Dateline: Singapore  May 29- June 5, 2006       

                                                    WEEK 1

Arriving from Bali via Garuda 840 to Singapore only took me 2 ½ hours to get to the lion-state once more. The flight was full but nevertheless comfortable. I’ll be working my way through the hustle n’ bustle of city life as I carry on with my activities teaching, partying, meeting friends, planning my agenda and all that stuff, which is so much in contrast with my quiet yet busy life I have in Bali. While both places give me the chance to practice my profession as a tango teacher I can’t help but feel a difference insofar as working condition is concerned. Yes but of course, Singapore just like any other big cities possesses this rat-race character, always on the go, always running after time as compared to the laid-back atmosphere in Bali.

As I was getting into the city, I was already receiving calls from friends and students checking if I’m already in town. It really feels good when you know you have many people especially friends who come looking for you to see if everything’s fine. Yes all’s well my friends and I can’t help but thank you all for the love, concern and support I have been receiving from you. I shall see you in the coming days for lots of action, fun, entertainment, lessons and what have you.

At 7:oo p.m. I finally reached Balmoral where I am staying. Thank goodness my dear friend Thai was home to open the door, otherwise, I would have waited outside if he was not around as this man is a busy buddy. Most times, the two of us will just bump into each other briefly at home, either in the day or at night, as both of us live a hectic life everyday of our lives. Like me, he also moves around the region quite often, as he is the regional coordinator of the Hans Siedel Foundation for Asia.

Barely a few hours yet and I already saw myself headed to the Dalvey Dance Studio to meet Ms. Angeline Jansen for her scheduled lesson tonight. Yes she signed up for a series of private lessons wanting to stockpile inputs into her tango before she flies off to Buenos Aires this July. She’s meeting the Brodie sisters Marguerite and Eleanor in Argentina to experience real tango from its’ birthplace. Clever girl!

I brought her to the usual rounds making her define her role as a follower while I take the lead. It has been my practice to warm-up students first after being out of tango for weeks or maybe months. This way their body muscles are attuned again to work the usual stuffs that they already know. And I find this approach really effective. .Angeline has been taking lessons for over a year now and has made significant and remarkable progress with her dancing considering the many habits to be undone the first time she came for lessons. She now fully understands subtlety of movements without necessarily being stiff and has since overcome some kind of stage fright when she dances on the floor. Call it confidence through sheer knowledge or mastery of the craft, I think is the answer to all these. When one fully understands and knows what he/she is doing, things become of second nature, making the body relax to do every movement in varying modes without causing interference to the flow, thereby achieving smoothness and fluidity to create oneness in connection. This is when dancing becomes a pleasure. And this is now what I see in the way she dances. We did work on several routines and even started introducing her to some tango nuevo elements like the “colgada” and “volcada.”

Ms. Jansen has been a consistently hard worker where her tango is concerned. She is one of the best students in my pool considering that she’s only learned it in less than two years. Now that she’s going to Buenos Aires to know more about the dance and experience it from the nightly “milongas” the city offers, her learning and understanding of tango will certainly improve by leaps and bounds the minute she comes back from her trip. Bon voyage!

On the second day, I met up with Mdm. Bg Pang at 10:oo in the morning. Yes she’s raring to tango as she too signed up for a series of lessons taking full advantage of the remaining days left before she flies to New Jersey on 7 June for a 3-week holiday with daughter Kim and son-in-law Bill who are based there. Bg is a very active woman for her age. Already in her 70’s, she still drives around, does her marketing/grocery chores, plays golf regularly, goes to the gym thrice a week, travels every now and then, plays mahjong on Sundays and dances a lot. This lady has a tremendous amount of energy stored inside her body. I just can’t imagine where she’s getting this energy from. That’s why most times I would hear her complain that she doesn’t get enough sleep at night because her mind is restless thinking of what to do next. But she’s a very lovely lady who loves to tango.

She started taking tango lessons in 2003 when I began my tour de force around the region. Captivated by the magic and sorcery of the Argentinean tango, Bg has since been taking tango lessons with frequency and so much gusto. From a ballroom mindset, she slowly crept her way through trying to understand this art form. Three years after, she’s now got the proper form based on right learning attitude as she is able to switch from ballroom to Argentine tango with so much ease. If this 70 year old lady can do something as significant as this, I don’t see any reason then why others can’t follow this act. Like I said, it all boils down to right learning attitude, keeping an open mind to changes that may arise and welcoming these changes for the betterment of ones craft.

We went through many routines that we use to do and made the necessary corrections from time to time as she’s been out of tango for one month. I gave her some new things to add to her knowledge and was just so pleased to learn all these.

At 5:oo pm I met up with Angeline Jansen and Shirley Tay for their scheduled lessons at Xenbar over at Chinatown. Xenbar is the salsa and tango place in the lion-state. The place is managed by a Singaporean chap named Justin who is very much at the helm over salsa in Singapore. They have “milongas” every Tuesdays and Thursdays and salsa nights for the rest of the week. In fact, he is busy preparing for a salsa festival in December. Touted to be the biggest salsa festival in Asia, top teachers are coming over to conduct workshops and performances for a period of one week. For more details visit www.salsasingapore.com.

