My Dance Idol . Michael Jackson

In loving memory of my King Of Dance And PoP Michael Jackson ( 1958 - 2009 )




words of Michael :

"Think about the generations and to make it a better place for a children and a childrens , children . so that they know its a better world for them. Thinking they can make it a better place."

since i heard the news i could not stop but cry . Michael Jackson to me and many others was and still is known as the king of pop and to me the king of dance . Those white gloves , that shoes , and that moon walk ! boy !! i loved him . i never felt ashamed when it came to doing the dance of Michael Jackson in public even being a girl . ( i know another friend of mine mel who does it super well too and we proud of it ) the legendary king of pop was nothing but the meaning of talented .

Despite the things people said about him , only he knew the truth and people like us who knew he was innocent because there was no prove . it was so easy to pay a kid and tell him what to say . even if he did it , who are we to judge . Michael was only human if he made mistakes who were we to condemn , did not we make our own set of mistakes .. What about the things he did for the world like breaking the barrier of black and white on TV he shows that music did not have a colour but only unity . Before Obama , or Oprah . Michael spread the truth through music . what about the life he gave children the childhood he never had. he did good but people twisted it and made it theirs. At such a young age he was on stage

Usher once said . i don't believe in the media till they Prove his innocents. were are people like that on earth . But i have come to realise as said NMSNBC Michael once said he was treated unfairly in the music industry BUT today we see millions mourning his death. for instance me , the first sms of the day was from jasmine a good friend of mine telling me MJ has passed on . i could not believe it as i was looking forward to his London come back tour .

God truly loved his more that we did and took him from us for peace in Michael cause i think he has don't alot here on earth . Angels come in many forms and Michael was one of them . the world can say whatever they want but i know what Michael did for us . HE changed the perception of people . he thought us to accept people who are different .

A word from Sharpton on MSNBC " Michael Jackson made culture ACCEPT a person of colour way before tiger woods , Oprah and Obama . Michael did in music like they did in sports , politics and tv . and no controversy will erase the historic impact. He learn how to sing and dance . pass unfair criticism . he learn how to create even beyond his own shortcomings . he knew how to build his strength , how to help the world . WE are the world would not have happen without Michael Jackson ( talking on behalf of the black people ) from we are the world came live 8 and other organizations. he was a historic figure that people will measure the music and industry by . He sold more single products than any other artist and no one can drag him down for that . i remember he once said to me , can you believe they are showing on tV the cell they want to put me in . I said they did not crown you the king and they cant take the crown off your head"

Michale will always live forever because as legend he leave his legacy . A legacy we all can live by . for the young people out there . Just remember the reason you see people like Usher , Akon and many others on MTV is thanks to Michael Jackson . When you see live 8 and RED remember it was Michael Jackson who started it . Whenever you see people donating they toys , food and cloths to children who cant afford it remember it was Michael Jackson who started it . Whenever you see someone do the moon walk . Remember it was Michael Jackson who started it . The best of all when you hear someone scream ( the famous MJ scream hee hee ) Remember it was Michael Jackson . And to dances of all kinds out there remember The king of dance himself Michael Jackson .

Michael may you Rest in Peace and may the world now learn of the person you always were and the person you always will be :)

love you Michael Jackson for you will always remain in my heart and i for the love of music and dance will educate my children of your music and dance and goodness you have done for the world. may you live on in out hearts , and our soul .

Michael where ever you are please know that :

You thought me that music has no COLOUR . You thought me dance has no boundaries . You thought me that fashion made me , ME . You thought me to have a heart for children despite of condititions . You thought me to CRY for the pain you knew the world is going through. You thought me to LOVE a complete stranger and CRY the moment i find out you are no more here on earth . You thought me to feel the pain of a song.

delmissacent

Sd Turns 30 !!

Hey SD ,
i just wanted to wish you Happy Birthday . I know i am no Tech savvy person but i just did a very simple slide show together with one of my Fav bachata song LOL i hope you like it. I have nothing much to say axcept i have no regrets learning salsa from the best :) i know i am not your best student LOL but hey i try la my best hahahaha i am sure going to miss you when i go to australia . Where am i going to get an Aussie SD .. i cant ... cause there's only 1 :) I hope this day brings you lots of joy , and love. Enjoy it cause its yours . Chill .. 30 is just a number , think of it this way .... Age is like Wine .. the older the better ;) and some say " Old is GOLD" hahaha now thats too much ...R.I would always be my family no matter where i go . The friendship and bond i have with you all have made me

~ Adele Melissa Vincent ~






Once Again Happy Birthday :) Muaxx

....Like a RoSe...... ( tips for guy dancers ) ( and girls too )

When you dance with someone, try to learn a thing or two.
when you dance with someone, enjoy it.
just like the song say treat you dance partner " like a rose"
she's pretty , she's bold , she's got thorns too :) but treat her well
as the songs goes ......


