tea dance

i was doing a research on the project that i am starting on -- tea dance and to realise that i didn't have much information and experience in it. Afterall my first and last tea dance was when i was in sec 2 and went with gregory in an afternoon at some ulu part of orchard.

the only vague impression left on me was that it was no difference to the disco i went now -- dark and smokey. i can't remember if alcohol was sold or what music was being played. perhaps i was overwhelmed by the experience. you see different people there and probably you might not believe that they were about the same age as you b'cos they just don't look like it.

so as i was google-ing away, i came across this chinese newspaper article which apparently came about b'cos of leslie cheung's suicide. it mentioned that tea dance was a popular dance culture amongst the youngsters in the 80s especially there was no checking of any identification. it also seems that his songs at that time was also popular as it was being played then. some said that "it was ballroom dancing in the afternoon". subsequently the culture died down and discos were hot, mainly b'cos those who went for tea dance had all grown up.

some knowledge - The tea dance originated in the 1880s in America and England as an added attraction of the afternoon tea held at hotel tea gardens. It was, reportedly, an opportunity for ladies and gentlemen to mix more freely. The afternoon dance grew in popularity during the 1920s and '30s. the dressing look would be vintage-look or modern attire. In the 1920s and ‘30s, ladies would wear a lovely afternoon frock. Gentlemen would wear a long sleeved dress shirt with bow tie or ascot, classic slacks, a single or double-breasted sports jacket (or suit), and lace up oxfords.

anyway through some asking, someone actually provided me some information on the places that still does tea dance:

1. CLUB 5 7500 Beach Road, Plaza Parkroyal (Tel: 6298-0011)The 20-year-old club is a mainstay of the ballroom dancing scene. It has a DJ spinning music from the 1970s onwards every Saturday between 3 and 6pm. Pre-registration costs $10. Walk-in customers have to pay $15 (include free-flow soft drinks or two standard drinks)
2. SINCHI TCAFE 41 Seah Street, Metropole Hotel (Tel: 6336-3611)This six-month-old cafe takes its cue from Chinese teahouses in the early1940s, offering free-flow of tea at $5 from 2.30 to 6.30pm. Its clientele consists mostly of senior citizens and middle-aged professionals exercising their feet on its 93 sq m dancefloor.
3. TOA PAYOH WEST COMMUNITY CLUB 200 Toa Payoh Lorong 2 (Tel: 6253-5585) The community club hires a DJ to spin music every Tuesday and Thursday from 1.30 to 4.30pm. Members pay $1 & non-members pay $2. No drinks, but regulars (houswives and retirees) are known to brew and share their own concoctions. Other community clubs: Yio Chu Kang CC(Tel: 6456-1324) and Queenstown CC (Tel: 6474-1681).
4. REX BROADWAY LIVE STAGE 2 Mackenzie Road (Tel: 6338-3313) Its huge dancefloor - almost the size of a tennis court - is a plus forbig-moving latin and ballroom dances. Tea dances are held from 1 to 8pm daily. There is no cover charge, but patrons (mainly socialites and danceschool students) must buy two drinks at happy hour rates of $15.
5. UPPER CLUB 30 Victoria Street, 02-01A Chijmes (Tel: 6338-1313) The restaurant-club has been a dance haven for the rich and the famous since it opened for business last year. it has stopped its regular tea dance sessions but now organises private tea dance parties for 30 to 120 people for dance schools, companies and individuals.

Are you itching to dance, like me?