While in the thick of things conducting lessons with Ms. Shirley Tay and Angeline, suddenly my phone rang and was amazed to hear a familiar voice from the other end of the line. “Hello is this teacher?” and immediately I figured out who the owner of the voice was. Yes she’s no other than Ni Made Masih of Made’s Warung fame. With her thick Balinese accent there is no denying that she owns that voice. She burst into laughter the minute I recognized who she was. She too is in town together with husband Peter for their regular medical check-up here in Singapore. She invited me for dinner tomorrow as I take them out for a “milonga “at Xenbar. Done deal…

I went through my usual rounds of lessons on my third day. I met up with Bg at 10:oo a.m. and again we had a fantastic session that  saw her doing sudden changes in direction, an element I learned from Gustavo Naveira. Sweet Bg was just too enthusiastic to learn this new concept. Towards early evening I ran two lessons with Shirley and Angeline before I headed off for my scheduled dinner with Peter and Made. I asked them to join me later to bring husband and wife to Zenbar and probably to Club 5.

 At 8:00 p.m. I saw myself headed to Raffles Plaza where Peter and Made are billeted and within a few minutes I saw them popped-out of the blues ready for tonight’s rendezvous. We went to this fantastic Thai restaurant at the 3^rd floor of Raffles City and feasted on the savory delights of Thai cuisine chosen by Peter himself. Peter knows so much about Thai cuisine as he together with his youngest son took special lessons on Thai cooking in Bangkok barely a year ago. Yes they are putting up a Thai section in their restaurant and I just came to find out that the whole family can cook and is in fact very much a hands-on restaurateurs making sure that they themselves do the concoctions for their dishes for purposes of consistency. This could be true if I were to base it on the testimony of Franziska who’s been a long time resident of Bali and she told me that this one dish which she liked so much still taste exactly the same as it was the first time she came to Bali. .So there is no wondering why Made’s Warung still tops the chart insofar as the preferred social eating venue for locals, visitors and tourists for the last forty years.

At 10:oo p.m. we were at Xenbar and so do Angeline and Shirley who arrived at almost the same time with us. I introduced them to each other and became very comfortable as all four speak Bahasa making the camaraderie more fun and exciting because of this common denominator. Several times I would invite Made to dance the tango so she could experience tango-ing in the lion-state.. So that when she goes back to Bali in a few days, she will have stories to tell about her Singapore experience.

We then adjourned to Club 5 over at Plaza Hotel to show them a different kind of action. This time it’s the ballroom flavor and suddenly I saw everyone especially Peter enjoying the ambience. Music from salsa to cha cha, rhumba, swing and many more were played making Peter jump up from his seat to show his dancing prowess with Made. I didn’t realize that he has such a great sense of rhythm more so he could dance. Wow! I must be seeing the other side of the guy as compared to his very contained behavior which I normally see every time I bump into him in the restaurant. As for Made, she is always in her element, never a dull moment, always bubbly, giggling and laughing. She too was having a good time. Husband and wife hit it off very well with my two Singaporean “tangueras” as they exchanged talks and banters all throughout the evening.

At exactly 1:30a.m. Peter and Made have to finally call it a night. We drove them back to Raffles Plaza ending the night’s escapade on a high note.

I was busy with my private lessons and planning my agenda during the remaining days of the week. Bg Pang , who’s US bound in a few days, is always seen taking lessons during the day. In fact there were some nights that we would go out with our dancing friends at Temasek Club and the Upper Club for some action and fun. Ditto with Angeline and Shirley, who would always come together for lessons every time I meet up with them, which makes life easier as we save time shuttling from one place to another if they were to hold the lessons separately.  

On Friday I managed to catch-up with my singing buddies, though very late but nevertheless, I still made it and ended having some fun and good time as I’ve not seen them for almost a month. Good week indeed!!

Dateline: Singapore  June 6-12, 2006  

                                                          WEEK    2

Today is Monday and Ms. Bg Pang leaves for New Jersey at 11:oo a.m. Bon Voyage!

As I was going over my schedule this week, I just realized that I’ve only spent one week in Singapore thinking that I have been here for ages considering the many activities I got into the moment I arrived a week ago. This is what happens usually when things are going simultaneously and one loses track of time, which certainly happens with me quite often. Because of workload and too much focus on the things I’m doing, I am always pondering on the minutes, hours, days and weeks and sometimes months if I need to check on dates and schedule.

But please don’t get me wrong, I am organized and responsible to take charge of my appointments and commitments. It’s just that sometimes things like these happen and we can’t help but shake our heads and shrug our shoulders in disbelief and think how time works fast and slow depending on how we use it. Once time is spent it can’t be recovered. We just have to plan our agenda carefully to maximize it.

I was happy to see Ms. Rose Dieu today. Rose is the lady I once mentioned in my previous write-up who organizes this group workshop in Sunset Way, Clementi where she also resides. Lately, her tango group had been inactive because of the busy schedule of most of its’ participants. I have not seen her for a month and was looking forward to her tango lesson with me.  She has been taking lessons consistently for over two years now and has managed to make fantastic progress despite the length of time she spent trying to learn and understand the dance. She is in her 70’s but that does not derail one’s ability to learn something if he/she has the determination to achieve good results. And because Rose happens to like tango music, as she is one lady who knows something about music as well, for one she plays and teaches the violin and is also a coloratura for a singing group in the lion-state. This is the biggest factor why she stayed on and continued learning the tango aside from the fact that she also loves to dance.