And as I look into your eyes
I see an angel in disguise
Sent from God above
For me to love
To hold and idolise

And as I hold your body near
......
And then forever on
Til the songs fades on
Ill keep your loving near

and for girls .......

And now Ive finally found my way
To lead me down this lonely road
All I have to do
Is follow you
To lighten off my load

( let him lead you)

guys ,

... treat me like a rose
... give me room to grow
... shone the light of love on me
... gave me air so I can breathe
... open doors that close
...In a world where anything goes
...give me strength so I stand tall
....Just like a rose

( bare with her, give her space, understand her and she'll bloom magnificently)

girls,

And when I feel like hope is gone
You give me strength to carry on
Each time I look at you
There's something new
To keep our dance strong

guys,

I hear you whisper in my ear
All of the words I long to hear
Of how you'll always be
Here next to me
....

And now Ive finally found my way
To lead me down this lonely road
All I have to do
Is follow you
To lighten off my load

... treat me like a rose
... give me room to grow
... shone the light of love on me
...And gave me air so I can breathe
...opened doors I closed
...In a world where anything goes
...give me strength so I stand tall
...Within this bed of earth
....Just like a rose

.........
.........
You face the thunder
When the sunshine turns to rain
Just like a rose
Dance is a transactive model ,
There's give and take,
There understating,
There's shared goals,
You wana make me look good ,
and i wana make you look good. :)

so remember guys treat your dance partners ...

Just like a R.O.S.E.

Being an Instructor..the joy :D

Thanks to jackson i've gotten the experience to teach a class of the dance i love the most, BACHATA! a 3 days crash course of basic traditional bachata. well i was there only 2 of those 3 days due to work.

some of you know that i didn't prepare well to teach the class, will learn from that mistake. hafta say that i was very hapi that the class feedback was great the vibe was good, they all listened and were all into getting the moves correct. the determination on their face was evident n i just went on teaching without knowing time lapsed. hehe...

i think it due to leaving this too long n now i dun have much to write about the whole process, i know my failings n will work on in for the next time.

to all who came n supported the class...THANK YOU!!

last but not least...my greatest pride. V Sam a foreigner working in malaysia, with no dance experience won 3rd place (outta 5 couples) in the weekly aliiya dance competition. 3 classes only n he did it...that was my greatest moment in my dancing life. :D

congratulalations !

ANDREW

JEROME

LISA

TARSH

HELEN

JANE

SUE

LI YING

To AlL wHo ToOk ThE tEsT yEsTeRdAy. WeLcOmE tO tHe InTeRmEdIaTe LeVeL oF SaLsA.
It'S a wHoLe NeW wOrLd NoW :)

You guys did really well yesterday ! trust me i was there once sweating and panthing and nervouse too . speaking for a senior point of view who's most likely been there done that LOL . Now its No PaIn No GaIn. its all seriousness and working harder . at times you may feel like giving up and at time you may tell yourself " what happen to just dancing for fun , why is it so difficult" Just remember its only that stage where everyone had to go through it . Trust me once you guys have finish with that hurdle you'll be on the roll. Just remember to NEVER give up . and never feel that you have done enough . do better ! aim higher :)

VIVA LA SALSA

J.U.S.T D.A.N.C.E

GoOd LuCk GuYs !

En La Pasion Bachata Competition Video is up

Guys log on to Razor.tv to see the event video

En La Pasion 2009 brought Norman and Evelyn as well as Mavis and myself to compete in Singapore. Both couples being new to the bachata scene did great.

Norman and Evelyn can back as the 1st runner up and here is the video that I can find at the moment.

Great job Norman and Evelyn... :D as for me it's back to the training room :D hehe

Bachata Moderna

Read this from Bachateros and it's so inspiring...guys b proud of wat we are doing now s v r the revolution for Bachata in Malaysia.

Here's the link to the article

VIVA LA BACHATA!!!
VIVA LA RHYTHM IDENTITIO!!!

Rhythm Identity Kuantan 1st Performance Debut

Whoa... the title sounds like something bigggg.... hehe... Well, congratulations to the Performance team from RI Kuantan for delivering a fabulous performance, for first timers. I'm speechless and very proud of them :D

This group, consists of Aison Lai, Jocelyn, Marcus, Hannah, Aaron and Elizabeth, was formed only about 1 month before the the event. Marcus and Aaron has been my student for more than a year, where else Jocelyn and Aison has just been with us for 4 months. Hannah and Eli was recruited last minute and never join Salsa before.. What an amazing team!


