By Mary-Jo Sanz
Dance ‘N Style, led by Eleanor and Felipe Rafol, has once again propelled a brilliant cabaret weekend on Saturday, 22 July 2017 with Angels and Demons as the theme. As tradition prevails, this was held at the Notting Hill Community Hall, Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill.
Dance ‘N Style has themed events for its cabaret nights which has proven to be a successful formula. In saying this, having various costumes every year can be costly. That’s why the organisers encourage you to think outside the square, and it works! This means that you do not have to stick to having a full-blown costume but rather embrace uniqueness and be creative within the parameters of the theme.
The hall was decked amazingly with pictures, props, lights and music that captivated the essence of the evening. The centre of the props was a powerful motorcycle that became the focal point of most, if not all the photos.
The students, made a tremendous effort dressing up in either their most angelic outfits or the scariest of devils. There were also those that adopted the concept of Angels and Demons in an alternative manner such as having characters from movies like Charlie’s Angels, Maleficent, 101 Dalmatian, St Kilda Footy uniform (Saints) or a Bike Club Hells Angels.
Others opted for white/black/red dresses with accessories that defined their character as either an angel or a demon. Most men came as devils (funny about that!) and they looked the absolute part with red faces and horns that glowed in the dark. The place looked and felt remarkable – the décor, people and costumes, with the music literally took everyone to a world of fantasy – there was not a dull moment during the night!
As for the food, tradition took over in this aspect particularly with us, Filipinos. It is such a custom to provide a very generous spread and it was great to taste and experience the different Filipino cuisines. Dessert was also a highlight with the purple cake, ‘palitaw’ (best-seller), ‘cassava’ and many others. Not only did people show-off their moves on the dance floor but they sure know how to display their culinary skills as well. Everyone had a feast and everyone embraced it all – it was brilliant!
It was an all-night dancing – from Waltz, Cha cha cha, Samba, rumba, jive, line dancing, swing, and freestyle. There were many guests that night who were not familiar with the dances, and yet their overall feedback was very complimentary – fun, felt a part of the whole group and even learnt a few steps and so, everyone literally danced the night away. It was an amazing evening.
Many thanks to all who made and contributed to a spectacular evening.
Make sure you do not miss events like this, so come and join the group or simply join our events!
For more info, visit the Dance ‘N Style FB page or contact Eleanor Rafol. Lessons are held on Monday nights at 7pm.