From a fragile-looking lady, she has managed to transform herself into an elegant dancer making her work and improve her posture by defining her center to achieve balance. She also has softened her shoulders undoing the tension that causes stiffness in her movements. She has somehow understood what it is to be grounded making her axis more solid on the floor. Like Bg Pang who is of the same age as hers, both ladies worked their way through by having the right learning curve and it did work on them She now happily dances the tango and does not stop learning as she believes that there’s so much things to be learned.

The following day, I managed to sneak in my gym work-out which I have neglected for almost two months now. Because of some pain arising from my right arm, I decided to slow down with my fitness activities much to my chagrin. But because my body has been attuned to doing work-outs for the last eight years that I could no longer contain my desire to flex my muscles this time after making sure that my right arm is fine.

As a dancer, a teacher or a performer, I believe one must take care of his/her body through good exercise and proper diet. Not only that he/she prepares the body to do movements that make the muscles work properly but for aesthetic purposes it is nice to see them in good shape and in top form. Call it vanity, but that’s the way it works. That’s why I have been religiously going to the gym and making sure that I watch my diet to keep me in shape. But it can’t be helped that some unwanted pounds would accumulate from time to time. If this happens I get into a high protein diet to get back in shape.

Later in the day I’ll be seeing Angeline and Shirley again. Call them my tango “angels” the duo have been actively pursuing their learning as both I would say have been bitten by the bug. This is what happens when one gets the hang of it and suddenly they see themselves getting more and more drawn to the music and the dance. They develop a certain degree of passion until eventually they become very much into it. Short of saying addiction but these are underlying features in the makings of a real “tanguero/ra.” “Tangueros/as” breathe, eat and live the tango from its’ birthplace. For people like Angeline and Shirley and the rest of the students I have around, they all got into various stages of learning the dance and slowly developed the etiquette, while others would learn the dance with emphasis on figures and steps, “tangueros/as” will embrace anything and everything about tango.

Angeline carried on with her lesson of two days ago where we concentrated mainly on some routines which would help her enhance torso movement to produce tortion each time she gets into her swivels. This is imperative as this would help her understand the principle of isolation or dissociation. This is when one can move in swivels understanding how it is to separate the upper from the lower body. If this happens, one is able to produce fluid motions each time he/she turns on his/her axis. This requires a lot of focus to be able to translate it into good moves. In Angeline’s case, she has managed to put this theory in practice and has been consistently building up her learning since she started.

Shirley came next after Angeline. Like I said, the duo have always been taking lessons  together upon Angeline’s recommendation as she finds it beneficial to do because it makes both of them learn from each other. Say for example, when I’m teaching Angeline, Shirley is seated while she listens to my discussions with Angeline from a third eye and vice-versa.

Shirley has been more or less eight months into tango now. She was fascinated by the dance when she saw me and Angeline dancing in one of our get-togethers in Bryan and Sadhna’s house and since then has fell in love with tango. From her tight shoulders and undefined center, seven months after, she has managed to tone down her shoulder tension making her look and feel more relaxed as compared to when she started. With a clear definition of her center, she has also managed to keep herself grounded on the floor making her more balanced this time. Yes in the beginning she was quite agitated with the so many things to put into practice, but with proper coaching and determination on her part, she is not only dancing the tango now but is slowly beginning to feel what tango is all about. This is because she is now imbibing the tango discipline, the gist of my teachings, which is what makes the difference after all.

I was beginning to feel some kind of pressure brought about by some new things coming up of late. This is when I start planning my agenda in the weeks and months to come as new opportunities arise making sure that I don’t miss any of those. As they say, opportunity knocks only once, so one must be sensitive enough to spot when it’s already at your doorstep. Most times this comes unnoticeable, but when one is very much focused on his/her work it can be spotted just the same.

In between logistical work and teaching I still found time to watch the Da Vinci code one afternoon after I finished my lesson with Rose. I dashed off to Lido and immediately took my ticket for the show. As an ordinary moviegoer, I would say it was very good and entertaining. Yes, I read the book, and found it equally entertaining as well. I was just curious as to how the novel will turn out into a motion picture considering that it is Tom Hanks who’s acting out the lead role and I was not disappointed. So much hysteria had been raised concerning this movie, but at the end of the day it just wants to entertain. I am a Catholic and did not find the story offensive. After all the brouhaha the movie has generated, it’s just a story at the end of the day..

In the evening, I taught Grace, a friend of Rose Dieu. She is a beginner and had been wanting to learn the tango a year ago. I never get tired teaching new students each time I bring them to the rudiments of step one. I was asked this question once if I ever get sick and tired teaching and saying the same things all over again. My reply was “NEVER.” Most people say that to be a teacher is not an easy task. True, because there is this responsibility to transmit the right knowledge to your students but if one is dedicated and has full mastery of his/her craft then it becomes a pleasure. It has been my pleasure to teach tango for all its’ worth and I will never cease to keep teaching for as long as I want, as I could, and matter of fact, as long as students want me. This could be my calling but nevertheless I really enjoy what I am doing.

Like any other beginners, Grace will have to undergo through her “baptism of fire.”  Yes the usual walking exercises, the most essential part in the basic level, could be one of the most boring part as well when learning the tango. This can be compared to a baby who’s just beginning to walk and one could just imagine the effort to be done to achieve an honest-to-goodness tango walk. “A journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step.” From the outside it looks very simple but to do it in all its’ content is pure hard work. Needless to say, I brought her to the basic walks emphasizing on the important elements to remember, through which she responded very well. She has what I would say a tango body which gives her a good head-start.

