Singapore Dancesport RpMerleon - Asia Top Ballroom Dance Past Editorial

Singapore's Top Dance Website
Past Editoral - 2002 [April to June]

28 Sep 2002 - Gary & Lily's First Grand Classic Dinner & Dance
On 27 Aug 02, Gary Lee & Lily Ong organised their first Dinner & Dance - The First August Ball Classic at Grand Copthorne Hotel. The evening had great performances by Gary and Lily and a competition with two categories. It was really encouraging to see many new faces on the competition floor. To add to the fun, there were also lucky draws.

The evening was made even more special for Gary as it was his birthday too! Happy birthday Gary! Everyone really enjoyed themselves and they are really looking forward to the next dinner and dance by Gary and Lily. Congratulations to Gary and Lily for a very successful and enjoyable dinner and dance.

25 Sep 2002 - Ladies Hotting Up For Bar Top Dancing
A chinese article on 'Ladies Hotting Up For Bar Top Dancing' from Lian He Zhao Bao, comparing such acts with Coyoto Ugly movie. Read more from Lian He Zhao Pao.

20 Sep 2002 - Bar-top dancing case ends with $500 fine
Ex-pub director acquitted of providing public entertainment. A CASE of bar-top dancing, which had everyone from Forum Page letter writers to the Prime Minister commenting on Singapore rules, ended yesterday with a former pub director being acquitted after paying a compound fine. Read more from The Straits Times.

13 Sep 2002 - Studio & Link Pages Updated
Check out the latest addition to the Studio & Link pages on where to go for belly dancing. more>>

11 Sep 2002 - IDSF / SGDF News
The latest SGDF ranking results are out. Congratulations to Phillip Ang & Roseline Poh, the new top ranked Grade A Standard couple and Melvin Tan Joon Ping & Sharon Tan Huey Boon, the new top ranked Grade A Latin couple. It seems that the Millennium International Ballroom Dance Championships 2002 to be held on 22 Sep 02 is not registered with SGDF or IDSF. Check out the details at the SGDF website.

Latest hot news: The IOC Executive Board decided not to admit Dancesport, which had made a request for inclusion into the Olympic Programme of the Games of the Olympiad. Read more at the IOC website. However, IDSF President Rudolf Baumann said, "I am still optimistic regarding the inclusion of DanceSport in the summer Olympic Games, if not in 2008, then in 2012". Read more at the IDSF website.

08 Sep 2002 - Sammy & Annie Dance Studio 5th Anniversary Dinner & Dance

A FEAST for the eyes & ears awaited guests that attended the 5th Anniversary Dinner & Dance of Sammy & Annie Dance Studio at the Raffles Town Club yesterday. RpMerleon (and we're sure many others too) congratulates Sammy & Annie, together with their superb organizing committee in organising such a successful, professionally run event and for choosing RpMerleon as the official photographers. Read more write-up here >>
View & purchase photos here >>

08 Sep 2002 - Melvyn Low Dance Studio 10th Anniversary Dinner & Dance
Yesterday Melvyn & Nancy Low celebrated their 10 years of glorious achievements at their Annual Dinner & Dance. The highlight of the evening was the performances by Luca Tonello & Ekaterina Baroulina from Italy, Grand Finalists in the Professional Rising Star Championships in Blackpool 2002. They did a medley of both Modern and Latin dances which captivated an enchanted audience.

05 Sep 2002 - Dance & Help Raise Funds For Charity
A series of charity events will be held for this year's President's Challenge; the aim is to raise $5 million for 40 VWOs. COME Sept 1, the Singapore Indoor Stadium will be transformed into a huge dance hall for a day. The President's Challenge Dance-A-Thon, organised by the People's Association, will see 10,000 people, young and old, paying $5 each to dance for charity. Read more from The Straits Times.

31 Aug 2002 - Hip Surgery
The three national museums here are trying to shake off their stuffy image with dance classes and plays held in their premises. Do not raise your eyebrows if you hear music wafting from the Singapore Art Museum late on Friday nights. Just let your hair down and join the party. There, Lindy Hop instructor Jacqueline Tan teaches a class of about 20 how to have a swinging good time every first and third Friday of the month. Read more from The Straits Times Life section.

25 Aug 2002 - Samba On Bar Top A Possibility
"Singaporeans need to develop six new habits in order for the country to remake itself to move forward, said Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on remaking Singapore. And the sixth habit is to make creative energy pay off. Studies show that entrepreneurship is linked to the level of cultural vibrancy.

Singapore, he said, needs a few 'bohemias' such as Club Street, where people can gather and 'do their creative stuff'. Departing from his prepared text, he then hinted at a possible change: 'Maybe we shall allow dancing on bar-tops.' The police do not allow bar-top dancing as they consider it unsafe but there have been calls for the rule to be relaxed.