The performane was showcased for an event in Kuantan on the 28th of March, 2009. Unfortunately, we didn't help Earth by switching off the lights that night. ( terrible us.. ) They arrived at the hotel at about 8.30pm, and only until 10.00pm, it was their turn to perform. All was trembling at the last minute.. but 'alhamdulilah' no one fall or screw up the performance.. heheh

So well done well done! I'm sure they are happy with their performance, but I think I heard one of them complained he himself did some wrong steps, so it wasn't good enough for him. Well what can I say, my team expect perfection... hahaha.. good thing


Let's hope there are more exciting events and celebration to come. With this I end with a heartful Thank you to RI Kuantan Performance Team for an excellent teamwork and effort.

And to all out there, take the chance to perform. It's nothing like just normal social dancing on the floor.. but it's time for YOU TO SHINE.... ;)


Viva la Salsa....


J.Loh

Bali part 1

as the say a picture paints 1000 words . i let you put it together... :) introducing ... BALI










































































































have you heard , a picture paints a thousand words , a dance tells a story and a holiday completes eternity. Those are the exact words of how i describe my experience in bali . Bali was not just an island . Bali was not just a holiday. Bali was not just and experience , but Bali was magnificent. I can tell many would second that ! I met Loads of great people in bali and got to spend time with great friends . I got to know some friends a little better , got to check out hot guys too ;) . what a life hehe

Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2009 by WWF - Sign up for Earth Hour!


hey guys dont forget to be a part of earth hour. Lets all help safe Earth and make this a better place not just for us but for our future generations to live and dance in :)

viva la salsa
viva la bachata

delmissacent

Bali Salsa Festival 2009

It's still taking me a while to come up with what to write about this trip.

The only thing that is still in my mind is that I don't travel out of the country much. I think in my whole like I only did like 5 times? and those were all when I was younger and with my parents.

Bali was to me my biggest adventure as I was not with my parents and I was out of the country. Too bad I had to get high fever 3 days b4 departure.

I was early to Sentral, waiting for Jackson and Cecilia to arrive and found that the ERL transit was offering a RM 5 promotion to take the ERL transit and change to a bus to go to LCCT. We took that and the train ride was uneventful other then the tracks were balance so we were tilting and swaying left and right, which gave Jackson a headache.

Reached LCCT, my 1st time entering LCCT, I use to go into MasKargo to do my jobs but then LCCT was an eye opener. It was like a cheap scale warehouse with a lot of ppl moving around with big bags.

We checked in and then waited for Kak Lin to arrive, so had lunch and it was KFC. OMG! KFC was just 1 small little stall hut thingie and when Cecilia came back with the chicken it was So small, oily and soft (in the not that great way of KFC).

Kak Lin & Murni came and they had their lunch and we boarded our flight to Bali. The take off was as usual INSANE...so fast...the flight was ok, a peaceful flight only thing was when we were to touch down noticed that it was raining heavily. 1st sight of Bali..RAIN?!?!?! sigh.

Got on to the taxi which Kak Lin arranged but then again the stupid taxi driver came late and didn't even prepare the signage to receive us.

Another culture shock...the roads in Bali are so narrow, and with the heavy rain it didn't help. If the same thing happens in KL, NO CARS will ever move...the water level was as high as the wheel of the car and the Balinese were just driving through the water like it was just another day of waking up. They were great drivers.

Found our hotel and it was oooo so nice..Harris was like to Shangri la to me. All was new design and the place was spacious and airy. We changed and went out searching for food.

I was told about the avocado juice that I must try so went along Kuta's road along the beach front. Walked into a food court and just looked around, I wanted the BIG clam thingie (the big thick shelled la la) jackson saw satay BABI...WOO HOO!!!! Cecilia saw Assam Fish (which was not assamy and spicy enuf) n I got 2 helpings of the avocado juice...yummy...avocado juice with chocolate syrup...it's like chocolate milk shake but it's more green in color. and we found BABI GULING...well not the best one but it was quiet good also.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to change and went out to Seminyak to Bahiana, which is our SH equivalent or even better...the place reminded me of beach club but inside a building and not with the palm leave roofing. the music that was played there we can never ever find in our local salsa club it was great sounds. but then we have just touched down and I was still under the weather so i didn't danced much. Also i sorta forgot my foot.

Saw the drinks menu n my Eyes went 'pop' 150,000 for a whickey coke...i was like wat???? before I could ask jackson suggested us to try the local stuffs...so he ordered ARAK MADU...which was quiet ok...tasted almost like Vodka with LOADS of lime and honey. 30,000 only...look at the difference...but then arak hits the spot fast.

