Just found out that u need to register to The Straits Times Interactive to access that article. Troublesome, so I've copied and pasted it out. Heard ST is even gonna charge a fee for access to outdated news on their site very soon.... Sigh... they never give up cashing in on any chance, do they?

Anyway, for those of u who are interested (doubt it actually, but that's the good thing abt blogs ^^, dun have to care whether people are interested in reading it or not...), here are some line dance (LD)-related websites in Singapore, apart from CLDAS which was already featured. Lots of info for classes, jam sessions, dance sneakers (yes, cowboy boots are sooooo passe in Pearl's world of LD fashion) and other interesting stuff...

Golden Boots: one of the most comprehensive websites. Constantly updated.

Joseph Yip's website: my parents' instructor's website. He's a very good instructor and an excellent dancer himself. Got 2 international LD awards to his belt - one for dancing and one for choreography.

Peter & Ee Lin's website: one of the best jam session organisers and good instructors. Love the way Ee lin dances too ^^. You can purchase dance sneakers from them at affordable prices as well.

Line Dance Society, Singapore: now , I gotta tell u more abt this society and relate some interesting LD history at the same time...


Once upon a time in Singapore....

To all who line dance and especially those who just joined us, didn't know LDSS even exsisted? Well, now u know.

Yes! There IS another formal line dance association in Singapore apart from the highly-publicized CLDAS.

LDSS was actually set up as a sort of rival to CLDAS some years back when the LD community started to split up and from their own cliques (after government organization NTUC Income ceased to support LD). However before this, something was brewing....

As LD got popular, so did the appetite for other forms of dances other than the often boring and simple country dances (I'm not saying this is always the case. There are some exceptions), line dancers began to crave for more variety. Since country music has never been the craze in Singapore, naturally many wanted to dance to something more hip, more 'accessible'. So funky beats became the popular style, especially among the youngsters. I guess as this progressed, many die-hard country fans felt alienated. Once NTUC stopped funding large-scale LD events, CLDAS, the pioneer LD group, took the chance to carve a niche of its own - to promote the 'purest' form of line dancing ie. only country and nothing else.

However, CLDAS became quite domineering and demanding in the LD scene, in my opinion. Many people were unhappy with CLDAS's insistence on 'pure-country' and blantant rejection and condemnation of the use of songs other than country western (hello... u guys are not even remotely Texan...) So the very respected Chen Kuowei started this LDSS with the motto that LD is "no longer is restricted to just Country & Western music. There is now an infusion of new attitudes, movements and music including American Pop, European, Latin, Thai, Chinese, and even our very own local Malay song "Rasa Sayang!" We'll let "variety be the spice of our life!"

I think it's still operating, but it seems to be keeping a very low profile in recent years in terms of organizing events and stuff, kinda like CLDAS which is also pretty detached from the mainstream these days too. I don't know who the big boss of LDSS is now, been pretty out of touch myself. However, I believe that LDSS currently has the largest kids to adults ratio among its supporters, so naturally I think they've been gearing a little more to the funky styles like jazz, hip-hop and dance funk.



psssssst.....Btw, it's personal bias but I've got my reasons, mostly from personal experiences.... Anyhow, if u're really really interested in line dancing.......

*don't* go for CLDAS....




Ok ok, too much rambling. Here's the article as promised!

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March 2, 2005

Not toeing the line

Line dancing is no longer just about country. It's swaying to pop, salsa and R&B music as well
By Lin Ziyu

SEXY Naughty Bitchy, She Bangs and I Love Rock N' Roll.

No, these are not the titles of songs that keep dancers happy in a disco but rather the tunes that many line dancers are now stomping to.

This is one indication of how line dancing in Singapore has changed since it was introduced five years ago.

It has strayed from its country roots towards pop, latin, salsa and R&B music.

According to Mr Peter Ng, 37, a line dance instructor, nearly 80 per cent of the new dances which many local instructors introduce each month are now of the pop variety.

