Tonight we will go dancing at the Westway Club. I checked one restaurant which boasted of a Valentines show and dance featuring a Filipino band and lady singer, but I did not like the venue, because the floor was carpeted and therefore, not really good for dancing.
Westway, on the other hand, although there is no live band, but a disc jockey, boasts of a huge, shiny, wooden dance floor. The tables are elevated and the dance floor is a bit sunken which gives it an elegant and classy look. Tonight, being Valentines Day, I suspect the club would be full. The crowd at Westway is a happy, relaxed one, unlike the one at the Harmony Club, the other club which I frequent.
At the Westway, there's enough room to dance a good salsa, cha cha or tango, without having to bump on another pair. At Harmony, it is ordinary to have physical contact with another pair, because the dance floor is somewhat smaller and the crowd, a lot bigger.
Both clubs, though, are favorites among ballroom dancing enthusiasts.
In lovely Manila, dancing fans trek to the Bike's in Pasong Tamo, Makati and the Club Filipino in Greenhills. The last time I was in Manila, I also enjoyed dancing at the Manila Pen, at the Rennaisance where RJ (Jacinto) regularly played, and a club, the name of which escaped my mind, which was located in the Ortigas complex. This unnamed club was small and had a karaoke. Now, I love singing, but not in public places, so I was dismayed when in the middle of good dancing, a group led by someone from a well-known TV family, and whose group was having a birthday party, took center-stage and started karaoke singing.
I was surprised that the Manila clubs intended for dancing were quite small. At the Pen ballroom , which can accomodate at least 500 people, the dance floor itself which was at the foot of the stage, was so small, that people stood by their tables, and danced right there. At the RJ and the Riots' venue, again the dance floor was so tiny, people were dancing and bumping into the elevated stage. The Bike's had two levels for entertainment, the upper floor was for dancing with a live band, and the lower level, reserved for listening to music and dining and drinking. But again, the same problem, the dance floor was small.
The Club Filipino at Greenhills had a decent-size dance floor. There was also live band and a warm platter.
Westway, on the other hand, although there is no live band, but a disc jockey, boasts of a huge, shiny, wooden dance floor. The tables are elevated and the dance floor is a bit sunken which gives it an elegant and classy look. Tonight, being Valentines Day, I suspect the club would be full. The crowd at Westway is a happy, relaxed one, unlike the one at the Harmony Club, the other club which I frequent.
At the Westway, there's enough room to dance a good salsa, cha cha or tango, without having to bump on another pair. At Harmony, it is ordinary to have physical contact with another pair, because the dance floor is somewhat smaller and the crowd, a lot bigger.
Both clubs, though, are favorites among ballroom dancing enthusiasts.
In lovely Manila, dancing fans trek to the Bike's in Pasong Tamo, Makati and the Club Filipino in Greenhills. The last time I was in Manila, I also enjoyed dancing at the Manila Pen, at the Rennaisance where RJ (Jacinto) regularly played, and a club, the name of which escaped my mind, which was located in the Ortigas complex. This unnamed club was small and had a karaoke. Now, I love singing, but not in public places, so I was dismayed when in the middle of good dancing, a group led by someone from a well-known TV family, and whose group was having a birthday party, took center-stage and started karaoke singing.
I was surprised that the Manila clubs intended for dancing were quite small. At the Pen ballroom , which can accomodate at least 500 people, the dance floor itself which was at the foot of the stage, was so small, that people stood by their tables, and danced right there. At the RJ and the Riots' venue, again the dance floor was so tiny, people were dancing and bumping into the elevated stage. The Bike's had two levels for entertainment, the upper floor was for dancing with a live band, and the lower level, reserved for listening to music and dining and drinking. But again, the same problem, the dance floor was small.
The Club Filipino at Greenhills had a decent-size dance floor. There was also live band and a warm platter.
However, in the late '70s and early '80s, I do recall nights out with friends, and dancing till two in the morning, in spacious dance floors in Manila discos. After the tragic fire at the Ozone (?) Club, that's when dance clubs started to get small. I suspect the club owners opted for smaller spaces to make management of customer escape in case of accidents such as fire a lot easier.
Of the five clubs I visited in Manila, I enoyed most the food at Bike's, and the music of RJ at the Rennaisance.
No comments:
Post a Comment