Love the music being played there, it's alive and when compared to those we have here it's heaven.The music makes you move and there are so so so so so many other songs we have never heard of it was great. That was 1 nite of sweat and joy.

To be Continued...

bachata workshop @ Club 9 & the SiX Lounge

bachata bachata bachata ! That was what was happening last night at Club 9 & the Six Lounge . Jaxen conducted a bachata workshop . It was small , personal and private. Everyone went home with a little knowledge on bachata and put their skills to the groove baby on the dance floor. It was Latin fever last night . There was also a fashion show that went on. i guess everyone had a little fun with a toss of Latin . Well it was not your usual clubbing experience of just hip hop and r&b but a little of salsa and bachata. here are some pictures that i took ( being R.I.'s Ground Crew for the day i suppose hahaha )


there were R.I goodies to be sold !


Club 9 & Six Lounge

settings there is quite nice actually . good place to chill after a long day at work .. :)

then we got down to action ! . the workshop !




yes we all had fun .


jaxen down on the groove
then we had the fashion show. hot models . hot cloths .




the the opening of the dance floor. miki and james Q in action doing the bachata .



bil was there too getting down with the moves :)




met a friend whom i met in bali :) JB girl too .. hehe

james Q the photographer lol .
R.I gang :) cecilia ..

miki ...
natt ...

james all looking handsome for the function lol ..

dear janice ..

the night was good . everyone had fun . no stress ! just DANCE . i guess dance do tell a story and dance to paints a picture. ours is no novel and we are no da vinci but we i guess at the end of the day we do write good stories from dancing and paint beautiful pictures :)

viva la salsa
viva la bachata
viva la PARTY

Bali Salsa - Part 4

Now... Lembongan Island and a private beach... lots of sizzling hot photos...

Very flavourful... very... sabor...

Our fashon models... Tsu Yee, Adele and Cecilia.

Ooo la la........... (drooling)

Here's Nestor and Lidia getting ready for a bachata workshop. Mr Popeye here is flexing his muscles for some dips and nice partnerwork with Ms Angel-Drop-From-Heaven.

The bachata workshop... can see the sun is so hot everyone is hiding under the shade of the trees. Nestor ended the workshop in a bachata train and led everyone into the pool.

Everyone practically jumped in, train formation, in whatever they were wearing. I was quick enough to discard my camera and watch before jumping in... James jumped in with his wallet... James, next time don't get over excited.

The Malaysian gang lepaking by the beach... the Malaysian way; out of the sun. Away from the heat. I think no Malaysian got a tan at all... I tried to get one but didn't really succeed.

Hey James, nice uh... souvenior necklace... where did you buy that from? Its very... Balinese...

Me and Shankar posing by the beach... damn... need to work out more.

The beach was so hot you could cook an egg if you cracked the egg and left it on the sand. Sizzling hot... reminds me of an old Pepsi or Coca Cola advert more than 15 years ago...

Sexy people at the sexy beach... Adele, Shankar, Tsu Yee, Jaxen and Murni.

Gonna have more bikini pics on this blog... mmm mmm mmm...

The photo is a bit dark but can see that we have Jaxen, Vali, Murni, Adele, Shankar and Tsu Yee.

Everyone had to hide in the shade to pose for photos coz the sun was so searing hot (but I still cannot get a tan).

Sexy salseras in bikinis... mm mm mmmmmm....

Truly a paradise island...

Can't wait for MSF in July 2009 Cherating...

Me and Lidia... she's super hot, super friendly, super nice and a super good dancer. I always have a lot of fun dancing with her, be it salsa or bachata. There's so much fun play in salsa and in bachata I can do a lot of Zouk-like movements and she can follow it all.

Ms Adele with a nice, sexy bikini pose with water flowing down over her... Adele... real hot!!! Should send this to Inaki... hehehe!!!

Shankar posing by the pool... he is poised to become RI's salsa underware model.

And here is James and Lin... James is poised to become RI's salsa idol and Lin our Malaysian salsa ambassador, bringing the Malaysian name to the international arena.

Thanks for everything you have done for Malaysia!

And here's Nicole again without her hair in her face with a sexy pose. Damn! Got a pillar blocking her.

Lookit this! Its Oliver Pineda! He was taking a nap on the hammock when several thugs (comprising of Csaba, Shankar, Kevin and James) caught him and threw him into the pool.

Lin, Shankar and James on a mini surf board... I've got a nice photo of myself on one too but I don't have it here so will post it up in a later blog.

It was a damn fun day at the island, courtesy of Linline Salsa Holidays who arranged everything.

Lunch was good... they served satay babi!!! Yummy!!!

