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18 saturday aug 28 2004 economist sun suntribune diversions strictly fiathroom dancing brings couples together gets singles to mingle by linda johnson staff writer every saturday morning jane teng and horace lee face the music and dance with only a week to go before their wedding the couple has been meeting saturday mornings at a dance studio in richmond hill to work on their waltz now at their third lesson and the steps down pat they are put ting the finishing touches on their style they want to make sure whatever happens whatever the future brings their first dance 4 will be perfect it prepares us for the wedding and its comforting to know we can do it ms teng said adding the lesson also provides a chance to spend time together the wedding is quite stressful and this helps relieve the stress its a nice break while theres an obvious incen tive for people about to tie the knot to know how to spin their partners around the room these days it seems a lot of people want to learn to dance the oldfash ioned way indeed ms teng and mr lee took their first steps at university dance clubs and ballroom danc ing is becoming more popular amongtheir friends latin dances- especially salsa and meringue are common at nightclubs some even provide quick lessons their dance teacher amalia dina owner of dance art in richmond hill and 1992 international dancesport compe tition champion for romania said demand for classic dance is increasing from young children to k those in their 50s parents want their children who go mostly for latin dances to learn something other than hip hop older people want to learn because they like it they think its enjoyable they staff photosteve somerville amalia dina right director at dance art in richmond hill shows jane teng some steps as fiance robert lee looks on demand for clas sic dance is increasing from young children to those in their 50s ms dina said used to dance a long time ago and they want to continue she said the term ballroom dancing refers to three kinds of dances standard dances such as the english or slow waltz the viennese waltz tango foxtrot and quickstep latin styles including the cha cha samba rumba jive and paso doble flamenco and disco or club style mambo salsa swing meringue and hustle ms dina who has a civil engi neering degree began taking dance and choreography in high school primarily a math and science student she said she was hooked on dancing from the first time she saw it it seemed so different and ele gant she said students rosario maira and katrina li who came separately to dance art about five months ago but found compatible part ners in each other said dancing has farreaching benefits this is my kind of activity when you dance you forget all your worries i do a lot of other sports but they dont have that effect when i dance i forget about everything said mr maira who decided to take up dancing again when he saw the studio sign when i walk down the street i just go through the steps in my mind and i forget my worries dancing is in your blood either you have it or you dont ms li who was prompted by an advertisement said dancing is a great source of exercise its good for the mind and good for the body friends recent ly told me im younger looking i know im happier than before im so cheerful thats from inside you she said besides wanting to know how to dance for weddings and honey moons many young people real ize dancing is something they can do together all their lives said aaron brown cofranchisee of arthur murray dance studio in woodbridge for many years there was an emphasis on activitiescouples could do apart he said now they want to find ways to share time dancing allows people to set a date when they know they will be in each others arms and in the company of other people who like to dance he said among young people mr brown added the demand i is mainly for latin and other dances that can be done at clubs for single people it is a social lyacceptable way to meet others far less conspicuous than going to a bar if you dance well together you know theres some chemistry some excitement its a good ice breaker he said for older people who may see dancing page 19 ron csillag faith sharia law ok but go slow im willing to bet not since the mur derous 18hour days spent devising bob raes social contract has former ndp attorney general marion boyd encountered such a maelstrom as in her current task ms boyd readers may recall has been appointed by premier dalton mcguinty to review ontarios 1991 arbitration act its a sleepy bit of legisla tion that has arisen frankensteinlike in light of a request by some muslims to useit in order to operate their own bind ing legal tribunals using but not always sharia or islamic law im going to go out on a limb here partly because the view is better from there and endorse these panels but with some provisos i hope they help ms boyd arrive at a solution everyone can live with ok maybe not everyone for little has raised as much ire and fear as last years announcement by the grandly- named islamic institute of civil justice iicj that it plans to provide arbitrators trained in both islamic and canadian law to settle intermuslim disputes in ontario sadly criticism has included some truly stupid and racist takes on the issue mainly from fearmongering american bloggers as well as from one hysterical letter writer to the national post who suggested approval of the bodies would trigger a mass exodus from ontario comparable to the one from pqgovemed quebec im not suggesting these panels would be innocuous there is valid crit icism to be made of sharia as practised in some parts of the world and where it is the only law and women are right to worry they see adulterers page 21 mmsm mm mwmm custom framing r 2h pajntirtgs fine art prints custom made mirrors 4721 hwy7 unit 3 iga plaza at kennedy rd 9054749008 i mon f htf sabflte sun closed 9054757674 1 k5221hwy7 j markham a re s g a r a e atmccowanrdo exclusive events sale ends sept 7 var hhtumaihta unique urns bffidba statues ates alenbar of 60 sfimqnaits iii sept 14 5 home garden autwmr seminars v peppertree klasslcs fashion show mac cosmetics demo gourmet meal 1 i ill