Taking the Lead

If you’ve been following the news this summer, you surely know that dancing has become a multimillion-dollar industry in Hong Kong. But it’s not just for rich bankers; there are plenty of classes out there for everyone. So go gain some confidence at dance school, where you'll realize that you’ll never look like Antonio Banderas, but you just might be able to move like him.

Choosing a School

The most common styles taught in town are Ballroom, Latin and Tango. Ballroom dances are usually reserved for formal events and have many pre-set patterns requiring a high degree of knowledge. Standard varieties include the waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, tango and Viennese waltz. Latin dances are typically faster-paced and a tad more sensual (with that rose between-the-teeth thing), and include dances like the salsa, cha-cha, rumba, samba, jive and meringue. Though sometimes lumped in with Latin dances, Argentine tango is in a class of it’s own. There is no formalized structure and it relies heavily on improvisation. Dancers keep their feet close to the floor with their ankles and knees brushing only in passing. The following schools teach various partner dances, so remember to ask about a couple’s discount.

Hong Kong Tango Academy

Keith, a British civil engineer, came to Hong Kong in 1989 at the age of 40. He had a bad back, so his doctor recommended that he take a few dance classes. He began ballroom and Latin lessons under instructor "Sunshine," a lifetime dance lover. After a few months of training for competitions, he fell in love, married his dance teacher, and quit civil engineering to pursue dance. They’ve been teaching Argentine tango since 1997, after Pablo Inza and Gladys Fernandez introduced it Hong Kong in 1995.

Lead and Follow

Argentine tango, milonga and valtz
Dance Concept
7/4 Great Smart Tower, 230 Wan Chai Rd., Wan Chai
Fridays 7:30pm-10:30pm, Saturday 3:00pm-6:00pm
Cost: $900 per workshop or $180 per walk-in class, private lessons $1,000 an hour for two teachers.

Instructor Mona also learned from Inza and Fernandez in 1995, while instructor Donald trained in America in the 1990s. They say tango is more demanding than other dance forms because there’s no standard syllabus so it requires more creativity and improvisation. Classes offered include Argentine tango, milonga, and valtz (tango version of the waltz) and range from 10-30 students.

Champion Ballroom

Ballroom
2/F, Capital Commercial Building, 26 Leighton Rd., Causeway Bay, 2882-3800
Cost: 6-8 group lessons total cost = $600-1,000, or a couple can buy 10 private lessons from Diana for $5,300.

This 3,000 square foot studio is run by Diana Yau, perhaps the most popular female ballroom instructor in Hong Kong with over 30 years of dance experience and 500 students currently enrolled with her. The focus is on ballroom and Latin dances.