MSO (Melbourne Shuffle Oldskool): Dancing in the streets (Malaysia)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Dancing in the streets (Malaysia)

Article about Shuffling in Malaysia by The Star

Dancing in the streets Wednesday April 23, 2008

By IAN YEE

Join the party: The crowd, a mix of shufflers and rockers, in the Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

BY ABOUT 5pm every Saturday, the open space outside Maybank at the Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail intersection in Kuala Lumpur becomes the venue for a huge outdoor party. Teenagers just turn up from everywhere, with music blaring from portable speakers hooked up to their MP3 players and cellphones.

They would slowly find members of their crew, and start to chat and catch up. But many of them have a different purpose for meeting up.

Showing support: These kids are wearing shirts bearing the logos of their shuffle group.

Hidden identities: This group of shufflers came ready with their masks last Saturday, which are worn during dance-offs with shufflers from other groups.

Johnson Lau, 18, has been taking the train there every Saturday from his home in Sentul. Five months ago, he discovered something there that has become a passion – shuffle dancing.

Shuffling is now more than just a hip dance move. It’s a movement. Almost every state in Malaysia now has a shuffling community, and the shufflers are hardcore. They participate in huge events and competitions, and some of them are sponsored by big brands like Hotlink and DiGi.

They take their moves seriously, working hard to elevate it to more than just a dance. It is now a legit street culture with a massive following among teenagers.

At Jalan Bukit Bintang, around five to 10 shuffle groups come each week to create their own dance floor by gathering together in a small circle. Cheering and jeering each other, they take turns showing off dance moves to music from their little portable speakers.

“I think it’s fun,” Johnson said about their weekly gatherings. “I love to shuffle because it helps me to relax, and every time I dance it seems like I have an escape from all my troubles.”....

see the rest of the article Dancing in the streets By IAN YEE

- Good one Ian :) MSO

FORUM: For discussion about this article on the forum see...

http://mso1.cultureforum.net/malaysia-f26/shuffling-battles-fight-in-malaysia-t51.htm

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ABOUT: The origins, history, culture of the underground dance style called the Melbourne Shuffle, commonly called 'shuffling'.

> The Shuffle mission : To really give a damn (Scooter. J'adore hardcore)

> This is a Melbourne Australia based blog by Melbourne born and based artist Garry Shepherd

> The Melbourne Shuffle was created in the underground arts community of Melbourne (Australia) in the early 1990's.

> The Melbourne Shuffle has 3 main genre's: Party, Rock and Goth. Each genre has it's own distinctive moves, fashion, art and lifestyles.

> There are no fixed steps in shuffling. It is largely a free form dance tradition. Each shuffler has a set of moves they shuffle around to suit their mood and setting.

> Shuffling skill is judged on the choice, sequence and presentation of the moves. Individual shufflers are encouraged to create their own moves to mix in with established moves.

> Shuffling can be done anywhere at anytime, alone or with others. Original oldskool shufflers broadcast their moves on underground TV in the 1990's. Today, Youtube is the favored medium.

> The Melbourne Shuffle has it's own unique dance pants called, PHATS.

In the time of the ancients, the Melbourne Shuffle was originally called STOMPING

Locals pronounce Melbourne - Mel-BeN

ERA's
Oldskool: 1990-96.
Commercial: 1997-2003
Global: 2006-today

DANCE CONCEPT
The Melbourne Shuffle is a dance concept. It uses all sorts of moves like building blocks, and you shuffle these moves around to suit your mood. The basic moves are easy to learn, but will take years of regular practice to reach pro level.

SHUFFLE MOVES
Stomps, turns, spins, shuffles, back steps, hand moves, lifts, jumps, hops, arm moves, elbow moves, hi-kicks, lo-kicks, glides, running man, kick behind, ...and always adding ;)

SHUFFLE GENRE'S
Oldskool, Hardstyle, Rock, Competition, Freestyle, Group Formation

SHUFFLE TERMS
Style: A collection of shuffle moves.
Sequence: A fixed order of shuffle moves.
Routine: A choreographed combination of shuffle moves.
Meet-Up: A casual gathering of Shufflers usually free in a public place, mall, carpark etc, to meet other shufflers and Shuffle.

Shuffle Vid: A youtube video of someone shuffling.

Shuffle Comp: A shuffle competition for individuals and crews.

Shuffle Crew: A group of friends who are interested in Shuffling.

Shuffle Team: A shuffle crew who perform or compete in Shuffle competitions.

Pro: An experienced and talented Shuffler.

> SHUFFLE CULTURE
Shuffle is 'All about the DANCE'. It's a dance culture, the Shufflers are the focal point. Where as RAVE culture is 'All about the music' it's a DJ culture, where the DJ's are the focal point.

> SHUFFLE RULES
The Shuffle saying 'There are no rules' came from the reality nobody in the oldskool would bother obeying them ;) But here's some general principles we're happy with.

> The Shuffle is based on freedom and mutual respect. Violence, hate, aggression, racism and sexism are not tolerated. The real world has plenty of that, and Shufflers are not interested in them.

> There is no restriction to creative freedom in shuffling. You can Shuffle to Express and Impress.

> The Shuffle can be danced solo or in a group. Both male and female can Shuffle.

> Group Shuffling can be unstructured like at a meet-up or structured in a Crew.

> The Shuffle can be spontaneous freeform or a choreographed style.

> You can Shuffle for fun, fitness, art or comps, or all the above. There are no restrictions.

> There is no limit to where you can Shuffle. In the street, carpark, mall, dance party, at home, outdoors in a forest, a city, a suburb, where ever you want to.

> Individual Shufflers are encouraged to add moves to the artform. Saying the Melbourne Shuffle is just one set of steps, is like saying spinning on your head is the only dance move in hip-hop.

> And who decides which new moves are part of the Melbourne Shuffle? Anybody! It's an inclusive artform. The Shufflers make it what it is.