The Ballroom Dance Craze

By Genevieve Bernstein, Hawaii Kai.

In the teens decade of the last century, the US went dance-mad and much of the world followed suit.This dance craze was given much impetus by a young couple Vernon and Irene Castle. Vernon, an English comedian was working in America in stage musicals and Irene, a wannabee dancer met. He got her a job in the musical he was working in and they were married in 1911. They practiced and practiced, went to Paris as a dance team and were a smash hit. They returned to New York where they began a series of tea dances that became the rage of high society.

“Social dancers believe that life is dance and everyone
dances with their own rhythm.”

And of course other dance teachers bloomed all over. From 1912 to 1915 over 100 ballroom dances were created. The Castles founded Castle House, a studio for teaching a more refined type of dancing. A natural sociological function to distinguish themselves from the "street dancers," the lower classes. Much as the Internationals have done in present day Hawaii. They created many dances, the Castle Walk, the Castle Valse Classique, the Castle Tango, the Castle Last Waltz, the Castle Combination, the Castle Lame Duck, and the Maxixe. And most of their dances became fashionable in most of the American upper class ballrooms.

 "Waterfalls" by TLC  (1995)

And the Castles firmly established the terminology for this type of dancing as "ballroom." When they first founded Castle House, they had trouble finding a band that played music suitable for their dances. They met James Reese Europe (a black man) and engaged him as their personal musician. Many black musicians in New York looked down on syncopated music. Ragtime was associated with minstrel shows. Europe decide that his future lay in popular music and realized the power of syncopation, even in the primitive form of those days and made great use of it. He played in Carnegie Hall in 1914 ten years before the great Paul Whiteman.

"Social dancers believe that there may be three sides to every story:

yours, theirs and the truth."

Line Dancing

By John Iwahiro, Waipio:

A reporter for our dancing news will find it pretty simple and loosely defined as our Information and Photo Contributors. All they do is just get the pertinent information and photos into our blogs. Lately, it seems like we have been getting a little reporting on line dancing in the Central Valley. Waikele, Waipio, Mililani and Wahaiwa. Seems like in West Oahu, men are coming into line dancing slowly but surely. Most every one knows that line dancing is western country dancing where the dancers move in unison in lines that resemble military formations. These dances can be done in bars, night clubs and dance halls, at parties and at celebrations like weddings and graduation parties.

Most of our dancers are aware that people have been line dancing since the beginning of written records of human activity. And most of that time it was by men. Line dancing in the form we see in bars and saloons in the Mainland today closely resembles what were called Contra Dances in New England in the early 1800s.They were called contra dances because they were in the form of two opposing lines -- one line for the men and one line for the women. Sometime in the late 1800s Chorus Lines evolved from Contra Dances. And of course from it evolved the Chorus Girl, well known throughout the first half of the 20th century.

"For the truth is always older than all the opinions people have held
regarding it; and one should be ignoring the nature of truth if we
imagined that the truth began at the time it came to be known."

In the 1940s the Contra dance was brought into popularity again as The Stroll. John Travolta does The Stroll in the movie Grease. By the 1970s, The Stroll had morphed into the type of line dancing that is popular today. However, in Hawaii, somewhere along the way, we lost the men in line dancing. On Oahu it has been a ladies dance for too long. But men dancing seems to be a coming thing in the West. We just don't get much publicity on line dancing. Could be the ladies wish to keep it a private club and we should respect their wishes. Meanwhile it has definitely become part of our social dance scene and including more men.

"The Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page

No place to dance? We shall dance in the streets.

Fortunately, I am meeting more people that have good speakers on their computers. With some good speakers you can play music that may sound better than your high class stereos. Or a good set of Earphones. I am currently copying song videos. the music perfect but the videos (free) are not always good. They want you to buy the good ones..

From "The Rubaiyat" by Omar Khayyam (written a millennium ago)

Come, fill the Cup and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way to flutter
And the Bird is on the Wing.

Facebook and Blogs

Facebook and their fabulous videos had been on record last month at 3 Billion videos received daily. However hype is hype and you can use it for your benefit whenever. For the month of September, Facebook will publish the Video views per day which at present are at 8 Billion views per day. A far bigger number, but it tells me something else. Less than 3 views per video submitted, something I don't understand.

