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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Moving Right Along

The slide show is getting acceptance and now we must polish. All of the photos taken and submitted during all of our excursions will probably be published in the blog. Hopefully more of our reader/dancers will be willing to share with our fellow dancers. Makes for a very colorful and interesting blog.

"The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. And along with success
comes a reputation for wisdom."

However, not all will go into the slide show. I included whatevah into the first trial and everyone can see the results. I already knew that three or less is wasting space where we could include more people. So the only excess pics are the ones that are too big. Everyone should be able to see that from four to seven is just about right to get everyone looking good.

Those will be the ones going into the slide show. I have labeled the good ones from the first batch with "A." And I will weed the others out slowly. The new ones will be labeled "B" so that as I add new ones, I can eliminate the older ones and keep the slide show current. We will probably end up with about 20 or 30 pictures all told, the readers will decide.

"Heal the World" ... Michael Jackson
"Heal the world, make it a better place. There are people dying - But if you care
enough for the living - Make a better place for you and for me."


Then I would like to set up a side bar monthly photo of the "Teachers of the Month" to pay our respect to so many of our good amateur teachers, many of whom have been teaching so terrifically for decades. The problem, who first? And how do we get the second and the third? And should it be in the Oahu And Beyond blog better? Perhaps in Central Valley?

Gradually I am beginning to get good consultation from our fellow dancers. And they rule. Meanwhile we anxiously await news from Pearlridge or Aliamanu Chapters. The readers will just eat that right up. Mahalo.

Pub's Side Note: The bus service is not going to get any better, so you may as well get that car. Tough on the freeway, but you will be sitting down, listening to your music and maybe talk a little story on you cell. The cost is much more but it is certainly worth it now, you don't have much choice.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The NIght Club Two Step

An easy first dance to learn,
By Pat Horne, Seattle, Washington

You might have heard of this beautiful dance, the Night Club Two Step or probably danced it over the years. This dance is not Ballroom, Latin or Swing - it is a Rhythm dance. It incorporates slow to medium music.

"The thing always happens that you really believe in;
and the belief in a thing makes it happen."

To be specific you dance to the rhythm of the music which is the quick, quick, slow. This is called "timing," a most important concept for dancers to know. Everyone loves the dance and what makes it so popular is the music.

Two step is very unique not at all like any other dance and it is easy to learn. The step requires a rock-step-side and a rock-step-side for a basic step. There are techniques to make the dance look smooth and gliding. The patterns we particularly like to teach figure 8s, body wrap, unwrap around the world, clutch carousels, lady under, man under and of course the popular left turns with many variations.

Again, the count is 1 and 2, 3 and 4 or quick, quick slow, and quick, quick, slow. Easy? Say Yes. Bob and I choreograph our students material for all the dances we put on and have 20 years of teaching experience.

"The Lady Is A Tramp" ... Della Reese


I was fortunate to help out at the excellent Saturday evening review dance at Aliamanu Intermediate. Night Club Two Step is being taught very eloquently by Romy and Miriam Quemado at Kailua Chapter HBDA.

Pub's Side Note: Auto Sales are up. Buses so packed they leave people behind. "Get the next bus!" Brilliant thinkers at Honolulu Hale. And we are going to vote for them again?


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Vibrating Dance Floors

By Frederick Gonzales, Barber's Point.

The Vibrating Dance Floor will probably be installed West of Ewa, first. “It feels like an earthquake,” is used in describing what the body-kinetic dance floor feels like when in operation.

"Today, I choose to create joy in my life. Whatever my external circumstances,
I choose to see all of life through joyful eyes."

The Newer Type Floors
Architect William Russell adds, “The vibrating floor throbs, it’s visceral and goes right through the body.” Looking at the main dance floor, which is located between the DJ’s concrete command centre and the stage for live performances, it’s hard to believe that this hardwood surface, which sits flush with the surrounding concrete floor would budge an inch.

It looks like any other dance floor, but once the music is turned on the floor vibrates, becoming stronger when the bass to the music gets louder. And as it has been accurately described, it does feel a little like an earthquake. It is a boon for the hard of hearing for the beat comes right up through their feet.

