Hello
31st August 2007 - One of the best places to learn ballroom dancing from in Melaka is run by a 77-year old man by the name of August Teo. His studio is nothing to shout about - it's not air-conditioned but it's well-ventilated, floor is basic cement and the studio is on the top floor of a four-storey building along Jalan Tengkera (opposite side of the Methodist Girls' School).
What's so good about this dance studio, you may ask? Well, the walk up will do you a lot of good, burning off calories that have been piled on. The instructor August himself is an accomplished dancer - I learnt that he was a ballroom dance champion in the 1960s. I have tried to ask him about this but August is modest and doesn't want to blow his own trumpet. He is patience personified and his charges are reasonable - RM60 per couple for every 4 lessons. Each lesson lasts about an hour.
How effective are his lessons? My husband Henry and I finally joined his classes some time in March/April (on Easter Sunday), after much procrastination. Henry has got two left feet ('lefter' than anyone else) and I had been teaching him to do the basic cha cha for 15 years since we got married but alas, to no avail. But 15 minutes with August and viola, Henry was actually cha-chaing away! What I couldn't accomplish in 15 years, August accomplished in 15 minutes!
Another plus point about August's lessons is he coaches couples on a one to one basis, i.e. there are no other dancers around when he teaches us, and so we don't have to fear being laughed at by other people. We make silly mistakes but we laugh at ourselves, and I believe that it is healthy for our well-being to be able to laugh at ourselves, our (stupid) mistakes, to accept our own weaknesses and limitations.
Oh yes, if you are a dog lover, you'll find something in common with August. He keeps a few dogs in his dance studio and they welcome you when you get there.
I am blessed to have found a ballroom dance teacher in August. He may be 77 but he is nimble and moves like a butterfly (no, he doesn't sting like a bee). To readers out there who think they can't dance, believe me, that's a fallacy. If Henry can dance, so can anyone else, in just 15 minutes!
What's so good about this dance studio, you may ask? Well, the walk up will do you a lot of good, burning off calories that have been piled on. The instructor August himself is an accomplished dancer - I learnt that he was a ballroom dance champion in the 1960s. I have tried to ask him about this but August is modest and doesn't want to blow his own trumpet. He is patience personified and his charges are reasonable - RM60 per couple for every 4 lessons. Each lesson lasts about an hour.
How effective are his lessons? My husband Henry and I finally joined his classes some time in March/April (on Easter Sunday), after much procrastination. Henry has got two left feet ('lefter' than anyone else) and I had been teaching him to do the basic cha cha for 15 years since we got married but alas, to no avail. But 15 minutes with August and viola, Henry was actually cha-chaing away! What I couldn't accomplish in 15 years, August accomplished in 15 minutes!
Another plus point about August's lessons is he coaches couples on a one to one basis, i.e. there are no other dancers around when he teaches us, and so we don't have to fear being laughed at by other people. We make silly mistakes but we laugh at ourselves, and I believe that it is healthy for our well-being to be able to laugh at ourselves, our (stupid) mistakes, to accept our own weaknesses and limitations.
Oh yes, if you are a dog lover, you'll find something in common with August. He keeps a few dogs in his dance studio and they welcome you when you get there.
I am blessed to have found a ballroom dance teacher in August. He may be 77 but he is nimble and moves like a butterfly (no, he doesn't sting like a bee). To readers out there who think they can't dance, believe me, that's a fallacy. If Henry can dance, so can anyone else, in just 15 minutes!
posted by Lim Ai Ling at
2:09 AM
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