On Friday evening I met up with my singing clique at Furama Hotel. There is this Filipino band we discovered when we dined out one evening at the hotel’s coffee lounge where Ms. Shirley Tay works as head chef. Composed of two lady singers and one male key board player, this group is really superb. I always have this habit of requesting “Bridges” and “Get here” each time I get the chance to find out the vocal range of the lead singer. Because most of the good Filipino bands can always sing these two songs which are quite popular back home, I mean the Philippines. Thus when Rachel, the band’s lead singer belted out the first few lines of this Sergio Mendes classic, Angeline, Sadhna, Shirley and Bryan were suddenly in awe, gasping for breath in disbelief how powerful a voice Rachel can have. She was really stunning and was very much in control of her vocal chords reaching out for the high notes. The group suddenly became enamored by the song as this was the first time they heard this music which actually came out in the 70’s. .Angeline who is a music buff, please don’t make a bet with her when it concerns songs and singers, can’t even recall hearing “Bridges” as she knows most of the Sergio Mendes music from Brasil ‘66 to ‘77. But nevertheless, they all became great fans of this Filipino band and has made it a point to come to Furama on Fridays for the group’s weekly night out. Proud to be a Filipino.

Towards weekend, I fulfilled my commitments again as a tango teacher where I ran a series of private lessons with my students Angeline, Shirley, Rose and Grace.

And on Sunday evening, I went off to Brix for the club’s Sunday event with very good friend Ms. Ivanna Daniell. I always find time to drop-by at Brix on Sundays whenever I’m in Singapore. Like I said in my previous write-up, Brix is the place to go on Sunday nights whenever you are in the lion-state. We finished though early as both of us have early commitments the following day. As we were walking out of the Hyatt lobby, I saw Dario Lerrer, Ivanna’s boyfriend of three years. Dario is Argentinean but doesn’t dance the tango. He took lessons with me when he was yet starting out with Ivanna but somewhere along the way just gave up and has since become busy with his work much to Ivanna’s disappointment. But despite his fall-out with tango his relationship with Ivanna has blossomed which I think is a better option.  Short of saying in life you can’t have everything. But I’m very happy for this couple who are both my good friends. Quo Vadis!

Dateline: Singapore   June 13-21,2006

                                                           WEEK   3

It’s the first day of the week and I woke-up to a bright sunny Monday morning feeling recharged and ready to face a busy schedule as five lessons were lined-up during the day. I’m seeing Rose and Grace for the morning slot which starts at 11:oo a.m. And then Ms. Annie Goh at 3:oo p.m and for the early evening slot with Angeline Jansen and Shirley Tay.

Rose carried on with her lesson of last week. This time I emphasized more on how to achieve good balance by defining her center, undoing totally of whatever tension I still feel on her shoulders. The slight leaning intention forward is the only key to keep her balanced and centered. With a bit more of patience and perseverance, I was able to make her feel and understand how it is to hold her self in that position. She realized how good it feels to move with so much ease maintaining her balance at all times brought about by this method.

Her problem could be attributed to two factors. First, she was into ballroom dancing for many years and has since imbibed the discipline that makes partners move apart when they start doing the waltz, tango or quick step. Secondly, with age it cannot be helped that some specific muscle groups are not working properly to keep her in position. But all these can be addressed as there are solutions to these types of problem. She responded well to the exercises I gave her and she now feels a lot more confident with her posture and balance,

Grace took the next slot. After her initial foray into tango last week, she is now at this phase of her learning where her concentration and focus is required, as many habits need to be undone to keep her in proper tango form. Like some of my students, she too is very much into Latin and ballroom stuffs thus her discipline is anchored on this concept. She keeps an open mind for she knows very well that it will take her a little time to absorb and understand the tango discipline. And this can be gleaned from the way she is responding to my teachings as she slowly applies the elements involved to keep the form. Her walking had improved and so is her balance/axis. It will take her quite a few times before she is able to put everything together and slowly integrate these elements into her system. But what is important is that she is determined to learn as she likes tango very much.

At 3:oo pm I met Annie Goh at Spans Jom. It’s been quite awhile since this lady has last taken lessons with me. Annie is a very active businesswoman and fund-raiser in the community centers. She was introduced to tango by her good friend Bg. Pang three years ago.

I started taking her around the dance floor for the usual warm up and I would say she has not lost the things I’ve taught her before. She still can do the dance quite well from the beginner’s point of view as she can demonstrate a tango walk as vividly as she can remember. I brought her to do some “ocho” patterns and help her make clean “ochos” based on dissociation. Of course, the common problem about shoulder tension would surface as it needs to be addressed.  It was nice to see her moving once more doing the tango and hopefully she finds more time to develop it to be her passion.

After my lesson with Annie, I have to rush to Xenbar in Chinatown where Shirley and Angeline are to hold lessons. Running around Singapore is an easy task as compared to other cities where monstrous traffic jams await you during rush hours. This is one thing I like about Singapore. Moving around is quite easy because of its’ effective traffic management. I can go from one end to another without fear of being late with my appointment. Transportation system is credible from taxis to the MRT which is quite very much like Hong Kong. No wonder they are progressive cities as they can provide adequate assistance to the public at large.