The banana boat ride there was lousy... you can't tip over and fall off so it's kinda meaningless. Snorkeling was limited to a certain area but with me not being able to swim, I avoided this activity altogether.

The only beach activity I did was standing in the hot sun trying to get a tan, shooting photos, hiding in the shade watching people go about at the beach... oh, and Shankar and me throwing Tsu Yee into the sea... three time... in a row.

Lemme look for that photo and see if I can get it uploaded.

More coming soon...

Bali Salsa - Part 3

After an intensive full day of workshops, tech rehearsals and 21 performances on Sat night and a full blown party at Sector, its all about unwinding and relaxing on Sunday.

Best part is, we partied until 2am and had to wake up around 7.30am to get ready for the Sunday event. It was a day cruise to Lembongan Island for relaxation on a private beach! Yes!!!

Sun, sand, sea, salsa!!!

Boobs, bums, bikinis, bachata!!!

Hehehehe!!!

A long bus ride to the jetty where we cam whored...

Jaxen, Cecilia, Tsu Yee and James holding onto Inaki Fernandez who so casually jumped into the photo shoot and I guess he's as much a cam whore as all of us...

And we're as much a bachata crazy bunch as he is...

Adele was holding the camera, I think...

Of course, I went and got a photo shoot with Oliver Pineda, 5 times World Salsa Champion and a damn good Zouk dancer. He and Vali are the ones responsible for teaching Cecilia and me how to dance Zouk.

While people like me go after Inaki (my bachata idol) and Oliver (my salsa idol), the ladies naturally went for Suzana Montero. Here you have Suzana, Cecilia, Adele and Rose. Don't the ladies look very Balinese in their attire?

Don't ask me what's going on here. It's not what you think. Me and Thiru are straight guys.

If you want more provocative (and scandalous) photos, go to Facebook and look for Senor Juez Swamigee, James Q and also Rose Zurina... they have a huge gallery of photos from the Bali Fiesta.

Me and my honey bunny Kak Ina on the cruise ship...

Me, Kak Ina and Gupson. He had to bend down coz if he stood, the camera could only capture his body and he would be headless in this photo.

And the lovely Nicole... her hair is always covering her face... most photos I have with her I could hardly see her whole face... except... hmm... think I have one whereby her whole face was revealed...

Ooh... like my tatoo? Looks cool, huh? Best thing about being in Bali is that you can walk around with that and its normal. Try that in Malaysia and the police would've stopped me and asked for my I/C.

Cecilia and James Q; James need to get another of the MSF shirt from Lin, this one is a little too worn out already.

And doesn't Cecilia look lovely in orange? Hehe... of coz I have to say that... if not I will get into trouble...

Me and giant man Kevin... he's actually very tall. He was nice enough to lower his height to shoot this photo with me and make me feel tall.

Thanks Kev!

And congratulations on your proposal to Chelsea!

So romantic...

Me and my beauties... hehehe~!!! Dato Arif and Othman's wives... still as strong in salsa no matter the years that they have. All of us should take examples from them that you can still salsa no matter you are married, of age or even after birth.

Look at them, still so sizzling hot!

Wow! A bunch of lovely salseras cruising by the waters of Bali with wind blowing in their hair and the sound of salsa music ringing in the air.

Truly, this is paradise...

And here's me and Anup... also a bachata expert well known for his bachata body movements and unique style of leading.

So many good and fun times on the way to Lembongan... stay tuned for the Lembongan Island pics!

Bali Salsa - Part 2

The salsa band in Obsession.

Salseros chilling out at Obsession.

Now, the Salsa Fiesta only started officially on 6th March which was a Friday. So all of the participants were there by then. When Inaki Fernandez, UK's King of Bachata walked in... this is what all the girls did...

Well, its Inaki... he is the one who shaped UK's bachata scene with his unique style of bachata which we here at Malaysia (and also some other parts of the world) fondly call as Inakichata. He is currently attached to UK's Latin Dance Academy, owned by Suzana Montero and Super Mario (not the Nintendo game character but the Million Moves Man).

Ok... I have the same reaction as the ladies.

But it was Suzana Montero who shaped my dance life. She taught and inspired me to move my body and it was also her who showed me what the Inaki style bachata was like.

I danced with her and she was so happy that I could dance like Inaki and her comment was that my lead was good.

With those words coming from someone like her, it meant a lot to me.

At night, we had a party at Wina Holiday Villa (which was the official event hotel we stayed in). A huge marquee/tent was erected and we danced to the open air. Despite the ventilation, the weather was still so humid even at midnight that sweat never stopped rolling down my head.

