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Strictly Ballroom By Ken Lin Translated by Patricia Li

       If you think ballroom dancing is no longer "in", think again.

       You may not catch me out on the ballroom floor (my friends say I'm too "up tight"), but there are plenty of people who enjoy ballroom dancing. Like the cha cha. Just ask anyone at the famous pub Funky (10, HangZhou S Rd., sec 1, B1, TEL: 02-2394-2162) where fashionable young dancers line themselves up on weekend nights while the DJ pumps up the volume. They rarely miss a beat as they cha cha away, resembling marching troops in a National Day Parade.

Foreign friends who witness this scene remark, "What a fascinating thing!" or "I've never seen anything like it!" I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Why, the cha cha is just a thing of the past, I thought. That is, until I went to the ballroom dance party in London's BJ's White Swan.

       I felt the same rush as my foreign friends. At first glance, the party seemed like any other. The crowd appeared conservative, all dressed up in their Sunday's best. But these folks weren't coming from Church. They came to dance! As the night wore on, the club filled and some serious dancing began.

       Once the music started up, I realized that this hip crowd wasn't amateur. Everyone had taken lessons with hours of practice. And, they were good. They knew all the steps to the cha cha, tango and rumba. I was dumbfounded.

Can you imagine row upon row of men ballroom dancing? They were smooth, intoxicated by the music. And, everyone was in sync from the toss of their head, the kick of their heels to the look in their eyes. Mesmerizing! This was the first time that I recognized ballroom dancing as something beautiful.

       I finally realized what my foreign friends were getting at. Ballroom dancing is amazing. Check it out - you'll be amazed, too!