Welcome to Burlesque
Glamour, glamour, glamour! This was the catch phrase of TCSH’s Burlesque Night. This event was the culmination of a successful collaboration between the TCSH Dance and Film Clubs. It was an event that had two purposes: to promote the movie Burlesque, which premiered in Malaysia on the February 16, and to showcase and celebrate the manifold talents of our college’s student body.
So, on the night of the 11th of February, 2011 the Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas’ décor screamed “1860s Broadway”. In line with the title of the event, the overarching theme of the night was Burlesque. Flashing neon lights and noir-black outfits reflected this cabaret atmosphere superbly.
The night began at approximately 7.30 p.m., ushered in by our emcee for the night, Ross Stephenson. By the end of the first half hour, the audience was left slack-jawed in wonder, and the temperature of the room must have risen by at least ten degrees. The reason for this was a provocative, mesmerizing and extremely well-choreographed burlesque performance featuring a dance team called The Express Road. Ladies and gentlemen, if there is indeed something called global warming, scientists and researchers have been looking in the wrong place. This sizzling performance was definitely the main cause.
Performances by bands that will be familiar to many in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas were held on Burlesque Night too. “LOL”, featuring Mahirah Aznam and her boys, was the opening band for the night. They rocked the night with their renditions of Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, Firework by Katy Perry, and lastly Zombie by The Cranberries. Azri and Kenneth, of KITA fame, played songs like Insomnia by Craig Davis and Need You by Travie McCoy on the acoustic guitar, captivating the hall with their melodies and powerful passionate vocals.
Nikki, from ICOM, was the next performer on the itinerary, and her performance was mind-blowing. She used two microphones, and some recording equipment with playback capabilities that recorded the sound of her own beatboxing as she performed Britney Spears’ Toxic. It may very well have been a gimmick, but an amazing gimmick it was. And indeed, Nikki’s performance, characterised by amazing vocals and talent on the guitar, has earned her the well-deserved sobriquet of “Acoustic Queen of ICOM”.
Many say that magic is nothing more than legerdemain and optical illusions, a bunch of parlour tricks showcased to fool little children. Yet magic at its best astonishes, captivates, and amazes, and who better to provide all the factors necessary for these emotions to come into play than our very own Ross Stephenson? He created what could indeed be described as a ‘magical’ experience for the audience by making things appear and disappear as if out of Doraemon’s very own dimensional pocket, setting things on fire, and placing things where they should not be but nonetheless end up at.
Our emcee was not simply an emcee. He was also a stand-up comedian. Drawing inspiration from the fact that the event fell during Chinese New Year, and given the fact that many students at TCSH are Chinese, Ross told a variety of politically incorrect, self-deprecatory, and other people-deprecatory jokes. Throughout his stand-up comedy performance, he made us laugh at others, he made us laugh at him, and ultimately, he made us laugh at ourselves. Some people cried, too, actually, but that was only because they were laughing too hard.
Burlesque Night wasn’t just a staged talent show featuring rehearsed performances. Members of the audience were given a chance to showcase their talent (even in applying makeup) too! Eight lucky people selected from the audience were split into four teams and made to apply makeup similar to that shown on a LCD screen on their team mates in order to win RM150 worth of makeup. The teams were composed of two teams of two girls each, one team featuring one guy and one girl, and another featuring two guys. Poor guys.
The entrance ticket for Burlesque Night cost RM5. However, a few lucky people walked away with more than what they paid for! Various lucky draws were held on Burlesque Night, with the lucky winners walking away with prizes such as gym memberships worth RM1000, Burlesque posters, Burlesque original soundtracks, and Burlesque T-shirts and toiletry bags! Quizzing sessions, primarily on the subject of Burlesque, the movie, were also held, with the same rewards. Food, such as fried noodles and drinks, too, were provided at the event at RM5 to feed hungry patrons.
The night came to an end with the opening of the dance floor, as promised by the organizers of Burlesque Night, an event taken to by some like fish to water, and by others less enthusiastically, as the night was late, and it was time to adjourn. And so, the audience left Taylor’s Sri Hartamas on the night of the 11th of February happy and contented on account of a night well spent. A big and hearty congratulations to the organizers of Burlesque Night for their great success in planning and executing an amazing event!
