Spotted! Captain Hook with his iron hook in place of his right hand at PortKlang one cool Sunday evening….
We started cruising towards the Royal Selangor Yacht Club and HappyFeet crew quickly swung into action to set up thehospitality desk, ensure the dance hall is ready to receive our guests. Robin was spotted tinkering (or tampering) with the sound system in his trademark T-shirt and white hair cap.
8 is an auspicious number – as proven by the 2 big fish that a HappyFeeter proudly presented just before the event kicked off. By 3pm sharp, the hall was all packed up with Drunken Sailors, Pirates, etc. Not a minute to waste as we have 88 dances to do, starting with `Hey Hey Hey' choreographed by Gary Lafferty to the dance track Beautiful Sunday (Olsen Brothers).
Rockin' Robin cum DJ then took over to present 3 treasured teaches:
CUPIDLY STUPID Choreographed by Rob Fowler (Oct 05) to Stupid Cupid by Mandy Moore
A 40-count 4 wall line dance, incredibly fun to dance. Original track was by Scooter Lee, but we are a set of young-at-heart dancers, and pop princess Mandy's rendition of chorus `You messed me up for good right from the very start, Hey now, go play Robin Hood, With somebody else's heart' is simply delectable.
U TELL ME Choreographed by Stephen Rutter to "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" by Westlife & Diana Ross
This is a dance nobody would want to miss. Stephen has done such a glorious job. The dance fits like a glove to the equally magnificent track, well delivered by my personal favourite song artistes.
LONG TALL SALLY Choreographed by Paul McAdam to "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard
Although a 96-count dance, the dancers managed well with the fast-paced tempo whilst multi-tasking with and laughing at Robin's funny antics and battling with hunger pangs. No restarts, no tags, no headaches.
6.30 pm – all were armed with chopsticks and poised to toss and mix "Yee Sang" (Raw Fish Salad) in celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year. Yee Sang is made from thin slices of raw fish, shredded vegetables, herbs, spices and oil. In Malaysian Chinese culture, Yee Sang is believed to bring good fortune and wealth in the upcoming year to those who toss and mix it while shouting "Low Hei," which symbolizes liveliness, prosperity and longevity. There was friendly competitive atmosphere, as the dinner guests were trying to outdo each other in shouting (the loudest) and tossing (the highest).
Whilst the rest were busy filling up their tummies, Rockin' Robin sneaked back into the dance hall and was never seen again until later that evening. We suspected he was being kidnapped by Captain Hook, as this sinister character took over the evening in his hot-red costume, curly hair and evil-looking moustache. He was seen recruiting pirates and drunken sailors to initiate the night's party with `Pirates of the Dance'. The dancers were warned to be wary of such characters, and the latter were identified – 2 mean-looking pirates, the most `ham-sap' Drunken Sailor and Olive who, for a change, was spotted without her spinach-chomping Popeye. Loads of pictures were taken and updated on our webby www.myhappyfeet.net in case you want to identify such shady characters.
With his comrades being `captured', Captain Hook made a disappearing act, along with the slimey SeaWeed. Minutes later, Rockin' Robin emerged unscathed and gamely shared the 4th treasure which was so apt for the venue and theme of our party:
B² (B SQUARED) Choreographed by Mark Cosenza & Glen Pospieszny to "Slow Boat To China" by Bette Midler
A very easy no-sweat dance. 32 count, 4 wall, beginner/intermediate.
Ain't we relieved that Robin was rescued from Captain Hook – as he gave us another treat – a demo of the dance `Waltz is the Key' , an advanced phrased dance by Max Perry. It was so well executed by Robin that the dancers were floored and watched in a daze!
The night was supposed to end by 9pm, but there was still the challenge of finishing all the 88 dances. By 11pm, Robin was seen playfully lifting his legs to each count of the dance. The survivors were discovered – a group that danced on till we had to shut down the sound system. Check out the picture of those steely legs and try to guess to whom they belong to. No prize for the winner as Captain Hook has carted them away…
It was a full 8-hour nonstop fun. As Robin puts it, the day just breezed by - this of course is inevitable if you are having fun.
HappyFeet thank all of you who took the long drive to Port Klang to help us capture Captain Hook aka Rockin' Robin in action, and also all those wonderful people who have helped to make this event a success. And so, are you now ready for more themed-parties? Check out our calendar in coming days as to new events that HappyFeet is brewing up for 2006.
Until then, Happy Lou Sang and may all the `8's that we have deliberately set up will rub on you and the new Lunar Year of Dog brings you abundance health, happiness and prosperity.
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Happy Khim
HappyFeet
