People rarely know what they’re getting into when they pick up dancing. It starts with a movie they saw, a childhood obsession for the outfit, or maybe just the desire to be a dancing queen—but what it grows into is something one must experience. “Dancing as an adult is completely different from dancing as a child, when your parents forced you to take classes. This is something you’ve chosen, and that makes it fun,” explains Vivienne, 39, who quit ballet after childhood only to return to it years later with renewed passion. And as we drifted through dance studios, we kept on meeting that same kind of enthusiasm. Frankly, dance students look like they’re high—only their drug of choice is legal, keeps them fit, and doesn’t come with a withdrawal period. Try it, you’ll be hooked.
Ballet
Rising Star Dance Studio. 3/F, Fifty-Fifth Plaza Bldg., 90 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (at Soi Thonglor 2), 02-3822321.
What is it: You think you know what it is—girls hopping about in tutus (and boys in tights) to classical music—but ballet also happens to be the most ambitious, perfectionist, and studied form of dance out there. You’re going to benefit from generations of masters who have worked on making the human body move beautifully.
Where we went: Fay Pansringarm is an American who teaches ballet for the sake of dancing, not for those exams that Thai parents are so keen on seeing their kids pass. She’s all about expression, understanding the moves from within, and loving what you do.
“We don’t do paper you can hang up on the wall, here. We dance.”
The crowd: Ages three and up. We sat in for an advanced ballet class with mostly Japanese ladies in their 30s to 50s, but the makeup of classes really depends on the level, age, and type of dance. Belly dancing, and jazz, for example, seems to draw a more mixed crowd of younger women.
The reward: Ballet is perhaps the most demanding dance, yet it can’t even be danced socially. That’s the bad news. The good news is that once you can dance ballet, everything else is easy. It contains the basic placement, energy patterns and lines for everything else. Students also told us they felt it made them feel beautiful and improved their posture. For Fay, ballet can take you to levels of bliss not unlike meditation. Judging by the look on her students’ faces, she’s not kidding.
Price: B500 for 90 minutes.
Break-Dancing
Free Soul Studio, Bang Kapi, call for appointments, 08-9495-4712.
www.freesoulstudio.com.
What is it: A very physical dance originating from the US, it differs from the ubiquitous hip hop dancing in that the music you will dance to has a faster old-school tempo. Think Run DMC, Apache or Incredible Bongo Band. More than a dance, it’s a whole culture, with a very strong stress on fashion.
Where we went: Cheno’s home, in Bang Kapi, where he’s built a very pro (if smallish) studio. He was on the team that won the SE Asian qualifiers and went on to place 10th and 11th in 2005-6 at the international dancing competition Battle of the Year, in Germany. He could well be Thailand’s best break-dancer. Closer to town, Cheno teaches at Alliance Francaise (29 Sathorn Tai Rd, 02-670-4224, www.alliance-francaise.or.th) and as part of the royal project, To Be Number 1 (www.tobenumber1.net).
The crowd: Lots of kids, (15-18). Cheno’s oldest student is a whopping 30, but he admits anything past 25 is rare. And yet, break-dancing in Thailand doesn’t exactly draw a rough inner-city crowd. Your dancing buddies will be good boys (mostly) and won’t make too much fun of you.
The reward: It’s nearly acrobatic so, of course, it will tone your body. But the best part of learning a popular dance is that it’s actually practiced in real life places. Head down to Route 66 and, once you’ve honed your skills, take on other B-Boys in “battles.” Or just go show off at BTS National Stadium. But Cheno believes the most important skill break-dancing taught him is patience, “It can take a year to master one single move. That means you learn to try and try again. Today, I don’t get upset easily.”
Price: B2,500/10 hours at Free Soul Studio. B3,500 for 3 months, 2 hrs a week at Alliance Française—the next semester starts Jul 15 and runs on Wednesdays, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Standard Ballroom
Best Image, 3/F, Zenith Hotel, 29/108 Sukhumvit Soi 3, Nana Nua, 02-655-4834/5.
What is it: Traditionally, ballroom dance has been enjoyed by the upper class (while folk dances were enjoyed by the lower class). Ballroom dancing served a mostly social function until competitions turned it into a more open—and sporty—discipline. In Thailand, it became popular under King Rama V. Socially it’s now a bit on the wane but still enjoys continued popularity competitively. Standard (as opposed to Latin) ballroom dances are the more formal and traditional partner dances and include slow waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep.
