[Episode 1: An Idiot’s Guide to Latino Salseros in KL]
Hola!! Puerto Rican? Cuban? Latinos in FT?? In KL there's no stranger nor home-sick, only a correct place to find. You must be joking, buddy, but yes I knew abot tachos and peri-peri chicken in FT – the hot and spicy ones! But this one is BLAZING hottt[er], my fren. So move away, chiken wings! Make way for our own-bred Salseros!
 A friend – a full-time choreographer – invited me for a peep to his dancing class – Salsa A Playa. What?? I know a ‘dance’ when people move awkwardly, make fool of themselves to the music, and err the crowd. I know ‘dancing’ when I smirked to ‘So you Think You Can Dance’*, or local-styled ‘Mari Berdansa’ that were on air. I love music, well-passed my time in Zouk and all, but dance isn’t my thing. Full-stop!
Somehow I was lured. I got nothing to do last Wednesday’s nite, and why not I gave a bit of support. Bukit Bintang was packed as usual. The place was Bossanova. Hidden one floor down the lobby of Park Royal BB, it was like an ordinary eatery – Western buffet or ala carte, or selection of drinks – plus a diminutive 8 x 5 ft stage with a nice-layered dance floor and disco-ball hung steadily – accompanied with terrific moving lighting and a sound system and Marshall speaker. Nice!
 Mr Latinoshylitoz – a shy guy as he claimed – introduced me to his student that nite, Ms A – an expatriate wife. That weekly/by appointment class was normally attended by a long-time registered student/s whom needed to keep their balancing right from time to time, and Ms A was one of few. With just a minimal charge, Mr Latinos was looking for new students as well, as I agreed that the floor should be filled by KL citizens – simply because it’s a nice activity in a nice and cozy surrounding, better than the echoed-mirrored studios I have been to, and you wouldn’t be much embarrassed in this place as your body relax…
A well-known activist in the circle, represented Malaysia during the Salsa congress the earliest, the man looked like a pure Havana immigrant if not by a clear lighting. His love to Salsa was built in years, sweat and many adventures. And his previous students consisted of many nationalities, but it was the local talents whom inspired him most. “Malaysian ‘bodies’ were made to dance,” he whispered. He dressed up occasionally, but it was Ms A whom my eyes err, glued. Stiletto-ed, scantily dressed with bling and neck-line deeper than Sg Klang’s bottom, her dark-tone flesh was obvious in many parts. Came 9.30 so he put a CD, and off they darted the central arena. I hold my breath – an analogy to watching a matador Saturday’s fight …
“It’s showtime, Salsaros!!” I yelled. The music started in harmony. I heard beats. More beats. Then slowly Bukit Bintang I knew of was disappearing, replaced by a scene in any Latinos film or Bond movies. Without alarm, they moved in rhythm.
  The feet were quick. The hands were fast. Up. Down. Left. Right. So many spins. So many sins- aha! One couldn’t look at the hands, or the feet simultaneously, as they were everywhere. The dancers moved anywhere they liked. Like nobody cared to watched. They had the world to themselves. At one moment they smiled, only later be serious at another. Waist to waist. Hand to hand.
He added his silky moves with a humour, and the lady danced well to his unprecedented break. “I had to guess quickly, you see..” later she told me. Well a pop-quiz was a good teacher would do to his students, rite? And many time I saw so many sexy moves – not off that flashing clothes – but merely because the two-second intimate touching or stares, and even a simple smile look soo, err inviting! But deep inside a cultured man would know between pornography and art, and by that I started to fall in love with the dance …
I was alone. Salsa is a duo act. So I just watched and admired. My dinner was left untouched. Four dances and they arrived at the seats. Sweat. But Happy. The air still filled with Mi Terra by Gloria Estefan. Between breathes he said that he taught his students ‘to feel’ as a prerequisite – not just move -, and any KAYU or KENGKANG would do wonders after a few personal classes...
When the lady left, I had a chance to preview the solo maestro alone on the dance floor - an on1 masterpiece-; giving out 20-min live lesson entitled An Idiot Guide to Salsa. Simply awesome and supercool…
Up until midnite we sat and talked off many things, later I learnt a lot about that piece of ‘foreign art’; a bit of history in form of pure kinetics entertainment, escapism, nationalism, sense of belonging or a walk down in memory lane. As I left BossaNova, the road was quiet to its standard – surprisingly listening to my hymn of the tempo. Definitely KL people – Malaysian or foreigners – should flock this place next time around!, I murmured to myself later…
[Episod 2: Between Nachos and Cigar or Marihua**, I choose Salsa!]
“Come to LunaBar on Saturday’s nite,” Ms A left with an invitation to both of us. “And mind that new Salsa Havana is launching on the 25th this month. They acquired a bigger lot in Star Hill, next to Zouk,” she said it seriously. Suddenly it came to my senses the evergreen household names like El Nino, Q-Bar and Rouge, with SalsaHavana in Federal Hotel was a mecca to the converts. I figured that KL is no less Latin in her soul, rite?
Where to learn? Yes BossaNova wasn’t alone in offering a touch of Cuban in Kuala Lumpur, there are many other established classes to choose from – in KL proper or TTDI or Hartamas - he said, mentioning that he didn’t mind of giving extra free hours though...
Well there’s an exhausted list of webs adds, but I must say the cyberworld is still the best way for any beginners. A quick stop at Borders MV yesterday enlightened me to few limited titles, but I found my fav book ‘Social Dance Guide’, as it combines all popular dances in brief, but so comprehensive in basic – PLUS a Cd. [I put it back on the shelf for the price of RM91!] but I will check out Kino or popular later. Mr Latinos laughed at me, and sms’ed that he’d show me the best place to find a guide CDs or books - I’d tell you then. For now, just started to memorize the rhythm, take few foot-courses and fantasize about, err latinos singer you knew! hehe.
[Episode 3 : Projet UNImmobilise KL]
Coincidently, it’s a dancing time for people of FT. Why? Yes we have Latin clubs, we have local tv features a nice program – and for charity! – but I guess this is the first time a govt body endorsing a DANCE in a big way!
Have you heard of Tarian 1Malaysia? Well Ministry of Tourism now have popularized their much anticipated All-in-1 national-multicultural activity in a form of a DANCE, and not only it portrays the best of Malaysian multi-races’ elements in an approachable manner, people now would have choices instead the passé poco-poco moves that took the country by storm. A subtle-good way to avoid another clash of heritage among nations! hehe
Well, the dancing class [KL Sunday Family Fair] started back in months in MATIC, Jalan Ampang, and was well-received to some quarters. But noworries, if you think you wanna have a peek, logon to http://www.motour.gov.my/ or simply GO to dataran Merdeka TOMORROW [Sunday 6 Dec @ 7.30 am]. A good exercise for health, a fun time for each individual-self, a unique way to immortalize our heritage, and MORE, an activity for the whole family especially for this season of long-lazy-cuti sekolah! Bring along yo kids, okay! Bailamoss!
 Labels: XTVT |