BY VICTOR TAN
So, on the night of the 11th of February, 2011 the Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas’ décor screamed “1860s Broadway”. In line with the title of the event, the overarching theme of the night was Burlesque. Flashing neon lights and noir-black outfits reflected this cabaret atmosphere superbly.
The night began at approximately 7.30 p.m., ushered in by our emcee for the night, Ross Stephenson. By the end of the first half hour, the audience was left slack-jawed in wonder, and the temperature of the room must have risen by at least ten degrees. The reason for this was a provocative, mesmerizing and extremely well-choreographed burlesque performance featuring a dance team called The Express Road. Ladies and gentlemen, if there is indeed something called global warming, scientists and researchers have been looking in the wrong place. This sizzling performance was definitely the main cause.
Performances by bands that will be familiar to many in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas were held on Burlesque Night too. “LOL”, featuring Mahirah Aznam and her boys, was the opening band for the night. They rocked the night with their renditions of Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, Firework by Katy Perry, and lastly Zombie by The Cranberries. Azri and Kenneth, of KITA fame, played songs like Insomnia by Craig Davis and Need You by Travie McCoy on the acoustic guitar, captivating the hall with their melodies and powerful passionate vocals.
One of the many performances that night
Nikki, from ICOM, was the next performer on the itinerary, and her performance was mind-blowing. She used two microphones, and some recording equipment with playback capabilities that recorded the sound of her own beatboxing as she performed Britney Spears’ Toxic. It may very well have been a gimmick, but an amazing gimmick it was. And indeed, Nikki’s performance, characterised by amazing vocals and talent on the guitar, has earned her the well-deserved sobriquet of “Acoustic Queen of ICOM”.
Nikki and her two microphones
Many say that magic is nothing more than legerdemain and optical illusions, a bunch of parlour tricks showcased to fool little children. Yet magic at its best astonishes, captivates, and amazes, and who better to provide all the factors necessary for these emotions to come into play than our very own Ross Stephenson? He created what could indeed be described as a ‘magical’ experience for the audience by making things appear and disappear as if out of Doraemon’s very own dimensional pocket, setting things on fire, and placing things where they should not be but nonetheless end up at.
Our emcee was not simply an emcee. He was also a stand-up comedian. Drawing inspiration from the fact that the event fell during Chinese New Year, and given the fact that many students at TCSH are Chinese, Ross told a variety of politically incorrect, self-deprecatory, and other people-deprecatory jokes. Throughout his stand-up comedy performance, he made us laugh at others, he made us laugh at him, and ultimately, he made us laugh at ourselves. Some people cried, too, actually, but that was only because they were laughing too hard.
Burlesque Night wasn’t just a staged talent show featuring rehearsed performances. Members of the audience were given a chance to showcase their talent (even in applying makeup) too! Eight lucky people selected from the audience were split into four teams and made to apply makeup similar to that shown on a LCD screen on their team mates in order to win RM150 worth of makeup. The teams were composed of two teams of two girls each, one team featuring one guy and one girl, and another featuring two guys. Poor guys.
The entrance ticket for Burlesque Night cost RM5. However, a few lucky people walked away with more than what they paid for! Various lucky draws were held on Burlesque Night, with the lucky winners walking away with prizes such as gym memberships worth RM1000, Burlesque posters, Burlesque original soundtracks, and Burlesque T-shirts and toiletry bags! Quizzing sessions, primarily on the subject of Burlesque, the movie, were also held, with the same rewards. Food, such as fried noodles and drinks, too, were provided at the event at RM5 to feed hungry patrons.
The night came to an end with the opening of the dance floor, as promised by the organizers of Burlesque Night, an event taken to by some like fish to water, and by others less enthusiastically, as the night was late, and it was time to adjourn. And so, the audience left Taylor’s Sri Hartamas on the night of the 11th of February happy and contented on account of a night well spent. A big and hearty congratulations to the organizers of Burlesque Night for their great success in planning and executing an amazing event!
BY VICTOR TAN