Tsu Yee, James, Cecilia, Jaxen and Adele... all wet and still sober, all high from dancing and partying. Every night was just sheer fun to be spent with your friends and also strangers who seemed to be closer to you as a friends than you'd ever expect.

We had a full day of workshops on Saturday at Wina. There was a morning samba by Gupson, and then in the afternoon I missed 2 workshops due to the tech rehearsals at Sector Club which I had to attend. I missed Anup's Stealing & Hijacking Workshop as well as Nestor/Lidia's Partnerwork Workshop.

I managed to catch Nestor/Lidia's Shine Workshop and also Vali/Oliver's Zouk Workshop. I had to sacrifice Inaki/Suzana's bachata for Zouk but it was definately worth it! Zouk was so nice...

I missed Gupson's Tricky Turn Pattern Workshop as I was too tired and needed the time to prepare for the performance that night.

Here's a photo of me, Nestor Manuelian, Cecilia and Lidia McMahon. Nestor and Lidia are from Modus Vivendi Productions Australia. Nestor is also the one organizing the Sydney Bachata Festival. This nice man has helped me alot in shaping some of my salsa as well as bachata skills.

Me and Cecilia will be performing at the Sydney Bachata Festival end April 2009 and I will also be conducting a workshop there. wish me luck!

All performance was at Sector Club. There were 21 performances. I was number 14. What a good number... The Indonesian performers were great. They had some of the best performances I have ever seen and some of their rueda team really gave new meaning to the term rueda. Their performances was superb! I believe Malaysia have a lot to learn from them. Top of the Indonesian performers was Reyno and his Salsa Fresca team. They did a total of 4 performances!

Suzana and Inaki did their bachata routine and Nestor and Lidia had a new bachata routine. I was quite nervous performing another bachata routine in front of these bachata masters but as the sole representative from Malaysia, I am glad to say Cecilia and me did Malaysia proud. Nestor and Lidia liked the routine and they hope I can bring that to Australia. Suzana also gave good reviews and all around the others also gave me a good pat on the back.

Other notable performances were from Nestor and Lidia's salsa performance as well as Suzana and Inaki's salsa performance. Suzana and Inaki's shines were really quite different from the usual shines I see performers do. Csaba and Vali from Latin Motion Australia did a good salsa routine.

One of the best was actually Oliver Pineda from Latin Motion. The 5 times World Salsa Champion did a solo shine which was simply incredible! His movements were so in tuned with the song that you could feel his every move. And Oliver also did a Zouk routine with Vali. It was a Latin Motion student choreography that they used but it really felt like an advanced choreography. It was so beautiful.

Now I can't remember anything else but that...

Bali Salsa - Part 1

Now, Bali... where to start blogging about it?

Well, in no chronological order or any order of importance, here's a glimpse of Rhythm Identity's trip to Salsa Fiesta de Indonesia - Bali 2009.

Cecilia, James and me (Jaxen, of coz) went for this holiday salsa event. Adele came about a day or two later but she was there as a ground crew. Shankar also came and he was the head ground crew there. I guess these were the only RI people around. The rest were friends we made when we where there, friends we met from before and friends from around the world.

I don't blog well so this blog might look messy...

Here we have Cecilia and Ani next to a fertility statue in Bali... can see that they are very exited at it.

There's a photo of me and James next to it but being guys, I'll just skip that photo and move onto something else more interesting. What's so nice about guys being next to a giant p***s?

There's so many more things nice about Bali and the Salsa Fiesta here. And a lot of photos of the time we spent here! This photo is Day 1, btw. Well, Day 2 actually... we arrived Night 1 and the rain was so bad the flood was knee high. Funny thing is the flood subsided as fast as it came. And I still don't know how the cars drive around in such flood!

We stayed at Harris in Kuta, a nice hotel with modern architecture and a cozy feel to it. What I liked about this hotel is that they serve gula melaka as brown sugar for your coffee!! Wow! Being coffee lover, this was fantastic!

Now, what would be Bali without a Balinese massage?

Imagine a 1 hour full body massage (with no hanky panky) for below RM15! And the massuers remember you by name!

And one of us in the photo has got an admirer amongst the group of massuers! I wonder if any hanky panky happened behind the closed curtains? Hmm...

Oh... and temporary henna tatoo! We we swarmed by tattooist at the beach. It was near sunset and all of them came up to us offering tattoo service. You really need to bargain for a good price.

James went and got 2 tatoo. I actually wanted only 1 but then I followed suit and got 2 myself! It was just supposed to be 1 but... why not 2? Its Bali anyway... you can walk around with a tatoo and its ok. Try that in Malaysia and the police would very likely stop you and ask for your identification.

Even the girls got a tatoo!

And look at the guy's tatoo!

