We are stalled

A year ago, Hawaii had made plans to market itself as “the safest place in the world.” and then the Trumpanzees wanted to make some money. We opened up too soon and too much. More than 12,000 people in Hawaii have been diagnosed with the virus. Outbreaks at jails and nursing homes are challenging our ability to manage the disease in vulnerable settings even today. And the virus has established itself so firmly in the community that the federal government has had to step in to help health officials get a grip on the exploding number of cases.       

"The one thing that all social dancers have that nobody else has is us.

Our voices, our minds, our stories, our visions. So we can dance

and enjoy moving to the music as only we can."

We closed up and then the Vaccines came in and we thought it was over. And again we opened up too soon and too much. The QAnon have had a big influence on the Trumpanzees. Then the tourists have been bringing variants to complicate matters. The vaccines are only 90% effective which is still better than zero percentage. But it also means 10% will be infected. The dance populatione has been very respective of the entire dance scene in acceptance of what is necessary to stay safe and protect our fellow dancers. The schools are a big question mark.

How do you make a tissue dance?  You just put a little boogie in it!

Not Yet

Pandemic lock downs might be pervasive throughout the world, but not all our movements have been restricted. This has not led to a slowdown in interest in dance, as people seek fitness, stress relief, healing and connection. Live classes on Instagram and YouTube have proliferated. Living rooms are becoming rave scenes thanks to live-streaming dance parties by celebrity spinners And mindfulness is taking center stage at sessions on Zoom. Some Line Dancing is beginning to form on Oahu, since they can dance with masks and a respectful distance. China seems to be leading the way World Wide for a safe way to partner dancing, mainly outdoors.

"Social dancers know that everything in this world has been done with hope.

So we must not lose our hope."

For us on Oahu, we can remember why we dance. Basic is that, we like to move to music. We have all seen young people with ear plugs and listening to some nice music and they start moving. They may realize that they look silly and stop, look around and smile sheepishly. But we all understand that it is perfectly natural. It is part of the enjoyment of life. Very easy to graduate to deliberate movements to music in the home. The even step is easiest and was the original ten thousand years ago. Just step - left, right, left, right to the beat and keep going. Move the legs, hips, upper body, head, anyway you damn well please. 

"Social dancers know that any kind of dancing is better than no dancing at all."

We don't lose hope

So, on Oahu, this has been dragging on for several months and we don't like it. We want to dance without endangering ourselves or our fellow dancers. Many of us are still wondering when will dance socially again. The answer is still "it depends!" But, a very few that know each very well are find ways to stay relatively safe and still dance in some place. And in the dancing community there are lots of resolves to keep dancing. Fortunately in many cases a good effort to do so, but in a fairly safe way given the situation. Most of the dancing on Oahu is still on hold.

Everything that is done in this world is done by hope. - Martin Luther

But we all long for those great nights at the district parks and community centers and yes, we are all saying “when, oh when?!” The answer is that we don’t really know when we can resume dancing, hopefully by the 4th of July. If we can keep the Trumpanzees from goofing it up. They don't believe in Masks. But until then we can try several other methods to enjoy moving to music. Online anyone? Ask around, and find out what some are doing and get some suggestions. For now, take your vaccine as soon as you can, wear you masks, respect social distance and wash you hands, Stay safe, we shall dance again.

“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have

1,440 daily opportunities to do something.”

 

Micro Blogging

Since Blogger was launched in the 1990s, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others. And some of us thought that the entire enchilada was just getting started. It had evolved from Web sites into a more current information distributor. A dancing blog gave us our own voice on the internet. It was a place to collect and share things with our dance world that we found interesting - whether our political commentary, a personal dance diary, or links to web sites we wanted to remember. Then came the Trump Pandemic and Social Dancing came to a stand still.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing

is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein.

 

The Micros arrive slowly at the beginning of this century, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and others. Micro blogging is an online medium that exists as a specific form of blogging. A micro-blog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregated file size. Micro-blogs allow users to exchange small elements of content such as sentences, individual images, or video links, which may be the major reason for their popularity. These small messages are sometimes called micro posts. As with traditional blogging, micro-bloggers post about a wide range of topics.

