Yuppies Adopt U.S. of ‘50s : Singapore Takes to Ballroom Dancing

SINGAPORE —  Chinese yuppies who never selected a song from a jukebox are discovering the American ‘50s with a zeal that has made ballroom dancing the hottest craze in town.

Sipping malteds at a soda fountain while Elvis Presley croons and examining fenders from an era when a teen with a Thunderbird was king are new pastimes for workaholic Singaporeans.

“Everything seemed so much simpler then,” said Lester Chue, a busy real estate agent who finds time each day for a “Blue Hawaii Hamburger” or “Love Me Tender Steak” at Yesterday’s, the newest hot spot overflowing with nostalgia.

Deprived as Teens

Unlike Americans remembering their youth with cars and cash, Southeast Asian adults who were teens during that bygone era recall lining up for noodles at hawker stands and dreams of bicycles for transport.

Confined to gramophones and a family radio in the aftermath of World War II with Singapore part of Malaysia under British colonial rule, Jenny Ling recalled her parents exhorting her to switch off such enticers as Jerry Lee Lewis blasting “Great Balls of Fire.”

“We didn’t have the cars and other trappings enjoyed by American kids,” said Ling, now a middle-aged mother. “But we all loved rock ‘n’ roll, and I still do.”

Zack Harris, enterprising assistant manager at Yesterday’s, recreates the ‘50s for those too young to remember, adults old enough to cherish their own memories and both generations intrigued by such American artifacts as Wurlitzer jukeboxes, Remington typewriters, gum ball machines and vintage pumps advertising gasoline for 33 cents a gallon.

With the walls plastered with the fenders of the most-coveted cars and a band sporting pompadours belting out the hits of Fats Domino, Bill Haley and the Comets, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, the Four Seasons, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly and others who became overnight sensations, even Harris is amazed at the instant success.

“We never thought we’d be selling more milkshakes than liquor,” he said. “But this is a place where anyone caught up in the hectic pace of six-day weeks can slow down, have fun and feel good.”

Oldies, New Releases Mixed

Disc jockeys spin oldies as regularly as latest releases from Michael Jackson, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. Video stores sell out discs and tapes of one-hit or few-hit wonders as fast as they are restocked.

It is a rare shopping center that is not blaring the sound track from “La Bamba,” the movie about ‘50s singer Ritchie Valens who was killed in a plane crash. The film played to packed houses for months.

Frustrated beauticians eager to create elegant hairdos complain over the popularity of ponytails. Dance teachers are overwhelmed by demand for ballroom dancing lessons, particularly the jitterbug and acrobatic rock ‘n’ roll.

Young professionals view ballroom dancing as a social skill, singles seeking romance cherish hopes of an attractive partner, and the older set kept away from discos by the feverish pace find rhythms they can enjoy.

“When I started lessons I thought I’d never make it,” said bank vice president K. W. Teh, 52, as he guided his 20-year-old daughter through the cha-cha. “Now it’s clear there is no age limitation on dancing.”

Dance schools have skyrocketed, with eight catering to 14,000 students like Lee Wye Choo, a businesswoman who said she has spent “the equivalent of a one-carat diamond ring” on lessons.

Intrigued by Glamour

Lee, 23, said she is intrigued by the glamour, with men in polished black dancing shoes twirling partners in flared skirts in disciplined but graceful movements.

Other zealots said they have given up all other hobbies to finance dancing lessons. Soo Lee, a transport company executive director, said she has abandoned gardening and scuba diving to perfect the jitterbug, rock ‘n’ roll and jive she loves best.

Sunny Low, a dance teacher for 32 years, said the renewed ardor is back to stay.

“People thought that if they could get onto the disco floor and shake their bodies they would be all right, but that’s all dying now and discos are changing,” Low said. “The new ones are capitalizing on ballroom dancing.”