Swing dancing

You might have come across one of the events hosted by swing dance school The Hop, filling the streets of Yaowarat and other open air public spaces with people moving and grooving and living that sock hop life. But how did the 1930s Harlem roots of swing make their way to Bangkok? BK spoke with the co-owners and instructors at The Hop, Chayapong “Oat” Naviroj and Young Ji Kim, to learn more.

Oat became enamored with the style when he studied abroad in America and founded The Hop along with two expats back in 2012, including his life partner Young Ji Kim.
 

Swing has strong ties to African American communities, and Oat explains that the term itself refers to the style of jazz music. Under the swing umbrella, there are subsets of dances like the charleston, lindy hop, solo jazz—all of which you can pick up at The Hop. Occasionally, the school will throw a “social dance night” with a test class for 30 mins (B200) so you can freestyle on the dance floor with live bands from Mahidol University and guest musicians from abroad.
 

Emphasizing the communal side of swing, the classes are taught in English; you’ll see an even ratio of expats, tourists, and locals mingling at The Hop.

“When you graduate from university, it’s really difficult to find deep connections as an adult,” Young Ji shares. “We want it to be more than a school, so after we finish dancing, we’d go out to eat together at the kao tom or guay tiew shops.”

The swing dances in their heyday were the highlight of the week even. So dancers would dress to the nines—making swing something of a time-traveling costume occasion these days.
 

Swing dancing might not be as competitive as other genres in Thailand but recent competitions brought in participants from 26 countries around the world. Some of the subgenres like balboa are less physically demanding on the body so if you have health issues, these moves can be a great place to start.

A lot of people are intimidated by the improvised moves. Young Ji compares learning a new dance to learning a new language. In the end, you have to be present to soak it all up.

“It’s not me, it’s just my feet,” Young Ji says. “This is a life skill too! Both of us just crave going with the flow.”
 

Where you can find swing dancing:
The Hop
The current schedule for April 2024 includes weekly classes on varying levels of lindy hop, beginner’s level of blues, charleston, solo jazz, balboa, and level 2 tap dancing.
252, 8 Si Lom Rd., 02-235-2653, Open Tues 8-11pm, Thurs 7-11pm, Sat 8-11pm.
 

K-pop

Photo credit: Inner Studio / Facebook

Since the Hallyu wave hit in the 90s, Thailand has been swept up in the K-pop scene. There are even Korean nightclubs, like Anju, these days that cater to the K-pop crowd. Whether you’re looking to be the next Lisa from BlackPink or covering dances from your favorite bands, dance schools in Bangkok have everything from beginner classes to intense training programs.
 

Where you can the find K-pop dance:
Minizize
Minizize gives daily K-pop dance classes which you can customize to your liking. There are courses for kids, dance workouts, and fully fledged K-pop choreography to try out.
2 F, The Street, Ratchadaphisek Rd., 093 372 5419. Open Mon-Fri 11am10pm; Sat-Sun 9am-10pm
The Inner Studio
The Inner Studio provides kpop dance lessons for children and adults. You can also take classes online and master moves from specific hits like “Butter” from BTS and Lisa’s “Money.” Esplanade, 99 Ratchadaphisek Rd., 063 980 5000. Open 9:30am-10pm
 

Traditional Thai Dance

Dating back more than 500 years and encompassing both classical and folk, Thai traditional dance features weaving together elegant movements, flexible hands, extravagant costumes, and traditional Thai instruments. The artform includes Khon and Lakhon Nai, and you can also find folk dances like Likay and Ramwong.

Navinda “Lordfai” Pachimsawat, a well-known figure in Thailand’s dance world, serves as both the 2nd generation managing director and creative director of the Bangkok Dance Academy which opened in 1990. A Victorian College of the Arts graduate and a recipient of the Dance Web scholarship to perform at the Vienna International Dance Festival, Navinda has become committed to advocating for the advancement of dance in Thailand since her return. Navinda acknowledges that its exclusivity arises from traditional teaching methods and hierarchical structures, but says class numbers have been declining.

The performances often take inspiration from religion and epic tales like the Ramakien, symbolizing the eternal battle between good and evil. Once a privilege reserved for the elite, today, like many forms of traditional and folk art, faces challenges in accessibility.

While Thai dancing is often showcased at venues catering to tourists, there’s a growing movement to make it more inclusive. For those interested in watching, Siam Niramit hosts cultural concerts, including hundreds of performers, and the National Theatre hosts Khon and Lakhon. If you need a plush introduction, BK readers will already know Sala Rim Naam at the Mandarin Oriental puts on Thai every evening.
 

Where you can the find Thai dance:
Bangkok Dance Academy
One class weekly, teaching different Thai dances at 12 branches.
Rumpuree
Classes with Nid, who has more than 30 years of experience in traditional Thai dance.
Jasmine City Bldg, Sukhumvit 23, 062-449-794
Samyan Mitrtown, 944 Rama IV, 062-449-4296
ITDA Thai Art and Culture Center
Their Thai dance program is a one-day course complete with a certificate of completion.
36, Sukhumvit Soi 16, 02-662-4230
 

Hip-Hop

Thailand’s hip-hop scene isn’t a secret. From Milli and Thaitanium on stage at Rolling Loud to Bang Sue Electrix on Bangkok’s local stages, Thailand loves hip-hop. On the dance side of things, there’s Badvibes, Bangkok’s best space for the good ol’ fashioned dance off. This is where you go to get served.