"Blogging may be good for our dance reputation. A good entry in a blog

may set us apart as helpful people in our cultural dancing."

Men Don't Dance

When you first start taking ballroom lessons a number of your male friends may reacted negatively. They may think it is funny or not manly enough. You may be told "Men don't dance". Are you kidding me? Men don't dance? How did we get to a point where it was considered unmanly to dance? Men, you are missing it! Married or single, the women in your life want to dance with YOU!!! How can you not want to dance You get to dress nice, meet and hold beautiful women in your arms (and they are all beautiful) and it's great exercise

“Social dancers think that sometimes it is stupid to hope,

but we all know that sometimes hope is all we have.”

Did I mention beautiful women? Men don't dance? The facts say something different: In Western aristocratic education, dancing was a requirement for a future courtier. A chivalrous knight was expected to achieve individual glory in war, as well as uphold virtues ranging from loyalty and humility to self-sacrifice and faith in Christian beliefs. He was expected to be courteous, loyal to his lady love, gifted in the arts of dance, conversation, music. So we have to adjust, somewhat here on Oahu, in 202

“The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music,

and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable

Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.” – Charles Baudelaire

 

Blogging

Many dance blogs are still personal accounts of one person’s dance experience. But blogging may be long pages of information and the Micro Blogs have emerged. Tweeter and Facebook among the most prominent and most have a very short paragraph and one graphic. If you surf the internet, you will come upon many of them. All of the blog readers are typically blog writers too. We are all reading each other’s stuff. And it is happening more in the Micro Blogs. Bloggers are starting to take a more deliberate approach to their content and finding a more solid audience via social media.

“Social dancers believe that if we lose hope, somehow we lose the vitality

that keeps us moving, Today we still have our dreams.”

Practically everyone that has a computer on Oahu is a blog reader today and, if you are breathing, you may have a web presence on at least one social network. In our dancing world on Oahu, it has all come to a crawl. No dancing to write about and no dancing photos and videos, Many have photos and videos from a few years back and they are very well received. A dancing blog may be a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. Our own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Our dancing blogs are whatever we want them to be. There are thousands of them, in all shapes and sizes, so there are no real rules.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

Facebook and Twitter are much closer to home. The reader/dancers on this island are a smaller group and in a more personal manner.  In simple terms, a dance blog is a dance web site, where we write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so our visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email us. Or whatever and it is all up to them, no requirements, no commitments. Cheer up folks, stay safe and we shall dance again.

"Social dancers know that you can make foolproof,

but you can't make it damnfoolproof."

At Home?

So in Hawaii last year, the pandemic erupted, and many good things in life were put on hold. If dance lessons were one of those good things now missing from our routines, we still have hopes. They do not have to be forsaken completely. While nothing can replace club sessions with our club instructors, setting up space at home allows dancers to keep fit, work on moves, and burn off stress. Whether you fully dedicate a permanent space or set up a flex area that can accommodate other projects, there are ways to enjoy what we do.

"With the Trump Pandemic so bad, it may seem stupid to hope.

But sometimes hope is all we've got.”

Many people have formulated plans so that they will be ready when club sessions are back in full swing. As social dancers, learning new styles and techniques can further your enjoyment when you start to dance again. But staying in the present shape is more important because of the sheer enjoyment of moving to music. Why not use this time to enhance your abilities, and if possible, do a little bit of exploring. Building your repertoire and creative sensibilities can only help that much more when you can return to your club routine.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges.

Try to establish a solid plan for your practice by talking it over with your friends. Keep up your dance moves even if you’re solo. Why not break up your routine with some line dancing? At the heart of your studio is one simple thing, mirrors and contemplate what other equipment you need and research options. Keeping your space germ-free is safe, easy, and inexpensive with homemade supplies. We should be getting back to some resemblance of social dancing by the end of the years at the Thanksgiving Dance.

"As the Great Philosopher said, "No matter where you go, there you are."