Operators and patrons back bar-top dancing
By Lee Hui Chieh
BAR owners and patrons cannot wait for bar-top dancing to be allowed at nightspots, a possibility they hope will lead to an easing up of the rules governing club behaviour.
Bar operators interviewed want especially an end to their policeman role in ensuring that patrons do not dance suggestively in a manner that can be viewed as 'dirty dancing', or that performers do not 'interact' with club-goers.
Should bar-top dancing be allowed at nightspots?
Until then, they applaud Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong for raising the issue of letting club-goers dance on bar counters when he spoke on encouraging creativity in his National Day Rally address on Sunday.
At the moment, such dancing can bring a fine of up to $10,000 for the bar owner.
But it is allowed in several top cities.
Said Mr Clark Martin, 35, who runs pubs China Jump and Ocho: 'I've seen it in four major cities - London, New York, Paris and Madrid, in the past 10 years.
'It may be wise to allow it so that we can compete with other countries.'
Regular club-goers, such as engineer Sherryn Oh, 23, feel the present restriction is a fun- killer.
'When clubbing, you want to let your hair down and have fun. Having restrictions on where you can dance dampens the mood,' she said.
But one of the 10 people interviewed yesterday gave bar-top dancing the thumbs down.
Said Miss H. Wong, a 27-year-old advertising manager: 'Usually, only girls dance on bar tops, and it's like a sexual display.'
So far, five bars have run foul of the law which confines dancing to the dance floor that is 'demarcated by permanent fixtures at least 1 m high'.
The latest is Devil's Bar in Orchard Parade Hotel, whose case is pending.
Action against it prompted some readers to write to The Straits Times Forum page last month, saying that the ban was against free spirit and creativity.
In reply, the police said it was for the patrons' safety, as bar counters were narrow and could 'lead to disorder', especially when the dancers were drunk.
Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng took the same line on Sunday, when he was asked to respond to PM Goh's comments, after the rally.
He said: 'There are other patrons in the lounges, and some may not like the idea, or they may be afraid for their safety from any brawls that may arise, for instance.
'So it's not a simple matter of saying, 'Done.' '
However, he added that the police were looking into it, with help from the Public Advisory Panel on Licensing, which makes recommendations based on public feedback.
All the operators interviewed said they would take safety precautions if the rule was changed. They would widen bar tops, install poles or reserve part of the bar tops for dancing only.
Said Mr Dennis Foo, 48, a co-owner of Devil's Bar: 'Operators are most concerned about customer safety because we are responsible if anything goes wrong.'
Mr Martin said to ensure greater control, bars could also hire professional dancers or allow bar-top dancing only after certain hours.
But all the owners feel more is afoot than just bar-top dancing.
Said Mr Simon Lim, 35, owner of Wong San's group of eight pubs: 'PM Goh is sending a clear message, not so much about dancing but, in the context of his speech, about a relaxation of the rules.'
Miss Tracy Phillips, marketing manager of Zouk, hopes it would lead to other changes, such as the extension of opening hours to 4 am or later during festive seasons.
At the moment, nightspots have to close by 3 am.
But Mr Foo feels the best move is for the Government to avoid micro-managing the industry.
He said: 'In the spirit of remaking Singapore, the Government should just lay down the 'no-no' parameters, and leave the rest to the operators for a more laissez-faire approach.'