Flash Canadian dancers wow punters at BATS<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Clad in black, the opening act -- two women -- went on stage.
\nSinger Hening breathed into the microphone and her friend, Ratna
\nbegan playing the keyboard.<\/p>\n
The night was still young but there was a steady stream of
\npeople filling the club early to get the best seats.<\/p>\n
A Western man and his companion, a svelte Indonesian woman,
\nchose a candle-lit table in the corner to have a romantic dinner
\nas other visitors chose to assemble around the large main bar in
\nthe middle.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post was at the Bar At The Shangri-La (BATS),
\ntaking part in a special gathering to introduce the live music
\nclub's new act -- the Flashdance Band.<\/p>\n
\"We are here to rock Jakarta. This place will be jumping, I
\ntell you,\" drummer Sebastien Cote said when the band came on
\nstage.<\/p>\n
Billed as one of the top Canadian top-40 cover bands,
\nFlashdance consists of four singing and dancing young women and
\nthree equally youthful blokes who play the instruments. They are
\nIzabelle Gagnon, Emily Levesque, Marie Cournoyer and Valeri
\nPeterson, Sebastien (drums), Francois Laperle (guitar) and
\nAlexander Brancaud (keyboard and saxophone).<\/p>\n
On their first show that night, the cheerful Canadians
\nperformed a string of popular Western hits along with two local
\nones, Ekspresi and Separuh Nafas from Titi DJ and Dewa.<\/p>\n
What set this group apart from their Indonesian counterparts
\nwas their singing and dancing. While the band rocked out, the
\nfour women really managed to get down, wearing sexy dark pants
\nand Madonna-style bustiers that tied their audience up in knots.<\/p>\n
Like other BATS bands, Flashdance will perform at BATS for
\nthree months.<\/p>\n
While the mainstream entertainment is undeniably professional,
\nit is not the only attraction of the club, which offers a full
\ndinner menu amid what it calls a \"New York Underground Bar\"
\natmosphere.<\/p>\n
\"We are opening earlier to accommodate executives after office
\nhours. We push our image: Great food, premium drink and a nice
\nambience,\" assistant manager Daniel Priambodo said.<\/p>\n
Red bricks are the dominant feature on the walls and red
\nstains the pillars inside, while one back wall is covered with
\ncaracitures, a hall of fame of BATS-goers from times past and
\npresent.<\/p>\n
\"They are the faces of our loyal customers. This is kind of
\nhow we appreciate them,\" Daniel said grinning.<\/p>\n
The menu features a range of appetizers from beef carpaccio to
\nFrench onion soup, while main courses include Mulawarra beef
\nfillet or prime Australian sirloin plus a glass of house wine.<\/p>\n
With space in the restaurant for 88 people and a hundred more
\nin the bar, BATS is definitely a place to go with a large group
\nof friends.<\/p>\n
The club also takes care of its patrons in more ways than one.
\nVisitors go through at least three security checkpoints entering
\nthe bar and there is an enforced dress code.<\/p>\n
\"Not everyone can meet the conditions of entry. This
\nautomatically filters our guests,\" he said.<\/p>\n
And if BATS' healthy turnout was any judge, then expatriates
\n-- many of who admitted to being foreign embassy staff or
\nemployees of multinational companies -- feel comfortable there.<\/p>\n
They also won most of the door prizes, while the Indonesian
\nwomen had the hippest moves on the dance floor.<\/p>\n
BATS
\nShangri-La Hotel, Kota BNI, Jl Jend. Sudirman Kav.1, Jakarta
\nPhone: (021) 574 8401<\/p>\n
Opening hours:
\nSeven days a week<\/p>\n
Bar 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.<\/p>\n
Dinner 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
Happy hours 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/flash-canadian-dancers-wow-punters-at-bats-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }