The Night Club on Oahu

By Robert Cheong, Liliha:

Nightclubs all over the world are an entertainment venue which usually operate late into the night. And they are generally distinguished from bars, pubs or taverns by the inclusion of a "dance floor." So we have a clear definition except that the more you look at, the more confusing it can get.

“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it,

but in the end; there it is.”

The music in nightclubs is either live bands or, more commonly, a mix of songs played by a DJ through a powerful PA system. Most clubs or club nights cater to certain music genres and the age groups are only two, simply the younger folk and the more experienced.

"Maui Waltz" by Loyal Garner

At the moment the largest group of nightclubs on Oahu are into the Salsa-Bachata venue and which cater mostly to the younger folk. It has certainly brought together people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Coming in strong are the social dance club members with an American Style Syllabus agenda and which are being welcomed.

"Devorame Otra Vez" por Marcelo Perez

It has also been a genre for young people to explore sexuality and push the envelope somewhat on the dance floor. Disco clubs have acted as an escape from depressing environments and have always acted as the fantasy that marginalized peoples could escape from to forget oppression and lower social class status.

By the late 1970s on Oahu, there were many thriving night club scenes which were centered around discos, nightclubs, and private loft parties where DJs would play hits for the dancers. The DJs played a smooth mix of long single records to keep people "dancing all night long." Some of the most prestigious clubs had elaborate lighting systems that throbbed to the beat of the music.

Much of it is something most of us social dancers have been thinking about for 30 years. This has been specially brought out because the Night Club Dancers have develop a group consciousness of their own. In the past, all of the social dance clubs have been influenced first by the American style agenda which overflowed into the Night Club. Now the Night Clubs see it as is "their way," which is a very long way from "one way."