As I arrived in Xenbar, Shirley was already there ready to take her crack on tango once more. I went to give her the “voleo” elements starting with back “voleo.” This is to enable her to understand some more about tortion each time she swivels on her axis. And as a pre-requisite to more advanced learning I always incorporate this element to make sure that my students get the most out of the beginner’s/intermediate level preparatory to advance lessons. This is also one way of prepping them up to keep their enthusiasm going as this kind of figure makes them upbeat. As we all know, Argentine tango will always be synonymous to “ganchos,” “voleos,” and anything that has something to do with kicks. It maybe a cliché but this is a reality. This is what people would look forward to once they get into tango.

Since her “ochos” have somehow improved through consistent lessons the past eight months, the back “voleos” were not much difficult for her understanding and doing. With proper guidance, I discussed with her the importance of using the body specifically the torso to do the “voleo” action.

Angeline was delighted to see her friend doing this little fancy embellishment now. She couldn’t believe that Shirley has gone this far considering that she saw her how she started from day one.  And she even honestly hinted that despite her experience and exposure to tango, she has learned and still is learning so much just by watching her. She now makes necessary corrections of her own mistakes based on this method.

This time it was her turn to take the slot. And I just went on to discuss again the embrace.

As she is Buenos Aires bound, I decided to make her be more adept with the “abrazo a la Milonguero” for this is what will greet her the minute she sets foot in a “milonga.” While she already knows about it, I still opted to mentally condition her mind so that she doesn’t get culture shocked. We also went to carry on with our routines to keep her body in tune with tango at all times.

In a week’s time I’ll be in KL again. I just got this weekly email from Marguerite stating that I haven’t confirmed my visit yet. I immediately emailed to inform her that I’m going up on the 20^th of the month as I have to wrap up work in Singapore toward weekend. As everyone knows she is Buenos Aires bound for one month and I would obligingly pinch-hit for her every time she is away.

The succeeding days were equally busy with lessons, planning my agenda and a dozen other things. Time is running fast and it seems like I have not enough time on hand to attend to all these. When this happens, I try to slow down. I don’t get frantic, to allow myself to look at things at a bigger picture. This way I can reassess my position, weigh all options and then plot my agenda with a clear mind and sound decision.

My very dear friend Angela Lee invited me for dinner at her home on Wednesday evening.  On the dinner table were Angeline and Indriatti as well. The ladies except for Indriatti, decided to go out dancing later at Club 5. We feasted on a fantastic roasted chicken and green salad specially prepared by Nabie, who is Angela’s other half. We were having a good time chatting about the most inane ballroom topics until we adjourned to Club 5. In Club 5, we had an equally good time laughing, dancing and having fun.

On Friday evening it was party time again with my singing clique. I’ve been so looking forward to meet up with them as this would be my last Friday to have fun in the lion-state. Remember, I’m KL bound on Monday and it would be another month before I hook up with them again. Also, this Friday is special as the group gives out a farewell party for Rachel, Makoy and Brenda, the Furama band members because this would be the last time they will be performing in the hotel as their contract expires soon.

Angeline and Shirley decided to have an ethnic motif .It had been customary for the group of late to come up with themes every time we meet for our Friday night-outs. For your information, this group is composed of party people, all professionals, who love to have fun and camaraderie. Mostly free-spirited individuals who are at the same time tied-down with their respective careers.

Bryan is Irish and a former CEO of a multi- national company. He is a training specialist on subjects ranging from human resources, management and other allied topics. He runs around the world conducting training seminars on related issues. Sadnah meanwhile is an IT specialist who works for Thomson Asia Pacific Holdings as a Senior Engineer for software development. She is Bryan’s other half who loves to sing and dance and party. Angeline is a lawyer who specializes on divorce cases and is a senior partner of the Jansen, Menon, Lee law office based in Singapore. Shirley is a multi-faceted individual who works as head chef for Furama Hotel. She is a fantastic cook needless to say. Fadil and Valerie are entrepreneurs who are very much busy with their business activities that we hardly see them these days for our outings. Canadian Robert who’s an IT specialist too works for a top multi-national in the lion-state.

Imagine these people coming out together with special themes during Fridays. No one can fault them if they just want to relax, enjoy and have fun, after all they live such a busy and demanding life and everyone needs a break. And because of the great excitement we are enjoying, the group had been adding up new recruits who had been infected by its’ “joie de vivre.”

Like tonight, we had some five Irish guys, two of whom are Bryan’s nephew, who joined in the celebration. They just flew in from Bangkok en route to Australia for their long holiday. Sadnah invited her four other girlfriends to join in the fun as well. They are Penelope, Bridgette, Sarah and Philomena. Like Sadnah they are IT specialists too. Everyone hit it off as we danced to the fantastic tunes played by Rachel and the group. In between football and singing, everyone was just having a good time. It was such a great way to end my stay in Singapore with a bang.

The following day I managed to run three private lessons courtesy of Rose, Angeline and Shirley. As soon as I finished with them, I met up with Annie Goh at the Singapore Recreation Club to discuss on a project. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this pushes through. In the evening I dashed off to Spans Jom for my physical fitness ending my day with sore muscles but feeling very good and clean as I burned out calories to clear away toxins in my body .Exercises and work-outs have never been a problem with me. It’s a lifestyle I have imbibed in my system.

I devoted most of my Sunday doing the necessary preparations for my forthcoming trip to KL as I leave on Tuesday. Towards late afternoon, I went to meet up with Rose for a workshop with Alvin Low at SICC. In the evening, I decided to just stay home and coordinated my things concerning family.