"Social dancers may believe that dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."

Anyway Web sites are being used island wide and many are doing a good job of it. In all media, Salsa and Salsa events lead all dancing and apparently Salsa is slowing down on the mainland but not slowing down on Oahu. Meanwhile, West Oahu and the North Shore are moving ahead very nicely. Housing and Business Parks are needed there instead of in downtown Honolulu where they just increase the traffic mess.

"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan  (1995)

At any rate, social dancing is being very well received in West Oahu. Many still enjoy some of the beautiful Waltz music played by the DJs and they certainly know their business. How about Rumba? They have been getting a reputation as the greatest Rumba dancers in Hawaii. Fortunately, they have had some of the best American style teachers in Hawaii. Oahu has been coming into its own.

"In this world, all those who seek the truth may also find trouble."

Blogging?

What is dance blogging?

Most simply, dance blogging is a place online where anyone can write blog posts of the dance scene and publish them for a specific audience. In our case it is the partner dancing on the Island of Oahu. Somebody may have missed us in Pakistan or Nigeria? No hu hu. The dancers on Oahu are our audience. The platform is a content management system that allows the bloggers to keep the blog posts organized for both the blogger and the readers. If a blog is a cake, the icing is the design which beautifully covers the cake (the content.)

“Social dancers believe that if you hear a different drummer, don’t march - dance!”

The cake stand is your blogging platform that holds it all up. Specifically, a blog platform is a database that holds all of your post text, images, and blog pages organized. Depending on the platform, you can also organize your posts further with tags, categories, and/or labels, but this is for experts. Hopefully, the readers of this blog will have a better idea of what a blogging platform can do for you.

"Take A Bow" by Madonna (1995)

Much of our dance information is plain old advertising and repeated too much can be grating. But initially it is always communication specially if is short, sweet and to the point. Videos are making a big impression on Facebook. They peaked at 3 Billion videos submitted daily to Facebook. Our dance blogs are quite different than other social media, they must invite "outside" opinions. That is the real gist of our dance blogging, a presentation of the many different opinions that are out there, and like noses, everyone has got one.

“The mind that is once enlightened cannot again become dark.”

Night Clubs are changing.

By James McLaren, Kalihi

From WWII times, night clubs in Honolulu were glorified lounges with some dance floor, and lots of tables on the side for bottle service. Sure, some people danced but for most people it was means of socializing in a pleasant environment while getting stoned. Many people went to these places, to sit at their tables and look smug about how cool they must be to get bottle service.

“Social dancers believe that art in dancing simply stirs our curious consciousness

and sparks a fire that illuminates who we have always wanted to be.”

Occasionally they would get up and dance on the seats around their table or on the railings-ish things dividing the tables. And since most were somewhat deficient in dancing knowledge, it was quite enough. Or at times on the dance floor right in front of their table. This kind of clubbing was all for being able to say they went to the coolest hotspot, and to be seen by the right people. And just maybe do a little dancing.

"I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men  (1994) 

And before you think we are being overly snarky, we have had our stint of frequenting these nightclubs and sitting at tables and looking smug. Night Club dancers that frequent the night club circuit are quite a few and for many, dancing seems to be secondary. First is socializing and it can be a very social environment when you may start a conversation with just about anyone. For the club, the sale of liquor has been of the utmost. It is changing now.

"To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle."

Hang In There

By Derek Anderson, Manoa

Having just finished college on the Mainland, I took a Ballroom dance class at Arthur Murray's as a way to meet the fair sex. Sound familiar? The course taught 6 dances and we met 6 Tuesdays for an hour. I paid close attention, tried hard, and was pleased to receive several compliments. I was excited when the instructor invited the class to go Ballroom Dancing with him the coming Friday for "Graduation".  I even remember going over my notes thinking what a great time I was going to have that night. Talk about a set up, I never had a chance. First I found I couldn’t tell a Tango from a Waltz from a Swing to save my life. To my inexperienced ear, they all sounded the same.

"Social dancers believe that if you love your music and dance from your heart,

your partner is sure to feel it too."

Then once the instructor told me what dance it was, I realized I could not remember the steps. The poor women in the class, bless their hearts, encouraged me to try and reminded me of some of the steps.Then I found out I didn’t know how to lead the steps. In class we had memorized the patterns. I started to seethe. Next I found I couldn’t hear the beat and think of the steps at the same time. Now I was angry. The ladies tried to cheer me up. They said none of the other guys were doing very well either. Oh, great. That makes me feel much better. But nothing prepared for the final acid pill. There was a girl in the class I had a hopeless crush on. I had tried unsuccessfully to dance with her three times that night.

"Bump n' Grind" by R. Kelly  (1994)

As she sat there twiddling her thumbs at the table, the instructor came over and asked her to dance. She couldn’t remember a thing either, but once he put his big arms around her she started to Waltz like Cinderella. She smiled and laughed and forgot about me. Hmmm, so this is what leading is all about. I just crossed my arms and steamed. It was obvious in the game of leading and following, the guy got the short end of the stick. I contemplated the cosmic joke that the sex that needs the easier part somehow got stuck with the harder part. No Fair ! Where do I go to report this injustice ?  No, I was not the winner. I soon left. Despite my total humiliation, afterwards I decided not to quit.  I sure am glad I didn't.  Nor should you. I am still having the time in my life in the social clubs and even in the nightclubs.

"We ought to dance with rapture that we might be alive …

and part of the living, incarnate cosmos." -D.H. Lawrence

Hang In There

By Derek Anderson, Manoa

Having just finished college on the Mainland, I took a Ballroom dance class at Arthur Murray's as a way to meet the fair sex. Sound familiar? The course taught 6 dances and we met 6 Tuesdays for an hour. I paid close attention, tried hard, and was pleased to receive several compliments. I was excited when the instructor invited the class to go Ballroom Dancing with him the coming Friday for "Graduation".  I even remember going over my notes thinking what a great time I was going to have that night. Talk about a set up, I never had a chance. First I found I couldn’t tell a Tango from a Waltz from a Swing to save my life. To my inexperienced ear, they all sounded the same.

"Social dancers believe that if you love your music and dance from your heart,

your partner is sure to feel it too."

Then once the instructor told me what dance it was, I realized I could not remember the steps. The poor women in the class, bless their hearts, encouraged me to try and reminded me of some of the steps.Then I found out I didn’t know how to lead the steps. In class we had memorized the patterns. I started to seethe. Next I found I couldn’t hear the beat and think of the steps at the same time. Now I was angry. The ladies tried to cheer me up. They said none of the other guys were doing very well either. Oh, great. That makes me feel much better. But nothing prepared for the final acid pill. There was a girl in the class I had a hopeless crush on. I had tried unsuccessfully to dance with her three times that night.

"Bump n' Grind" by R. Kelly  (1994)

As she sat there twiddling her thumbs at the table, the instructor came over and asked her to dance. She couldn’t remember a thing either, but once he put his big arms around her she started to Waltz like Cinderella. She smiled and laughed and forgot about me. Hmmm, so this is what leading is all about. I just crossed my arms and steamed. It was obvious in the game of leading and following, the guy got the short end of the stick. I contemplated the cosmic joke that the sex that needs the easier part somehow got stuck with the harder part. No Fair ! Where do I go to report this injustice ?  No, I was not the winner. I soon left. Despite my total humiliation, afterwards I decided not to quit.  I sure am glad I didn't.  Nor should you. I am still having the time in my life in the social clubs and even in the nightclubs.

"We ought to dance with rapture that we might be alive …

and part of the living, incarnate cosmos." -D.H. Lawrence

Rumba

Fortunately, in West Oahu we have some of the best Rumba dancers in Hawaii. Of course we have been blessed by having some of the best teachers of the American Style Rumba in the Pacific. The dances of the natives of Latin America put emphasis on the movement of the dancer’s body and not the feet. The rumba tune was considered to be less significant than the intricate cross rhythms offered by a striking of bottles, spoons and pots and in the 20th century, card board boxes.

“Dance to inspire, dance to freedom, life is about experiences

so dance and let yourself become free.”

The music mixed very slowly with the European more than the African. The term ‘rumbo’ connotes ‘route’ in Spanish while the term ‘rumba’ connotes ‘heap pile’. Since there were so many styles, "por ese rumbo" meant "somewhat like that." So all the similar dances acquired the name Rumbo or Rumba, which later, because of its low class, remained Rumba. Meanwhile the dance itself was also changing among the Indians, with little influence from the Europeans or the Blacks.

