Ballroom dancing -- a blend of art and sport

Ballroom dancing -- a blend of art and sport

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Romance filled the air when two bodies waltzed as one silhouette
to the rhythm of the music. The woman dazzled in an ocean blue
feathered ball gown and the man wore an elegant black suit.

The magical effect of the ballroom dance has amazed me ever
since I was a little girl. Dancing was the coolest profession, I
thought. Twenty years later, my opinion remains the same.

Today, ballroom dancing is also known officially as dance
sport rather than just an art form. It took the International
Dancesport Federation (IDSF) about nine long years to convince
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that ballroom dancing
was a sport.

Finally in 1997, IOC recognized ballroom dancing as a dance
sport. Nevertheless, this sport has not been listed as an
official sport in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
However, IDSF hopes that China will include ballroom dancing in
the 2008 Games in Beijing.

Only a few people would understand that ballroom dancing has
been acknowledged as a sport. Like any other sport, stretching
and warming-up is crucial before starting.

Also, it does burn calories (see that sweat?) and keeps you in
good form. And it also requires discipline: Most dance sport
athletes train more than one hour per day. Sometimes, they dance
to 10 songs or more consecutively, with just a few seconds break
between each song.

For every ballroom dancer, the dance itself generates much fun
than merely a sweat-producing activity. Having witnessed their
practice, most people will agree that ballroom dancing is
definitely a sport regardless of how glamourous it may seem to
the world. But glamour is part of this sport. The mixture of art,
discipline and sweat has made ballroom dancing a beautiful and
joyful sport.

Many people still believe that ballroom dancing is for old
people. It's not true. Take the cha cha as an example, it's as
energetic as disco dancing. Moreover, the number of young people
learning ballroom dancing has been increasing, though at a slow
pace. But, there's always hope to change its image.

Enrinia (Riri), 18, and her brother, Enrico, 16, are a good
example. "Rico and I love dancing. Nobody forced us to do this,"
explained Riri, a ballroom dancer-cum-certified ballerina.

Evelyn, 16, and Melissa, 13, are the daughters of Erwan and
Yulia, a well-known dance couple. The girls said that dancing
helped them make friends.

"Besides chatting about other matters, we also talk about
dancing competitions. As dancers, sometimes we meet again at
international competitions. We keep in touch by chatting with ICQ
(online chatting)," said Evelyn. "We get to know other dancers by
chance. Such as, if we accidentally bumped against each other, we
would say 'sorry' and the next thing we know, we're talking,"
added Melissa.

Lely L.K, a manager in her 20s, has a different story. All
secretaries and managers at MSA Cargo must learn dancing as
stated in their company's policy.

"That's good. So, at parties, we can entertain people,
including guests of our company, instead of just being
wallflowers. It makes it easier to mingle with other people.
Moreover, dancing is an art," said Lely.

Along with Daniel Koyanswo (also employed by MSA Cargo), they
took sixth place at the second Metropolitan Dance Championship,
in 2001 and also won fourth place in Indonesia Dancesport
Championship, in 2001.

They started to dance in 2000. Today, Lely teaches ballroom
dancing to other MSA Cargo employees in a dance studio at her
office.

Ballroom dancing is also a favorite activity of Ernst Ong,
managing director of PT Rudolf Poly Chemicals, who does it at
least once a week. "It makes me fit. Besides, unlike some other
sports, I can do it anytime. Day or night, not unless you are
dancing in a competition, it doesn't need any special outfit,"
revealed the man whose face belies his actual age of 59.

Yongki Maukar, an interior designer, has a passion for dancing
as well. Having won several sport competitions, this veteran
athlete takes dancing seriously.

"I love sports and I believe ballroom dancing is also a kind
of sport, besides an art, of course," explained the third place
winner of 110m hurdles at the seventh National Games in Surabaya
in 1969.

Black Steer restaurant in Ambassador Mall is an eatery that
has a 133-square-meter dance floor. Yami and her business
partner, Santoso, are the dance organizers at the restaurant.

"Many expatriates dance at Black Steer. Among them are
Singaporeans, Germans, Britons, Japanese, Thais, Malaysians,
Filipinos, Finns and South Africans. Black Steer itself is
franchised from South Africa. Some embassy's officials, such as
Dutch, Croatians and Australians are our regular guests too,"
Yami said.

Usually, Yami and Santoso join other dancers on the dance
floor too. They started to dance when they were teenagers in the
1960s. Yami used to dance regularly with her late husband. Now,
Santoso is her dancing partner. Yami and Santoso still dance in
their 60s, as they firmly believe that this sport keeps them fit.

Dancers flock the Black Steer especially on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays. Sunday is known as doctors' night at the restaurant.
A band of medical doctors play music, while other doctors dance.
However, non-medics are welcome too.

Dr. Melissa S. Luwia, head of the department of services and
rehabilitation at Indonesian Cancer Foundation, also loves to
dance at the restaurant with her husband, Dr. Boy Sinatra Luwia.

"As doctors, throughout the week, we're busy working. Dancing
frequently is a good way to spend our precious time together.
Also, it keeps me fit," said Melissa, who started to dance seven
years ago. Melissa is also chairwoman of the Dance Gathering
Club, which was set up in 1996, and now boasts approximately 200
members.

Regular dancers often look much younger than their actual age.
Some of them reveal that the secret is the regular exercise and
the satisfaction that they feel every time they dance. So, just
dance to your heart's content, and have a great time! Like they
say, dancing can be maddeningly addictive, so enjoy it!