The cloud was gray when I woke up on Monday morning. It was raining heavily. I was feeling very lazy not wanting to move or do anything because of the weather condition.

Good thing I decided to postpone my trip for tomorrow.

I’m so excited about the many new things that have come up of late during my stay in Singapore. It just means that I have to be working hard in the coming months. But

yes, time is up. Although a still a bit cloudy on a Tuesday morning, I went straight to Changi Airport to catch a shuttle flight for my next destination.

Dateline Kuala Lumpur  June 20-30, 2oo6

                                                      WEEK   4

I’m happy to be back again in Kuala Lumpur as I arrived via SQ 110 from Singapore amidst the cloudy skies in both places. Yes it was raining when I left Singapore and it was cloudy when I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Not the kind of weather I like though but what to do, I just have to simply live with it and certainly not allow to dampen my spirit as I have always opted for bright sunny days each day of the year.

Like I said I am pinch-hitting for Marguerite in the next ten days when she’s away for a one month tango trip to Buenos Aires with Eleanor and Angeline. Ms. Runa Baagoe who provides able support too, whenever Marguerite is away, will be taking over the “practica” and workshops at Little Havana when I leave on June 30 for Bali.

Runa was feeling sick and was just recovering from a bout with fever several days ago. It couldn’t be helped as the weather in this region has been quite erratic of late when hot and cold air will take turns to affect the weather condition thereby causing these illnesses. Some friends I know were at one time like Runa down with flu as well. She sounded very sick when I talked to her over the phone and feeling apologetic about not having started sending any emails to the tango community that I will be around in the next ten days. No worries my dear friend. Your health is more important than anything else. Do take plenty of rest and get well soon. I will see you in the days to come.

Marguerite’s son Lou, who’s a very nice chap, was there to receive me at Ukay Heights. And everything went well as I settled myself in the next two days. I started informing everyone that I’m already in town and got favorable responses from them. “Tangueros” in KL are a very warm lot. They are friendly and fun-loving. These are mostly “yuppies”

and young CEO’s who live quite a hectic life brought about by their busy schedule but still can find time for some enjoyment. Lucky fellows!

In the evening of my arrival, which was a Tuesday, I immediately conducted a salsa lesson with Keisha at her restaurant in Kampung Warisan. I would always accommodate Keisha the minute she calls me as she has always been supportive of my tango lessons and workshops allowing me to hold classes at her place. It was nice to see her again after two months and was equally delighted to see her daughter Putri, who’s five years old now, looking very well and bubbly. She just celebrated her birthday three weeks ago and Uncle Ogie wasn’t there to celebrate with her.

On Wednesday afternoon, my good friend Gonzalo Ramirez invited me for lunch over at Ampang for a French cuisine. Trust this guy when it concerns gourmet food and wines as he will never go wrong with his choices. He is a connoisseur and has adequate experience with matters concerning these. I reminded him of the “practica” at Little Havana and confirmed that he was coming.

At 7:30 pm I saw myself at the entrance of the restaurant ready for my first scheduled workshop tonight. I saw Rose Dieu from Singapore as she too was in town for some business. Slowly students started coming in and at the strike of 8:oo pm I immediately went on with my lesson with some ten people taking part in the beginner’s class. They were Jackie, Melinda, Iggi, Azian, Margaret, Naoko, Jane, Soon Yew and Giovanni .All of them had lessons already with Marguerite so it was an easy ride for me as I took them to a one hour of lesson concerning balance/axis, walking and the other elements concerning basic stuffs.

In the beginner’s level, I centered my discussion more on posture, embrace, connection and musicality. These are elements I would normally discuss at this level and would really expound on these subjects as thoroughly as possible to enable students to apply the discipline of the dance. I had a good crowd that night as everyone was focused on the discussion concerning matters at this level and the energy was so good I almost forgot that time is up. 

At 9:oo pm I then went on with the intermediate class having some eight participants for the workshop. Iggi, Soon Yew, Jane and Jackie stayed on while Chin, Eddie, Aida and Sook joined soon after. I discussed with them the front “voleo” coming from a “sacada”

as I slowly built-up a sequence to show  them that with a clear understanding of the basic elements which they already know, all they have to do is to combine these elements to form figures or patterns. This is again where the idea of improvisation comes in. And after the lesson, everyone was just so energized having learned a new idea once more...

“Practica” soon followed and as expected everyone went into the dance floor to unleash their passion for tango and at the same time practice the steps which they learned from the workshop. Gonzalo came with his Argentinean girlfriend ditto with Runa who came a bit late because of orchestra duties. She’s feeling a lot better now so she says. German “tanguero” Ali sans Zaine, his wife, came at past 11:oo pm. Better late than never. A lot of the “old guards” did not make it because of busy schedule. And also because the football season is on, expect some of the KL “tangueros” to be glued on the television watching the schedule matches for the evening. But the “practica” that evening turned out to be very nice just the same.

 I send my prayers to the mother of Kwong for a speedy recovery as she has to undergo a surgery, the reason why he did not make it this time. I always admire people who look after their mothers in the same way that I give my respect to them

Despite some busy moments preparing for my scheduled improver’s class on Saturday at Kampung Warisan, I still found time to watch Antonio Banderas’s Take the Lead on Thursday evening at KLCC. I was so curious to see the much talked about tango sequence Antonio did in the movie and was so impressed with his style of dancing. Antonio Banderas I think is a natural dancer otherwise it would not have been easy for him to act out that scene if he was not one. The story’s message was all about what dance and music can do to effect change in people’s lives as they apply the discipline specially in dancing. I found the movie very entertaining though.

I had some private lessons on Friday afternoon with Rose Dieu and Vivian at the former’s residence in Susana Central. Vivian is Singaporean married to a Belgian and is based in KL. She found out tango from Rose and has been looking forward to learn the dance early this year.  And in the evening I had this class again with Keisha over at Kampung Warisan where together with her two other friends did salsa, merengue and tango.

I’m excited about the improver’s class I arranged this Saturday. This class is meant to enhance and improve techniques on both the beginner’s and intermediate level. It was scheduled at 3:oo pm at Keisha’s restaurant . This is the first time I am conducting a special workshop about this topic in KL and I’m so looking forward to its’ outcome. True to my expectation, the class had sixteen participants on both levels making me even more inspired to conduct this workshop. The gender balance was just perfect. I started by giving them some stretching exercises to relax the shoulders and to condition specific body muscles which will be needed to work on certain elements in the dance. The elements of course are the basic walk, embrace, axis/balance, and embellishments.

I then started my workshop emphasizing the elements mentioned in succession as I played varied rhythms of tango pieces from Ziegler, Pugliese, Di Sarli, and even some alternative tango pieces and techno tango music to give the necessary mood for each element being discussed. I tried devising this method to enable students to respond easily with my discussions. Because I believe that music plays an important role when learning a dance. This gives them inspiration to express their inner feelings which is so important in the execution of movements.

I ended the class way beyond the specified time but who cares, when I see students very focused and intense with their learning, I just keep on going. The energy that day was really incredible. I wish to thank the participants: Shunyuen, Margaret, Azian, Iggi Jackie, Chin, Elaine, Sandra, Melinda, Ali, Toko, Bryan, Giovanni, Lisa and Gemma. There were two others whose names I couldn’t remember.  Gemma is a Filipina who is married to a local and has been in KL for the last eighteen years. I’ve finally hooked up with a compatriot in this city. The class ended with so much bravura as some of the participants are preparing for the “milonga” scheduled tonight at Bom Brasil.

Meanwhile I received a message from Ms. Angeline Jansen that she is in town and will come to join the “milonga” tonight. She will be in KL for a couple of days before she flies off to Argentina.

At 9:oo pm I saw myself at Bom Brasil. It was actually my first time to come to the restaurant. As I went up to the 2^nd floor to check on the sound equipment, I rather found the area with quite enough space to dance. It has a nice ambience like Little Havana. “Tangueros” started coming in headed by husband and wife Kacee and Ida.  Ida who has been sick of late was looking very well. Ditto with husband Kacee who has been complaining of back problems as he has to do some regular stretching as per doctor’s advice to keep him fit. Busy couple, Ali and Zaine were seen dining downstairs as they waited for the party to start. I understand Ali will be glued on the television tonight because Germany is playing against Argentina. Who do you think will win?

Alas by 10:oo pm there were like twenty five people who showed up that evening. Of course, Angeline Jansen showed up together with Runa Baagoe. Ms. Rose Dieu came with Bie Hua who just came back from Penang. Welcome back! Chin Tan came with Melinda fresh from this afternoon’s workshop. First timer Sandra managed to try out what a “milonga” is. And she said she liked it very much. French “tanguero” Kristof came with his Finnish friends who were very good tango dancers. They were such a delight to see in the dance floor. Shungyuen came with Sabrina and left early as she has  exams the following day.

 I was so happy to see Cheah as the guy has been out of tango lately because of his busy schedule. Eddie of Frangipani, I don’t know why I have to attach this each time I mention his name, came with best friend Ida. Korean “tanguera” Sook joined the table of Rose Dieu as three ladies exchanged banters during the evening. Not to be missed out is Turkish”tanguera” Laleh who was in her usual element. The lady will soon finish her job in KL and is headed back home to Turkey for good in a few months time. We’ll be missing you Laleh. Italian “tanguero” Giovanni came with girlfriend Jane and danced the night away.

The party ended till about 2:oo am as Eddie, Runa, Giovanni, Carmine, Angeline , Jean and yours truly stayed on because of the great fun we all are enjoying. We certainly missed Marguerite this time for it would have been a lot more fun if she was here with us tonight. Conspicuously absent was Venezuelan “tanguero” Senor Gonzalo Ramirez as he was busy setting-up his new restaurant just across Bom Brasil which will open in July. Relax Gonzi. You need some break. Don’t worry my friend your feng shui will work to your favor. Have you already consulted Ms. Lilian Too?

On Sunday I woke up a bit late brought about by last night’s party. I will be running a series of private lessons today as I teach Angeline at 11:oo am followed by Runa at 1:oo pm and then rush to Susana Central for Rose and Sook at 4:oo-6:oo pm. Quite a busy life though.  Also tonight at 6:30 is the continuation of the next round of party as we go to Frangipani for the Sunday “practica.” Yes, Marguerite had organized one additional “practica” for the KL tango community in cooperation with Eddie Chew who is also part-owner of the club-restaurant. We managed to have less than ten people that evening but still came up with an exciting fun as Angeline, Eddie, Runa, Giovanni, Mark, Sook , Shungyuen and an Italian couple who were friends of Eddie came to join us and stayed till 12:oo midnight. What was supposed to be a two- hour session ended quite very late for a Sunday. This has been a good and fruitful week indeed.

