October 24th, 2006, 11:57
Bringing fine art to pole dancing
Patpong girls polish moves for safety's sake
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM - Bangkok Post
Hooking legs onto poles and swinging around in sensual go-go movements requires knowledge of the basic steps of classical dance _ to do it safely.
Girls in Patpong are going to learn how to fuse pole-dancing with elegant dance styles, never normally found in exotic bars, for the sake of art and their health.
"Why not upgrade go-go dancing and make it a profession?" said Empower Foundation director Chantawipa Apisuk, or Noi, during the A-Go-Go Dancing Contest 2006.
Her agency is a non-profit organisation which has set up many development programmes, including language courses, for go-go dancers and prostitutes.
The contest, held for the first time at a pub on Patpong road on Sunday, aimed to introduce a dance course for a-go-go dancers so they can learn proper steps and minimise the risk of suffering sprains and other injuries while making their flirtatious gyrations.
"Yes," a 20-year-old dancer Nong Ple agreed. "I got injured when I had to dance for days in a row."
Injuries are common among the 5,000 dancers in 80 nightclubs on Patpong. Ms Noi said dance classes would help them save their bodies from injuries caused by rocking and spinning around poles.
Ballroom and jazz dances have been chosen to give them a basic understanding of dance steps and rhythms in the 60-hour course.
Freelance dancer Techas Konman, 27, will be their instructor. He wants to show his students the genuine art of dancing.
"Every kind of dance, including a-go-go, is art," said Mr Techas.
Ballroom and jazz dances may seem to have no connection with the wide, circling movements of hips by a-go-go girls as they dance around poles, he said, but they could adapt the footwork.
Many of them learn sensual movements from older dancers, he said, while others just imitate moves from dancers they see on TV or at concerts. Such poor form can easily lead to accidents and injuries, Mr Techas said, adding that dancing is much more than body movements.
Students will also learn how to choose outfits and shoes, essential to safe dancing. Shoes should be chosen carefully to fit specific dances because they protect dancers from accidents, he said.
"We're not going to promote or encourage girls to perform pole-dancing. We just want to upgrade their dances," he said.
Those with a flair for the art of dancing hopefully will further develop their skills and even become choreographers or dance trainers in the future, Mr Techas said.
The Empower Foundation fully supports the dance class as a way to improve the dancers' quality of life. It has also invited the state non-formal education centre in Bang Rak district to join the programme.
"The centre will grant them a certificate after they complete the dance class," Ms Noi said.
Centre coordinator Chatlada Unjaroen applauded the idea and said the centre director is considering approving a new dance curriculum for the dancers.
Many a-go-go dancers are enthusiastic about the course. So far, Ms Noi said, about 30 dancers had applied. The first class begins on Nov 3.
"I will join the course. In fact I've never learned how to dance," said Tu, 33, who plans to perform a-go-go dancing as a part-time job.
Ms Noi hopes dancers who complete the course will gain more recognition. Her hope is in some way similar to a message in the movie Take the Lead about ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine. Mr Dulaine dedicated himself to teaching troubled teenagers in an American high school not only the art of dance, but also that dance is a way to develop self-esteem.
"Their career could eventually be more accepted by society," Ms Noi said .
Patpong girls polish moves for safety's sake
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM - Bangkok Post
Hooking legs onto poles and swinging around in sensual go-go movements requires knowledge of the basic steps of classical dance _ to do it safely.
Girls in Patpong are going to learn how to fuse pole-dancing with elegant dance styles, never normally found in exotic bars, for the sake of art and their health.
"Why not upgrade go-go dancing and make it a profession?" said Empower Foundation director Chantawipa Apisuk, or Noi, during the A-Go-Go Dancing Contest 2006.
Her agency is a non-profit organisation which has set up many development programmes, including language courses, for go-go dancers and prostitutes.
The contest, held for the first time at a pub on Patpong road on Sunday, aimed to introduce a dance course for a-go-go dancers so they can learn proper steps and minimise the risk of suffering sprains and other injuries while making their flirtatious gyrations.
"Yes," a 20-year-old dancer Nong Ple agreed. "I got injured when I had to dance for days in a row."
Injuries are common among the 5,000 dancers in 80 nightclubs on Patpong. Ms Noi said dance classes would help them save their bodies from injuries caused by rocking and spinning around poles.
Ballroom and jazz dances have been chosen to give them a basic understanding of dance steps and rhythms in the 60-hour course.
Freelance dancer Techas Konman, 27, will be their instructor. He wants to show his students the genuine art of dancing.
"Every kind of dance, including a-go-go, is art," said Mr Techas.
Ballroom and jazz dances may seem to have no connection with the wide, circling movements of hips by a-go-go girls as they dance around poles, he said, but they could adapt the footwork.
Many of them learn sensual movements from older dancers, he said, while others just imitate moves from dancers they see on TV or at concerts. Such poor form can easily lead to accidents and injuries, Mr Techas said, adding that dancing is much more than body movements.
Students will also learn how to choose outfits and shoes, essential to safe dancing. Shoes should be chosen carefully to fit specific dances because they protect dancers from accidents, he said.
"We're not going to promote or encourage girls to perform pole-dancing. We just want to upgrade their dances," he said.
Those with a flair for the art of dancing hopefully will further develop their skills and even become choreographers or dance trainers in the future, Mr Techas said.
The Empower Foundation fully supports the dance class as a way to improve the dancers' quality of life. It has also invited the state non-formal education centre in Bang Rak district to join the programme.
"The centre will grant them a certificate after they complete the dance class," Ms Noi said.
Centre coordinator Chatlada Unjaroen applauded the idea and said the centre director is considering approving a new dance curriculum for the dancers.
Many a-go-go dancers are enthusiastic about the course. So far, Ms Noi said, about 30 dancers had applied. The first class begins on Nov 3.
"I will join the course. In fact I've never learned how to dance," said Tu, 33, who plans to perform a-go-go dancing as a part-time job.
Ms Noi hopes dancers who complete the course will gain more recognition. Her hope is in some way similar to a message in the movie Take the Lead about ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine. Mr Dulaine dedicated himself to teaching troubled teenagers in an American high school not only the art of dance, but also that dance is a way to develop self-esteem.
"Their career could eventually be more accepted by society," Ms Noi said .