

      In Taiwan, these Latin ballroom dances have recently led to an upsurge in interest in "authentic" Latin dance styles. An Argentinian Tango association recently opened in Taipei, discos and gyms are touting "Latin dance classes", and several Cuban and South American-themed pubs/dance halls have opened around the island. Unlike the formal and competative Latin Ballroom dances, Latin dance is still very much a real part of Latin culture and social life. For many South Americans, knowing how to Samba or Tango "comes with the passport".

     Latin dance styles are sexy and passionate. By Northern European and Asian standards, much of Latin dance is overtly sexual and risque, the biggest barrier for many to overcome in learning these styles. Sometimes all that heat is a bit much for jealous partners. For others, the passion is the attraction, as it feels more authentic and exciting. For a little spice in one's life, Latin is hard to beat.

      Bridging the gap between Latin South America and North America is Salsa, which has gained a lot of recent attention. Salsa originated in New York City, Cuba and Puerto Rico. As people moved back and forth between the two, they fused Latin styles and American Swing. The key is what is called the "Cuban hip movement", which is not easy for stiff folks like me to master.

      North American dance styles are also big in Taiwan right now, with the biggest dance clubs on university campuses usually the hip hop & breakdance hang-outs. In a change from dance norms, these clubs often attract as many or more males than females. These styles are not only perceived as "cool" and acceptably masculine, but are equally useful for performing on stage (or in a music video) or for dancing at a disco or party. Males also respond well to the testosterone-fueled beats and lyrics that define Hip Hop music. To my eye, at least, there is a bit of a war-dance aggressiveness to some Hip Hop movements.

      Hip hop is not the only style to be defined by a beat. The same canb e said for Tap. Last year's popular craze was Riverdance-style Irish Tap and, although it has dropped from popular view, the number of people learning this style has continued to grow as more teachers become available. This has led to an increased interest in the two American styles of tap, the traditional Rhythm Tap and Broadway Tap.

     Irish and Rhythm Tap have much in common. In both cases the dancer is as much a musical instrument as a dancer, a kind of human drum. There is little upper body movement in either style, and both are social activities in origin. Rhythm Tap descends from American slaves, whose frightened masters took away their traditional drums. After slavery ended, the tradition continued in "hoofing clubs" where groups of men pounding out beats togethor for fun. In the vaudeville era, the two styles met up, with the Irish and American tappers often competing in showing off their foot-pounding prowess. In the end, they ended up influencing each other's styles.

      The most famous style of Tap is Broadway Tap, made popular by the likes of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Broadway Tap was developed for song and dance shows and mixes Rhythm Tap with upper body movements taken from Ballet and Jazz.

      Though not widely known, Taiwan has a few masters in Tap and Jazz, with the oldest learning their skills directly from American GIs stationed in Taiwan. The presence of this local institutional knowledge (even if small) is a great boon to students hoping to take up either Tap or Jazz (see sidebar).

      Jazz and Broadway tap are strongly "performance-oriented" styles, developed specifically for popular entertainment. Ballet and Modern dance are also performance-oriented styles; as far as I know neither style has ever been popular at parties. Most modern dance terminology is derived from Ballet, which reveals its massive influence on all that followed. Ballet requires incredible strength and discipline. It isn't about being natural or being yourself or finding your inner rhythm; it's about transforming the human form into an instrument of grace, beauty and power. The rigid forms and lines are all about striving for perfection, to ascend to something beyond ourselves. Undoubtedly that is how the multitude of tiny tutu-clad tots would would describe their reasons for taking ballet lessons.Modern, in many ways, evolved as a reaction to the rigidity of ballet. Modern intentionally breaks the lines, smashes down barriers and freely borrows movements from any form of dance or even daily life that the choreographer chooses. Even other art forms are brought in, from video to music to sculpture and even paint.

     Modern is all about expression and is often self-consciously artistic. The stereotype of Modern is a group of pretentious women rolling around on the floor, striking poses and moaning and groaning, and in the hands of a poor choreographer, that is all too often the case. In the hands of a good choreographer, however, Modern is truly amazing to behold--entertaining, powerful, emotional and challanging.

      Taiwan has some strong Modern dance troupes, and a strong (if small) group of seriously talented professionals. Taipei's Cloud Gate Theatre is probably the most famous, but Taichung's Ultimate Body - Energy Theatre's mixture of Eastern martial arts with modern dance has also won international plaudits.

      Now you know what has been and what is hot now, what's on the horizon? The chief barrier to the popularity of many forms of dance is a dearth of teachers. Of the styles available now, ballroom is making a comeback, especially now that several Taiwanese have started to rank well in international competitions.

     Riding a wave of popularity in Japan, Flamenco is starting to attract some attention here in Taiwan. Derived from a blend of Gypsy, Flemish and North African influences, Flamenco reached full flower in Spain. It has been described as a "Ph.D. program for rhythm" and is extremely difficult to master. Each town in Spain has its own style, which is learned from childhood. More likely to catch on is Flamenco's simpler cousin, Sevillanas, which is merely difficult.

      Two trends that have been riding high in the West and may break on these shores are Capoeira and Swing. Capoeira is a mix of Brazilian dance and martial arts, and is especially popular with the fitness set. Swing (think WWII GIs swirling and twirling women in skirts and tight sweaters around to high-paced jazz) enjoyed a revival in the 1990's in America but, like Capoeira, there aren't many teachers around to kick-start a movement...yet.

      For an excuse to momentarily escape into a different world while getting some exercise, dance offers up a lot of options and styles to suit many different tastes. Quite possibly there's a sequined shirt or slinky dress with your name on it out there somewhere..

     In Taichung there are plenty of options for the aspiring student. The people at Salsa Cubana (392, HuaMei St.; tel: 04-2319-2436, www.salsa.com.tw), whose team advised on this article, have both a studio area and a dance floor as well as three excellent teachers: Brook Hall (Tap, Flamenco/Sevillanas, Salsa), Cynthia Hung (Ballroom, Salsa) and Andy Witt (Salsa, Zouk, Samba). My own teacher, He Shi-Yun's studio for ballroom (98-5, Taichung Kang Rd, Sec. 3; tel: 04-2463-1463). Shih Chi-Chih's Ultimate Body-Energy Theatre (260, YingTsai Rd, B1; tel: 04-2205-1140) has classes in Modern, Folk & Ballet. Located downtown and featuring Ballet, Folk, Jazz and Tap is Mian Mian Dance Class (43, SzYou Rd., sec. 2, 5F; tel: 04-2220-5061). There are many more options, especially for ballroom, and these can be found in the phone book. Additionally, many universities have dance clubs worth checking out.