Four more days and I’ll soon be Bali bound. My schedule wasn’t that hectic today but nevertheless I still have to fulfill some teaching commitments towards late after noon and evening. I continued my lessons with Rose and Vivian. Vivian is a total beginner when I taught her a few days ago. Barely on her second lesson in tango, she already showed signs of special interest and liking for the dance. I am always pleased to hear from students when they manifest their liking for tango. It gives me a certain high whenever they give me compliments but what is foremost is that they get to like the dance. She scheduled a series of private lessons until Thursday as she wants to avail of whatever time left I have in KL.

In the evening I went to have my class with Keisha and Jackie at Kampung Warisan and as soon as I finished with them, Sham came to meet up with me for a get-together. Sham is the lawyer-friend of Eleanor from Dubai. We both stayed in Eleanor’s house during my first visit to the emirates. In fact, we even went for a dessert safari which we both enjoyed. And since then we became good friends. I invited him to join me for dinner at Runa’s house with her permission of course. And yes we had such great fun together with Angeline, who’s another lawyer from Singapore as both shared common friends during their school days in the lion-state. In fairness to Angeline, Sham is many years her senior. Take it from there.

The food Runa prepared for dinner was a sumptuous pasta al pesto. And she served us home-made Belgian waffles with ice cream for dessert, which was really to-die-for. This lady is not only a fantastic violinist and “tanguera” but a gourmet as well. Did you know that she can brew her own beer and make her own ice cream? Check that out.

My schedule is getting busier as my stay in KL expires in a few days .Angeline and Runa had scheduled a mid-day appointment with me for lessons and after which I rushed to Rose’s place again for her’s and Vivian’s as well. As soon as I finished, I went straight to the Indonesian Embassy to pick-up my visa at 4:30 p.m. then went to Kampung Warisan for Iggi’s. The guy has been very keen on tango since I met him last week at Little Havana. He is pursuing his lessons on tango as he likes it so much. I gave him some music to rip into his computer to enable him to understand tango even more.

Runi and Ida came for a two-hour intensive class after Iggi. Yes they made a perfect pair as both somehow are on the same level in tango. I even encouraged them to learn and practice together as this would help them improve their dancing. I discussed on their embrace as I felt the need to do so because this is what is lacking in their dance at this stage. When both of them finally executed the embrace properly, they realized how connected they have become with their dancing.

Tuesday evening Angeline flew to Buenos Aires via Malaysian Airlines that will take her one full day to get there. Like I said she will be with Marguerite and Eleanor who came a day earlier from Dubai. The three ladies will definitely have a good time tango-ing, shopping, sight-seeing, taking lessons and what have you. But what do you think will happen when three girlfriends go for a one month tango sojourn and have all the time of their lives to hang loose and do all things like teen-age girls? We have to find that out when all three get back in July as we listen to their stories and escapades during their trip. Can’t wait to hear that..

Wednesday evening saw me conducting the next round of workshop at Little Havana.. Some new faces showed up for the beginner’s class but I still have the same people who took the improver’s class last Saturday. Iggi, Azian, Jane 1, Giovanni, Jane 2, Melinda, etc.  Since most of the participants to this workshop were on the same level, my discussion will just be a build-up or a continuation of last Saturday’s topic. I gave them the “ocho” patterns emphasizing more on body lead for the men while the ladies were given the “ocho” techniques.

The intermediate level soon followed and the number even doubled as the same people from the beginner’s wanted to join the class. I obliged wanting most of them to keep their interest in tango but made it clear that they are not ready to get into this level as it would take them some time to understand what has been taught them during the previous workshops. But for purposes of just being exposed to the topic I was to discuss with the intermediate level, I found it good enough for them to give it a try. The class turned out very well as we went on with the “practica” soon after. Gonzalo showed up a bit late ditto with Shungyeun who was very busy with his work. Sabrina did manage to show up too. Margaret came much much earlier and was seen in casual talks with Rose Dieu and Jackie.  Chin, Teoh, Cheah,Runa, Mynne and many more came for the evening. Again tonight’s “practica” turned out well-attended.

On my last day of teaching which was Thursday, I have my schedule really full from 10:oo am till 11:oo pm. Goodness gracious! But it’s fun though. Eddie had a two-hour private lesson with me. The guy has been bitten by the tango bug so to speak. I am so impressed with the enthusiasm he has been showing.  In his lesson, I discussed the embrace for better connection and did manage to give some other figures that will help him carry through with his dancing. He has been making fantastic progress since I last saw him.

In the afternoon beginning at 2:oo-6:oopm, I had my succeeding lessons again at Susana Central. Surely Ms. Rose Dieu was to take her class. But I decided to have Mynn’s at her place as well ditto with Vivian. In the evening I was at Kampung Warisan for my 8:oo-11:oo pm slot with Keisha and friends. I ended up feeling very exhausted after this marathon lessons.

My ten-day tango escapade in Kuala Lumpur was very impressive. Argentine tango is gaining ground steadily in this city. More and more people are getting aware of the dance. It is no longer a hard sell to promote tango in a city as dynamic as KL, as everyone seems to know by now what it is.

I arrived home really kaput from the day’s activities but could not just go to bed right away as I have to pack my things yet to catch a morning flight for my next destination.

                          For more information about tango in Malaysia

                                  visit www.tangomalaysia.com