The tracks are lifted from popular and contemporary singers such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Atomic Kitten and even Michael Jackson.

He attributes this to the influence of the line dancing scene in Britain and the United States, which has also moved away from traditional country tunes.

Says Mr Joseph Yip, 47, a line dance instructor: 'Some of the line dancers in their 50s welcome this; they feel much younger and hipper dancing to the tunes of Beyonce, for example.'

He teaches private classes as well as at community centres.

Not everyone takes to the modern music, however. There are purists who firmly believe in the good old country tunes.

The Country Line Dance Association (Singapore) is one example.

The group was formed in August 2000 by businessman Michael Pang, 54, who is now its president.

It is the biggest formal association for line dancers here, with about 300 members, of which about three-quarters are aged 40 to 60.

Seventy per cent of the songs played at its twice-weekly jam sessions on Fridays and Sundays at Far East Square are country ditties from the likes of Alan Jackson and George Strait.

These 3 1/2-to-four-hour events attract an average of about 100 to 150 participants on Fridays and 60 to 70 on Sundays.

Although pop songs are also given a spin, it's the more mellow tunes such as Ronan Keating's If Tomorrow Never Comes that get the nod.

Anything faster and there are mid lifers who feel that the tempo is too fast and difficult for them to keep in step.

Says Mr Simon Tang, 62, a line dancer of four years: 'These dances have too many movements which make it hard for us to catch up. It's also not good for our legs. I prefer country music - slower and more relaxed.'

He practises regularly with his wife at Far East Square on Sundays.

Besides taking detours from country tunes, enthusiasts are also giving their performances an Asian twist.

Mr Ng, for example, has choreographed routines to go with Thai pop princess Tata Young's Sexy Naughty Bitchy.

'These Asian songs are nice and suitable for dancing. Singaporeans can also find it easier to relate to them,' he says.

Music is not the only change on the dance floor. Look closely and you will note that many line dancers are now opting for dance sneakers instead of knee-high cowboy boots.

The sneakers are more comfortable than the boots, which are heavier.

Ranging from $60 to $100 a pair, they are also cheaper than boots, which can cost $200 to $400.

Line dancing was all the rage when it first hit town.

Some 12,000 Singaporeans even set a Guinness world record in May 2002 for the world's largest country line dance though they were unseated months later by enthusiasts in Hong Kong, with 12,168 dancers.

No one really knows how the phenomenon started here, but fans trace it back to the late 1990s when a Japanese instructor introduced line dancing classes.

Although more young people are picking up the activity, mid lifers still form the majority of the fan base.

About three-quarters of the line dancers in Singapore are people aged above 55, estimates Mr Yeo Kok Pang, vice-president of the Country Line Dance Association (Singapore).
There are roughly 6,000 enthusiasts here, he adds.

Why the attraction?

Says Mrs Anne Yap, 67, who practises four times a week with her husband: 'You get to meet and make friends with a lot of people from your own age group.'

It is also a form of 'family bonding' for the grandmother, who takes her two grandchildren - a girl, 11, and a boy, 12 - to sessions at Far East Square every week.

Line dancing gives her a common topic to talk about with her grandson, who has been learning it since he was seven.

'I always encourage people to start line dancing. It really makes you feel brighter and healthier. It also makes me feel younger,' says Mrs Yap.

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Where to pick up line dancing

Community centres and clubs

Most of these places offer elementary, intermediate and advanced courses. The fee for an elementary course of 12 classes ranges from $35 to $65.

Log on to pa-online.gov.sg and search under Community Centres/Clubs Online for courses in your area.

Country Line Dance Association (Singapore)

The 300-member group offers beginner and intermediate classes. A beginner course of eight weekly classes costs $70 for members and $80 for non-members.
Log on to www.cldas.com for more information, e-mail cldas@cldas.com or call 9090-6876.