"The Power Of Love" by Céline Dion  (1994)

And it mostly changed when the mestizos (mixed) began to move to the cities and towns. In a short while the mestizos were the biggest group in the towns and cities. The history of Rumba dance was initiated in the U.S.A in the early 1930’s as a fusion of the rural rumba with Cuban Bolero, Guaracha and the Son. George Raft popularized the rumba dance in the year 1935. This he did by playing a part in the ‘Rumba’ movie where he is featured as a suave dancer that won an heiress’s heart through dancing.

"It requires less character to discover the faults of others
than it does to tolerate them."

The Worst

We have reached another threshold. The total hits on all the blogs on Oahu including the one outsider are at a stand still. Facebook got a total 3 Billion videos daily at the beginning of  the month and I cannot get the latest which could be less. That has made a difference. Last month Facebook received 50 million photos daily and is now down to 45 million daily. We should see some favorable results for us by the end of the month. This blog will also contain pertinent information on the rest of the blogs. Maybe it can hold on.

"Everything in the universe has rhythm, everything dances." ~ Maya Angelou

There has even been some debate on the Mainland as to whether blogging is still relevant in today’s social media marketing environment. I believe this will pass and blogs will not be used as photo or video albums. Dance blogs provide a source to deepen the connection with the reader/dancers. By having two way connections to our blog site, our fellow dancers will be able to get to know our dance world better from the comfort of their online home base. So we must build trust by being a source of information.

"Again" by Janet Jackson (1993)

Consumers like to be informed and appreciate that our blogs contain information. Much of which could be contributed by the reader/dancers. If our reader/dancers have questions about a dance we are writing about, we can respond to them directly on our blog site. Most of our blogs are generally searchable on our sites for some time and our blog site comments last longer than on a Twitter response or Facebook post. Not everyone understands that.

Q: What do you call a boom-a-rang, that doesn't come back?
A: A Stick.

Some Improvement

First I invite anyone and everyone to contribute information and/or photos of the dance environment on Oahu for our reader/dancers of the blog of your choosing. From there it is a hop, skip and a jump to Guest Blogger when you wish. You would have your own blog within the blog of your choosing. The entire enchilada is open for whomever. With two or three Guest Bloggers, we can plan on the independence of the blog.

"Social dancers know that dancing enables you find yourself

and lose yourself at the same time."

 

Emailed by Fred: Hawaii can be a tropical paradise in the Pacific Ocean and a very nice place can be the Big Island. We were looking at interesting things to do. My wife and I enjoy dancing and good music. We stayed at a nice hotel, reasonable priced, in the Kailua-Kona area, just across the street from the Kahalu'u Bay. We asked and our concierge provided us information on a ballroom dance that night.

"Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" by P.M. Dawn (1991)

I have been so out of touch with falling and hospital stay, I never found out who got it.

We found out it was Latin Night. We arrived at Dance Hawaii Ballroom Studio. Everyone was friendly. There were refreshments. Owners Gilbert and Carolan Ching are great hosts; they have been teaching dance in the Kailua-Kona community since 1991. There was a variety of ballroom music being played before Latin night with Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue. I highly recommend this location to anyone who wants to enjoy ballroom dancing while on vacation.

"When it comes to that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, be careful,
it just might be a freight train coming your way."

Night Clubs Fail, Why?

From Imbibe Magazine, 2017

They are under-capitalized - The owners didn't bother to determine a sizable enough amount of capital beyond what they would need to initially open the doors and they always end up with cash flow problems within a few months.

"Social dancers believe that if that if you dance with your heart, your body will follow."

The owners were woefully inexperienced. While some had worked at nightclubs, almost none had ever worked as the manager of a successful club and almost every night was a learning experience (that wasn't a good thing).

The owners had a poor relationship with the police. If the police are constantly called to your nightclub or bar, the police administration will go to either the board that controls liquor licenses in your municipality or put pressure on the city business licensing bureau for you to close down. While I'm not saying that the police should be given free drinks, keeping at least a neutral relationship with them (since you are going to require their assistance) and keeping your internal problems to a minimum, will help keep your business open for an extended period of time.