"Crazy World" ... Gaby Goldberg

Developed by Djenerate, a company that creates sound systems, the dance floor is a development of the “bodysonic” floor created for Cameron Leslie & Keith Reilly’s earlier Fabric nightclub. However this dance floor is “bigger, faster and stronger than Fabric’s floor,” says Djenerate director Luke Pepper.

Essentially the floor comprises a sandwich of 19mm-thick plywood and 20mm-thick hardwood glued together and supported above a concrete slab by timber joists and neoprene pads at 1.2m centres. Above the rubber layer are 75 panels, each 1m x 1m and with a pin in the corner which fits into a socket in the frame below.

"To A Perfect World" ... Melissa Manchester

We'll settle for this one in Kapolei
This allows the panel to move up and down, but not side to side. Screwed to the underside of each panel is a transducer — a cast metal casing that holds an electromagnetic piston which moves up and down, and transfers movement to the timber floor. Each panel is like an individual speaker and when a low frequency is introduced the cone or panel vibrates.

Aran Chadwick, director at Atelier One structural engineers, who provided advice on the floor’s design, says the main challenge of this type of floor is that with most raised floors, which is what this is, everything would be stuck down. But with a vibrating floor rigid fixings can’t be introduced. At the same time, with some 500 people jumping up and down on it, the floor had to be made safe. This is achieved by the pins which prevent horizontal movement.


On Oahu, it will take some time for them to know about regular dance floors and the benefits thereof for dancing. We will see a vibrating one built in West Oahu in ten years, - maybe.

Pub's Side Note: On the Internet, we can buy the instruments.
If she wants a date  -  Meter
If she wants an escort  -  Conductor
If you think she is picking your pocket  -  Detector
If she goes up in the air  -  Condenser
If she is slow in comprehension  -  Accelerator
If she is hungry  -  Feeder
If she has cold hands  - Heater
If she is narrow minded  -  Amplifier


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Organic Tango

By Daniel Si Yee, Pearl City

What Is Organic Tango? I had never heard of it before but apparently it accepts fusion in some part of your dancing which I suppose is happening every day with Universal dancers. In Argentina it has evolved into at least ten different styles of Argentine Tango. The first club established in the Center of West Oahu will probably be the one to lead the way into the Hawaiian Tango.

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

The concept of organic tango embodies the cooperative, creative, and open-minded interaction between both men and women. Both the follower and leader share in the responsibility of connecting with each other and to the music. Each partner plays a distinct but equal role in the dance, continually communicating with one another through body movement and musical interpretation. Structure and Style of one's own dance are two independent entities that are allowed to reach their maximum potential.

"La Media Luz" by Julio Igliesias

Organic tango is essentially a walking dance to music and emphasizes the social nature of the dance and places primary importance not only on a keen awarness of one's partner but also of the other couples sharing the dance floor. To allow the tango to evolve in such an organic fashion, the organic tango dance philosophy was established. For even more info on the organic tango history, philosophy, and teaching approach please have a look at the" Organic Tango Cookbook".

There will be a "local" tango danced sooner or later and it will be done in the West. There is no dance that has a patent on any dance movement. What will be the combinations? I don't know. But I am beginning to hear of tango in the line dancers. Seems to me impossible. No? When we get more places to dance in the West we shall see it evolve. It will probably evolve out of the Filipino Tango and modified by the American. The kicks in Argentine Tango are out. The sleek, milonga moves are in and the rapid head shakes of the International are out. It is coming.  *  *  *  *


Paul Pellicoro (translated from the Spanish) on Tango

Tango is a social dance, a dance of the people. What would be the point of having lessons with teachers if we all taught the same? That is the charm of tango: with each person you find a different character and style.

Tango is about feeling and sensitivity, otherwise you are just doing gymnastics. You can do all the steps but it has to have the feeling for the music and sensitivity of authentic tango.

In social tango you move with the music and with your partner. The relationship between you and your partner is not personal. What is personal between the two of you is that you both are trying to caress the music with your feet. A good tango dancer is one who listens to the music. We dance the music, not the steps. You see, we are painters. We paint the music on the floor with our feet.  *  *  *  *

"Nostalgia" ... Placido Domingo

Pub's Side Note: Paul is definitely not talking about International Tango. That is a very different thing. The new American tango fused with the Filipino Tango on this Island will incorporate all the good stuff. It is still in the developing stages, ask any Filipino teacher of dance. In the West we are going for the "Da Reel Teeng"