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At Hola, the dance begins
(Volume 26, No. 513)
At the opening of Hola dance club on March 1, Claudia Saw Lwin Robert, one of the club’s owners, takes a turn around the dance floor with a dance teacher. Pic: Christopher Davy
FOLLOWING on the heels of the global resurgence in ballroom dancing, Yangon is now home to a new dance club called Hola, which opened on March 1. So it’s time to dust off your dance shoes and find that bow tie adrift at the bottom of your sock draw because ballroom is back.
Leading the dance (and business) is Claudia Saw Lwin Robert, a long-time ballroom enthusiast who grew tired of being unable to match her busy schedule with the existing dance classes available in Yangon. Her solution: open a dance club, with the help of three business partners and fellow dance lovers.
“Dance can make you graceful and even if you put on weight it is not a difficult exercise once you get it; I think it is very enjoyable,” she said.
The International Dancesport Federation, based in Spain, says more than 5000 couples are in its adult rankings (19-34 years) in the Latin and Standard disciplines alone, with the popularity of dance for both leisure and competition showing no sign of abating.
Ms Robert began formal dance training in Paris while on business with her husband, French designer Patrick Robert. Her favourite dance is the rumba.
“I find it very difficult, precision and timing is very important. I like other dances like the Argentinean tango and also the Paso Doble because it’s very expressive; it’s like you’re in Pamplona looking at the bull-fighting.
Some dance studios already exist in Yangon: one at Pearl Condominium, and another at Summit Park View, in addition to two freelance teachers who operate from Inya Lake Hotel, said Ms Robert. However, she believes Hola will have more to offer.
“It’s not really a studio only, it’s also a club” she says, and one which will serve food and offer spa and massage services to weary dancers or those in need of a little pampering. The club is in a 50-year-old house at 4, U Tun Myat Street, Tarmwe township. The ground floor is given over to the dance studio while the first floor is reserved for eating, relaxing and the spa.
The club is seeking to attract Myanmar, expatriates and well-heeled tourists.
“For the time being I am intending [to attract] the celebrities, the expatriates and the work people — those who are working are not free — so I think collective classes in the evenings are very good for them,” said Ms Robert, who notes that most dancers are middle-aged.
“In France, for example, all the people who started learning rock & roll and jive are couples [who are] about 50-years-old and it’s only at a certain age that they found dance to be so enjoyable,” she said.
The club will cater to dancers interested in dancesport (competition dances) and social dances. One-on-one and group lessons taught by teachers from the Philippines will cater to all levels of ability.
In addition, Ms Robert is keen to advertise the club’s other services, in particular the food.
“Being a French family I want to promote the French food culture,” she said, although the club will also serve a variety of Asian and European inspired dishes, with the menu changing daily, catering to the whims of the members where possible.
For membership and dance lesson enquiries call Carlos San on 541550.