Last year, Bangkok hosted Badvibes Vol. 2 pitting competitors against one another surrounded by a rowdy crowd of dance fans in a whirlwind of dance, disses, and dramatic moments; more than 200 dancers from around the region signed up.
 

“Hip-hop dancing is less constrained and does not necessarily have set rules, and continuously evolves every day. Even the way you walk has a rhythm and is considered hip-hop,” Niran “Kevin” Bondoerffer with Badvibes tells BK.

There’s freestyling, krumping, popping and locking—the style varies but there’s a spirit of community that brings dancers from around the world to test their mettle.
 

Their next event is scheduled for May 10-13, where they’ll be holding one-on-one dancing battles, as well as panel debates and workshops. Judges from Europe and Japan and dancers from throughout Southeast Asia and beyond will be in attendance.
 

Where you can the find hip hop dance:
D Maniac Dance Studio
Hip hop classes are usually held everyday with a variety of different skill levels.
RCA Block D 21-98, 063-796-4133
The Movement Studio BKK
Around two to three classes per week with different hip-hop genres.
Block F, Kamphaeng Phet 7 Soi 3, 092-962-2396
Minizize Dance Studio
Two classes a day, from beginners to advanced, including twerking.
The Street, Ratchadaphisek. 093-372-5419
 

Latin Dances

Salsa, tango, samba, mambo—there are really too many styles to choose from here, but you can’t leave out Latin dance because, well, it’s just too sexy.

It takes two to tango, they say, but down at AmBar in Bangkok, their Latin dance nights are drawing hundreds. Every Sunday dancers show up for their workshops at 8pm for Bachata Fever.

“This is easily the largest weekly party in Thailand,” says Pei, the organizer of the Bachata Fever event and the CEO of Bangkok Bachata Gang. “We have all been dancing for years, but we are new organizers. We have only been organizing parties for two months, but our reputation begins to precede us because we have the best music, the best instructors, the best venue, and various theme nights.”
 

Photo credit: Bachata / Social Dance

Bachata is a slower, more sensual dance than the salsa, originating in the 20th century in the Dominican Republic. For these events, people show up with or without partners for two workshops and then a dance party. The organizers also work with salsa or kizomba dance depending on the music.

They’re not the only ones. International DJ and dance instructor Alex Teodorescu has free dance lessons and features a new dance style every week. The Cuba-themed bar does this every Sunday and it’s Havana Social, so you know it’ll turn into a party.
 

Where you can the find Latin dances:
Bachata Fever
Every Sunday from 8pm AmBar kicks off their Bachata Fever event, featuring a slew of bachata dancers.
AmBar, Sukhumvit Soi 15. 02-309-3288
Social Dance Bangkok
Four weekly classes with 60 students per week, and they’re expecting six weekly classes coming soon.
Cat and Cow Studio, Sukhumvit Soi 11, 086-586-7755
Havana Social
Alex Teodorescu keeps the heads and the bodies spinning at Havana Social every Sunday night.
41, Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-821-6111
Above Eleven
Wednesdays are salsa night and ladies’ night at Above Eleven. It’s more about the music than the dancing at this spot but bring your dancing shoes anyway.
Fraser Suites, 38/8 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-038-5111
 

Voguing

Originating in 1980s Harlem, voguing takes inspiration from elaborate poses found in the pages of high fashion magazines (like the eponymous Vogue). However, the dance is part of a much larger and underground “ballroom” scene which was founded and popularized by black and latino LGBTQ+ communities back in the 60s. These balls are a showcase of talent, a party, and a battling ground between the “houses” (a surrogate family and teammates).

The balls allocate a space participants can use as a runway or a dance floor. There are various categories such as “femme realness” in which the person who most likely passes as a cisgender woman will take the trophy. Categories like these aren’t just a celebration of queer identities; they’re also a performance queer folks have to keep up to be safe from discrimination outside the ballroom bubble.

Voguing has evolved from the “old way”—which features five elements: hand performance, catwalk, floor work, duck walk, spin, and dip—to the “new way” that brings contortion and building geometrical shapes. The popular “vogue femme” is usually performed by “femme queens” (trans and female presenting individuals) highlighting soft and fluid transitions between moves with dramatic punctuations.
 

In Bangkok, the voguing scene is still relatively small with only two houses (House of Sun and House of Siren) actively competing in a ball. Taeng Mizrahi, who founded the local House of Siren, says that she’s been trying to build and expand the scene since 2020.

Over the years she’s hosted workshops in collaboration with legendary names from abroad such as Chise Ninja from Japan, Dolores Ninja from the US, and Ada Ninja from Russia. She also runs “Vogue Culture,” an online platform to spread news on voguing and ball culture from creators in the scene.

In 2022, she got to be a choreographer and backup dancer for singer Patcha’s “Phrom Mai Ka Kathoey” music video, which now sits with over 1 million views on YouTube.

“The moves you see are quite authentic but we also adapt it to go with the song and the times we’re living in,” Taeng says.
 

Although there have been mainstream media inspired by elements of voguing, most are not actual voguers but popular stars or people who fit into the Thai beauty standards. The ballroom scene serves as a place of empowerment where members hype each other up and try out different ways to express themselves whether it’s in voguing or fashion.

“We’re super open,” Taeng touts. “You don’t have to be an expert dancer or a fashionista to join.”
 

Where you can find voguing:
You can stay updated on the classes and workshop via Instagram; @siren.kiki currently hosts weekly Saturday classes 2-3:30pm at RCA dance studios in Rama 9.The course focuses on the history and key elements of voguing. There’s a routine to practice, but it’s more about the foundation of freestyling where learners will learn to swap sequences and create something of their own.