And some salsa dancing at Bahiana in Seminyak. Boy, the Indonesian salseros are good. Most of them seem to be in their intermediate level... and I mean high intermediate level and all the girls can do their ladies styling with ease. Bahiana has a very nice wooden floor... only problem was that the bar was located in the middle of the club. If it was at the side, then the dance floor would've been huge!

Salsa the next night at Obsession... not the bachata by Aventura but the club Obsession World Music. They have a live band... quite a good salsa band. Floor not as nice as Bahiana but was ok to dance on. I hardly danced that night... too crowded. Imagine the crowd you have in Bali... just one small island and there are around 4 salsa clubs! Obsession is just down the road from Bahiana. A 5 min walk maybe?

Was nice to salsa there, a breath of fresh air from the usual Salsa Havana, Aaliyah, etc.

Stay tuned for the next part...

Salsa Bali - Prologue

Well now... Salsa Fiesta de Indonesia - Bali 2009 is over and I am back to reality.

No more sun, sand, sea, salsa all day and all night long. Was a very tiring holiday coz everynight is all about partying non-stop (if one can last that long) and day time is all non-stop activities and workshops and shopping and jumping in the pool and relaxing by the beach trying to get a tan...

It was a great event by Linline Salsa Holidays and here I get to meet all the familiar faces of salseros I knew from around the world stuck together in an island paradise doing what we all love to do; salsa!

Before I get into a long blog about what transpired at the fiesta, I would like to say that it was definately an event not to be missed. To add on, we have the Malaysian Salsa Festival 2009 in Cherating coming end July. Now, this will be very similar (with the exception of shopping) to Bali's event... will be a salsa festival cum vacation. Definately not to be missed.

For anyone reading this, log onto http://www.malaysiansalsafestival.com/2009/ for more info on the upcoming salsa event by Linline.

Now, back to Bali...

I was so honoured and elated to have performed on the same stage with great bachateros such as Inaki Fernandez and Nestor Manuelian. Inaki is the bachata master who revolutionized UK's bachata scene and Nestor is the one responsible for taking Australia's bachata to newer heights as well as organizing the Sydney Bachata Festival (to which me and my partner will have the honour to perform and teach). Both Nestor and Lidia loved our bachata routine and are glad we will be bringing this to Australia. Suzana Montero gave good comments on the performance and when I danced the bachata with her, she was so happy that I could do Inaki's style of bachata. Suzana's comments really made my day and I was so happy that I have succeeded in doing the UK's style of bachata. Dato Arif came up and said it was a good performance; he really felt the romance of the bachata in our performance.

While I do realize that the performance wasn't perfect as there were areas whereby we did mistakes (whoops!) but it was nicely covered up, it was nonetheless a satisfying one and one to remember. It was my partner, Cecilia's first international debut! And in front of so many great bachata masters and also in front of the World Salsa Champion himself!

Nestor and Lidia, thank you for your guidance and kind words that spurred me on in bachata. Suzana and Inaki, thank you for inspiring me to bring my bachata to different levels. My journey in bachata has always been inspired by these few people. And to all those around me who has supported my bachata growth, thank you so much as your passion in bachata has inspired me to try to bring a revolution to Malaysia's bachata so that we may all dance bachata the way we all actually want to dance.

Thank you Lin for giving us such great events. And thank you for all the support you have given me. Can't wait for MSF... but for now its time to concentrate on the Sydney Bachata Festival.

Viva la Bachata!



Jaxen
'Salsa Daddy'

the real me

I was once told if you can walk you can dance , but for me it wasn't a bed of roses as it sounds. it took me a lot of time , patience and passion to get where am i today in the music and creative industry. I started dancing in church, doing the tambourine dance.


what you see in the picture was exactly what i was doing in church exept we all looked different obviously lol. Here is when i really started to like dance BUT it was all ups and downfalls for me as i was a very very very slow dancer. I could never catch up in time . My friends would laugh and make a fool out of me, my teacher would give me warnings like if i could not catch up i will not be able to perform . Because of the lack of patience they had in me and not having the drive to work harder, i had decided to quit WHICH was my biggest mistake, cause now i realise if i just put a little afford in dancing i could have done better . So what if i did not dance well . God never judged did he ? and at the end of the say i was dancing for himand myself not for fame ! BUT that was a long time ago , its all in the past.

