The Lower Levels

By Fred Bastione, Ewa Beach

It as been gone over before but only lately has it been coming up with people that have some experience in our cultural  dance. With over 600 documented steps in each dance, something resembling reality should happen.

"Truth can make you a traitor as it often does

in a time of scoundrels."

Most disciplines have from way back established the Bronze, Silver and Gold and they did a good job way back when there was nothing else to go by. However, this is the 21st century and more people are aware of the learning process in anything.

"Runaround" Sue by Dion

If the Bronze or Beginners in most disciplines have about 15 steps at present, they could have perhaps 25 basic movements to music in the Bronze level. With these it would be possible for more people to enjoy social dancing in a common area where there are not so many rootzi tootzis around.

With an additional 25 movements in the intermediate level. It would be reasonable to suppose that most dancers would have a ball, no matter where they were at. That social interaction of lead and follow would be the fact that you could both enjoy the music, to da max and skip the "great dance moves" that others can do.

"Kiss Of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs

Anything more than that and you are into the "arts," the advanced, exhibition and competition levels. There is a place for them of course, but we should be clear that it is "their" place. They would still have well over 500 steps and patterns for themselves.

But those people would be worlds apart from us. There aim is to be seen and there is nothing wrong with that except that we could all accept the differences and accommodate each other.

These levels establish themselves no matter what group they begin from. It is a social happening in the Night Club circuit too. But we don't have to worry too much about them. We have to establish more friendly dance clubs, get more social dancers to join us and find more places where we can dance comfortable.

Got our kind dancers on that side of town?

My survey is still are not clear about who in the Rail Party said about the crowded buses. "If the Flips don't like it, they can go back to the Philippines."