BAR owners and patrons cannot wait for bar-top dancing to be allowed at nightspots, a possibility they hope will lead to an easing up of the rules governing club behaviour." Read more from The Straits Times

20 Aug 2002 - Mad About Mambo Movie Review
Set in modern-day Belfast, Mad About Mambo is a film featuring star-crossed lovers, football (soccer) and samba dancing (not mambo, but I’ll get to that in a moment). William Ash stars as Danny Mitchell, a Catholic from West Belfast with big dreams of playing football for Belfast United, a fictional team seen as predominantly Protestant and thus out of reach for William. When United drafts a Catholic player from Brazil, Danny becomes obsessed with all things Brazilian – especially the samba, which he hopes will improve his rhythm and subsequently his game.

10 Aug 2002 - 2002 Nuvo International Dancesport Championship
This inaugural IDSF World Ranking event was organised by the International Dancesport Centre at the Mulia Hotel, Grand Ballroom on 7 Aug 02. More than 300 competitors from over 20 countries took part in this colourful and exceedingly successful cum grand championship. Dominico Soale & Giola Cerasoli from Italy took the top honours in the Grade A Amateur Open Standard with their superb performance.

09 Aug 2002 - 15th Singapore Lion City International DanceSport Championships Results
The full results of the 15th Singapore Lion City International DanceSport Championships are out at Shawn and Gladys Danceworld website.

07 Aug 2002 - iShop Photos for 15th Singapore Lion City International DanceSport Championships
RpMerleon managed to capture some superb shots of this great championship. As of now, some of the photos are already in RpMerleon iShop and there will be more uploads. Do check up periodically for new photos for your purchase & enjoyment as no further announcement will be made.

04 Aug 2002 - 15th Singapore Lion City International DanceSport Championships

This prestigious annual event, organized by Shawn & Gladys DanceWorld yesterday, was participated by more than 500 competitors from 30 countries. Read more write-up >>
View & purchase dancesport photos here : Standard & Latin

26 Jul 2002 - More Exchanges on Bar Top Dancing in ST Forum
More interesting exchanges in the Straits Times Forum page today calling for the drop of over-restrictive laws.

23 Jul 2002 - Forum Exchanges on Bar Top Dancing
Read the interesting exchanges in The Straits Times Forum on bar top dancing. If you intend to do a dance performance in any food & beverage joints, perhaps need to beware and stay away from alcohol & do not include the bar counters in your choreography!

19 Jul 2002 - Manager In Court For Letting Duo Dance On Bar Top
The Straits Times mentioned that a manager of a Tanglin Road pub was hauled to court yesterday for allegedly letting two patrons dance on the bar top.

15 Jul 2002 - Revamped Singapore Dancesport Federation website
SGDF has revamped its website. Do check out the SGDF Circulars & Membership database update and in particular, take note of Circular SGDF 2/2002, an extract of which is below:

"SGDF will not hesitate to take action against members who willfully violate the Federation rules. Members who willfully violate the Federation rules will be dealt by the Disciplinary Committee."

12 Jul 2002 - SBDTA's Dance Extravaganza 2002
SBDTA had their Dance Extravaganza 2002 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on 12 Jul 02. Highlights of the evening were the superb dance performances by The Sunny Low Formation Team, Allan Tan & Alice Teo, Sammy Soo & Annie Lim, Sam Fong & Michelle Lim, Louis Ng & Catherine Ng and Melvyn Low & Nancy Low. Read more write-up >>

10 Jul 2002 - 8th Malaysia Open 2002 Dancesport Championship Results
A RpMerleon forumer has kindly published the results for the 8th Malaysia Open 2002 Dancesport Championship in the Dancesport Competitions forum >>

10 Jul 2002 - Dancer Guilty Just For Holding Classes
A court in Teheran has sentenced Iran's most famous male dancer to a 10-year suspended jail term for promoting corruption among youth by setting up dance classes in the United States, newspapers reported yesterday. Read today's The Straits Times.

10 Jul 2002 - Dance Your Way To A Diploma
Mr Shawn Tay of Shawn & Gladys DanceWorld has just informed that The Straits Times reporter who wrote "Dance Your Way To A Diploma" has apologised for using the term "amateur champions" instead of "Professional Champions".

08 Jul 2002 - Dance Your Way To A Diploma
DOING the tango and the cha-cha will earn Ngee Ann Polytechnic students academic credits from next month. Read today's The Straits Times.

03 Jul 02 Resignation of President Ng Geng Whye
Picked this up from the SGDF/ADSA website:

"We regret to inform all our loyal supporters that Mr Ng Geng Whye, after many years of tireless contribution to the ADSA has decided to step down as President of the association. His resignation was announced at the ADSF meeting on the 14th April 2002. Since then, the Executive Committee of the SGDF has been arranging to meet with him on handing over officially to the Vice-President Mr Robert Ong, who will be the Acting President for the rest of the term."