I had another passion, the piano. At first i loved it . My parents got me my first piano which looked something like this
i remember it was the day i came back from school when i was standard 2 . the smile on my face was from ear to ear. It was then i started to take it seriously as in taking the exams and moving myself a grade higher every year. As i reach a certain level i begin to take piano playing as a chore i did not enjoy it anymore . i wanted to quit at grade 5 but everyone pushed me to finish it. Today i have my grade 7 which i am happy i have. I could never imagine what happen if i had quit at grade 5 .Today everyone around me has at least a grade 8. Well I guess it was a childhood thing. :)

I stop dance for a very very very long time, in school days i realise i had another talent which was singing. I had neither the voice of Mariah Carey nor Whitney but it was unique i guess so i decided to go into for while as in singing in church and school talent shows and all. I never took singing seriously till today i always thought of it as something i do to pass time and something i am good at moderately. i dance and sing to ease my sorrows. to let out my emotions . i use the dance techniques to capture my heart hardness to make myself feel better. Its like my Drug to release stress i guess. ( Hey ! its a good thing ) i also went into acting for a bit i realize that i could act too ... HEY who cant right . so i joined clubs in schools and a few plays. i did all these to pass my time and since i only had the basic talent i thought to myself HEY improve it ! this even got me a part in gol and gincu a small part but sadly i could not make it for casting because it was during assignments and exams period. BUT hey if there is a will, there is a way other opportunities will come my way it it was meant to be.


college days came along and here i was introduce to PARTS ( performing arts ) here is when i really concentrated on my hip hop and other small small dancers. i went into performing and i did it even to the extend of performing for functions and got paid. HEY it was good pocket money and it really gave me the real exposure of performing . i have to say i learnt alot from my seniors as well who thought me how to dance . here is also where i learnt my belly dancing thanks to CLARE ... muax .... its her to thank for my bootie shaking ability hahahah

i have to say all these dancing has really made me a different person . in a way i learn to appreciate the creative department more. i learn to true meaning of singing , dancing and acting. all these are not just something people do to pass time. YES it may be but to a certain point. I did it because it was a passion that kept me going till today . I gave up here and there BUT hey i am back on track somehow .

NOW i am in the SALSA , BACHATA phase lol . It all begin thanks to Kak Lin who introduced me to the Malaysian Salsa Festival two years ago. This time when i started to help out i was still not into salsa yet. I was like , ok la its a nice dance , nice to watch , but never had any intensions to learn even though i loved dance. i did learn the bachata from Nestor that year and BOY it was a good dance. he thought me the basics of it. i was thinking to myself i never knew anything about bachata but if he can make me dance like that HELL i want to learn. Then the second year of MSF came along here i saw SUSANA MONTERO AND INAKI


both queen of slasa and prince of bachata :) Here is when i put my foot down and said AFTER THIS the first thing i am going to do is LEARN SALSA . came back from MSF i got hold of shankar and said i wana learn where can i learn ? this was when he introduced me to rhythm identity run by Jaxen . I am now already at stage 5 ? after going through a very very stresful test ? LOL than god i pass . and i have james to thank for that too, in salsa . at first it was fun and easy but not anymore. i guess nothing is in life we just have to work hard to get what we want. Being hard is a phase that we all have to learn from once conquered we can do anything i guess :)

my salsa and bacahata experience learning has been really awesome. adding to that i have met wonderful friends too :) you know who you are muahahaha i think i am going to miss all you guys so much when i go to australia in a few months time ( Tears ) :(

to sum it all up i guess what i wanted to say is eventhough i had the passion for dance since the age of 5 i had to go through ups and downs so much so that some of it i think i dont even deserve to go through but then What can i say exept that i am here today, a moderately good dancer :) ( smacks) and a fast learner ... to a certain point la ..... hahahaha . i have always wanted to quit as things got harder but ,my passion for it made me stay on . sometimes i think what good does this all do for me. what benefit do i get from all of these aexept burning my money to learn learn and learn learn BUT hey now i think of it i HAVE no regret . i have built my character and most important my posture has been change lol ;) trust me. i dont hunch and slout anymore ?? haha i have met wonderful people along the way , good friends in fact :)
life has never been better

J.U.S.T. D.A.N.C.E. !!
viva la salsa
viva la bachata too :)

delmissacent

Bachata Update: Juan Ruiz

Final confirmation is done!

Juan Ruiz, the man responsible for bringing bachata into Australia is coming to Malaysia! And Rhythm Identity will be bringing him in for a Bachata Revolution in Malaysia with workshops, demo performance and parties!

Imagine bachata in all its form and glory!

Traditional Bachata and the fusion of bachata with zouk, kizomba, tango and other latin rhythms as well as body movements that make bachata the sensual dance we all know and have grown to love will be in Malaysia full bloom!

If Juan Ruiz can make Australia into a bachata powerhouse, imagine what his presence can do in Malaysia. Bachateros in Malaysia will never be the same again.

Viva la Bachata!


Jaxen
'Salsa Daddy'