Salsa Diwali [25-10-2011]

Happy Deepavali, from Dominique Kee Photography!

Tomorrow is officially Deepavali, but tonight, as many salsa dancers do, we'll dance the night away!

Due to the amount of assignments and photos bogging me down for the past couple of months, I really do not have the time for salsa-social photos. Tonight though, I think I will make the exception. I've always enjoyed taking my camera out for a warm-up walk, what more a few days before a lovely assignment which takes place this Sunday!

It's been several years since Salsa Havana @ Federal Hotel closed it's doors, and Saturday night salsa moved on to Modesto's @ Capsquare. Myself, like many others, started our salsa there on Saturday nights. I remember the first 2 dances I ever had - the first two dance I had was with Musy and with Sian Tze. You never forget your first... hehe.

As I've had many assignments in the past year, my casual/social photos are much lesser than what I used to take. Like many of my peers who were into photography, I just stopped the hassle of bringing my camera on the dance floor, hence a serious decline in dance photography, UNLESS there is an event to shoot. If not I could not be bothered to shoot casually.

Tonight I wanted to shoot again. However, I could not get much shots off. I realised if there was nothing in particular I wanted to document, then my shooting rate drops tremendously. Sigh...

Anyway, here are a few shots of Tuesday's pre-Deepavali salsa social, at G-Point Cafe, formerly known as 'Salsa Havana' @ the Federal Hotel, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Please click on the photos below for a larger resolution picture

Thanks for viewing!

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for October: 8 post 682 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 116 posts 4,595 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the photos and the article itself. This article may be reproduced with permission of the author for private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images or articles contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Bruno 'El Guajiro' Martinez @ Hakka Republic [22-10-2011]

He’s done it again! Mr. Fahmy Khai, salsa dancer, instructor, singer, musician and event organizer extraordinaire, proudly presents to you – Bruno Wilber Martinez (“El Guajiro”) supported by none other than Fahmy’s own Havana Jazz Timba, with guest star, Kai Fan on Conga.

Known by his moniker ‘El Guajiro’, Bruno Martinez returns to the Kuala Lumpur Latin Jazz scene after a 3-year hiatus. Bruno’s nickname, which roughly translates into ‘The Country Boy’ suggests Bruno’s humble Cuban background from which he has since exploded into an international artiste.

Bruno is supported by Fahmy’s own project, the Havana Jazz Timba, which boasts the impressive line-up of (in no particular order): Mirlay Aria Rives (Keyboard), Fahmy Khai (Vocals, Percussion), Johan Abdullah (Conga), Stan Calvin (Vocals, Drums), Terra Fauzi (Timbales), Wan (Double Bass) and guest star, Kai Fan (Conga). Let’s not forget our very own DJ Selva ‘El Papi Indiano’, who was spinning smooth salsa in between sets.

Bruno and Havana Jazz Timba entertained Latin Jazz enthusiasts present that night with popular Cuban classics such as Compay Segundo’s ‘Chan Chan’ and a lively Latin Jazz rendition of 'Sway'. Bruno, a true showman himself, entertained the crowd by playing complicated guitar solos with the guitar rested firmly on his shoulders, behind his head!

I had the honor of being Fahmy’s official photographer that night. Thank you Fahmy, for the opportunity to document your amazing event. Thank you also for Hakka Republic for the classy and comfortable location.

If you want more information on Fahmy Khai’s events, you can check with me by e-mail at dominiquekee@gmail.com.

For more information on Hakka Republic, feel free to check out the official Hakka republic website link HERE

Please click on the photos below for a larger resolution picture.

For more photos of other events organized by the extraordinary Fahmy Khai, please check out the links provided below.

Kosar's Birthday Celebration!

Alma Latina

Marcus Alonso with Havana Jazz Tumbao

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for October: 7 post 673 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 115 posts 4,586 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the photos and the article itself. This article may be reproduced with permission of the author for private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images or articles contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.