Where we went: Best Image studio is run by Anantapat Sriprapat and Siriwanat Sriprapat. The couple won a gold medal at the Asian Games in 1998, making them highly respected masters in their field. At Best Image, the mood is very relaxed and friendly. Teens hang out in the halls and lounge chatting and practicing steps, while on the dance floor, everyone is more focused but definitely enjoying themselves.
The crowd: Today, in Bangkok, ballroom is mostly danced either competitively by a young generation (late teens, early 20s), socially by women in their 50s (and older), or professionally by their male teacher-partners (of all ages) who have made it into lucrative careers.
The reward: Like all dances, ballroom keeps you fit. For some of the younger practitioners, successfully competing in ballroom dancing can be a ticket into a prestigious university. For the more mature women who practice it, it’s an opportunity to socialize with other well-to-do ladies. But don’t think they are bored housewives—many of them are doctors or own businesses.
Price: Starting from B600 to B1,000/hour, depending on who your teacher is.
Where To Dance
Ad Lib Singing Club: Chang Bldg., (Bldg. A), Paholyothin Rd., 02-937-4455, 02-937-4000 ext 5202. Jazz.
Alliance Francaise: 29 Sathorn Tai Rd., 02-670-4224. www.alliance-francaise.or.th. Contemporary, Jazz, tap, ballroom (tango, salsa, rock n’ roll, tcha tcha), break (hip hop), L.A. salsa.
Aree School of Dance Arts: 1521/2 Sukhumvit Rd., Pra khanong, 02-714-0812/3. Ballet, jazz, Spanish, tap.
Bangkok City Ballet: 6/F, City Resort 49, 39 Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-662-7933. www.bangkokcityballet.com. Ballet, contemporary, tap, hip hop.
Bangkok Dance School: 20/F, Vanisa Bldg., 29 Soi Chidlom, Ploenchit Rd., 02-655-6880. Jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, gymnastics, Thai.
Bangkok International Dance Academy (BIDA): 2/F, Peninsula Plaza, 153 Ratchadamri, 02-253-9529. Latin, ballroom.
Best Image Ballroom Dance Studio: 3/F, Zenith Hotel, 29/108 Sukhumvit Soi 3, Nana Nua, 02-655-4834/5. Latin, ballroom.
Boonlert Dance School: 4/F, New City Bldg., 240/7-242 Rama 1 Rd., 02-225-2233. Ballroom.
Dance Vit Me: The Ninth Tower, 65 Rama 9 Rd., 08-6535-1152. www.vitfanclub.com. Street, jazz, hip hop, B-boy, break, popping.
House of Pro Studio: 4/F, 33 Paholyothin Soi 5, 02-619-6132/3. Open Tue-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun 9am-8pm. www.hopstudio.net. Jazz, hip hop, street jazz, B-boy, house, latin, belly.
KPN Music Academy Thonglor: 3/F, J Avenue bldg., 323 Thonglor Soi 15, Klongton Nua, 02-712-8666. www.kpnmusic.com. Hip hop, jazz, street, ballet.
La Danse: 4/F, Siam Paragon, 02-559-0556, 08-1734-7138. www.la-danse.net. Jazz, hip hop, B-boy, funk.
Nadtaka: 5/F, Central Pinklao Tower B, 02-884-8699, 08-9480-0894. www.nadtaka.com. Thai.
Patravadi Theatre: 69/1 Soi Wat Rakhang, Arun Amarin Rd., 02-412-7287/8. www.patravaditheatre.com. Latin, ballet, Thai.
Pilates & Dance Studio (Studio 31): 289/2 Sukhumvit 31, 02-662-1833, 08-4070-4060. www.pilatesanddancestudio.com. Ballet.
Rising Star Dance studio: Fifty-fifth Plaza Bldg., 90 Thonglor, 08-1553-0656. Belly, jazz, ballet.
Rumpuree Dance Studio: 5/F, Amarin Plaza, Ploenchit Rd., 08-1430-6684. www.rumpuree.com New York Salsa, Belly, striptease, Afro Caribbean, hip hop, meringue, Thai, jazz, tango.
Salsa Hacha: 130/5 Silom Soi 6, Suriyawongse, Bangrak, 02-634-3383/4. www.salsahacha.com. Salsa, bachata, belly, swing, tango, meringue, striptease
Trigenda: 117/14 11/F, Parnchit Tower, Thonglor, 02-712-6597. Ballroom.
Varaporn-Kanchana Ballet School: 51/5 Soi Lang Suan, Ploenchit Rd., 02-252-8704. Ballet.
www.salsabangkok.com: Various venues, 02-655-1460/1. Salsa.