"That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson  (1993)

Employee problems, especially theft. Basically, most of the people that you're going to employ in a nightclub or a bar are frankly, marginal. They call in frequently, or they just don't show. Sometimes they steal. And they use or sell drugs. Unless you are exceptionally skilled at handling such marginal individuals in workplace environments, it can quickly become overwhelming and cause you a great deal of personal stress thus affecting your business judgment.

Poor planning. This differs from #2. Rather than researching your market to see if the market could bear an additional nightclub or if simply buying into an existing nightclub would be a better business opportunity, most people simply decide to open a club and see what happens. Unfortunately, because they didn't do any type of market research what usually happens is, there is an initial rush because of the newness of the club, followed up by a steep drop-off in business and a quick closure

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It then bursts into flame again

by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful

for those people who rekindle our inner spirit."

ABDA

Received information from Maili Yagi, and I thank her for giving an old man
something to do. Not art of course, but no one has ever complained
and first posted in the blog, Town Dancer.

Cancelled

"Social dancers, start working and moving towards that dream,

then will their feet have the quality of dance.”

  "This Used To Be My Playground" by Madonna  (1992)

More of ABDA's upcoming dances at the Waikiki Palladium will be on:
Friday, September, 14, 2018. Theme colors are Blue and White!

Also Saturday, October 20, 2018. Theme colors are Orange and Black!

All entry fees are the same as the above prices, but if you sign up or renew

your membership at the October 20, 2018 dance, when they are holding their

annual membership drive, there will be no additional fee to come to the dance

that night, and you can become a member, and you will be entitled to enter

future dances for a year at the member price!

ABDA members makes our dances in Wahiawa so much fun!
Let's give support to ABDA, your sister club!

"Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty

in the world ain't lawful tender for a loaf of bread." 

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Updating

Yes, I know, most of us think we know and then again sometimes we are not so sure. In the Central Valley we cover a pretty large territory and which has been getting more residents in the last fifty years. Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club stands out as one of the oldest and best dance clubs on Oahu. There is another dance club due, probably in Waipio along with a New Dance Night Club.

“Social dancers believe that Dance is the only art of which

we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.”

I now have six blogs set up for this island of Oahu and one them may have to go. And it has taken a long time to build up the hits on all the blogs with the limited amount of help I have had. But hopefully this year only one of them has got to go. Hopefully Town Dancer in town, which is our best blog with the most hits. It will be so simple to expand and make independent when we get some Guest Bloggers to contribute their views and perhaps a few photos now and then.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston  (1993)

Then with independence I can resign in peace. The bloggers will have a ball, covering the dance parties in town, and their dance blogs will be hit attractions. No matter who is the contributor, some will generate just a few hits but they will generate hits. Some will have hits going through the roof. The pre-party advertising is very nice but the results and viewpoints of the party with a few photos, is what really attracts the reader/dancers. We are learning.

"The greatest friend of truth is time, her greatest enemy is prejudice,

and her constant companion is humility."

Updating

Yes, I know, most of us think we know and then again sometimes we are not so sure. In the Central Valley we cover a pretty large territory and which has been getting more residents in the last fifty years. Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club stands out as one of the oldest and best dance clubs on Oahu. There is another dance club due, probably in Waipio along with a New Dance Night Club.

“Social dancers believe that Dance is the only art of which

we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.”

I now have six blogs set up for this island of Oahu and one them may have to go. And it has taken a long time to build up the hits on all the blogs with the limited amount of help I have had. But hopefully this year only one of them has got to go. Hopefully Town Dancer in town, which is our best blog with the most hits. It will be so simple to expand and make independent when we get some Guest Bloggers to contribute their views and perhaps a few photos now and then.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston  (1993)

Then with independence I can resign in peace. The bloggers will have a ball, covering the dance parties in town, and their dance blogs will be hit attractions. No matter who is the contributor, some will generate just a few hits but they will generate hits. Some will have hits going through the roof. The pre-party advertising is very nice but the results and viewpoints of the party with a few photos, is what really attracts the reader/dancers. We are learning.

"The greatest friend of truth is time, her greatest enemy is prejudice,

and her constant companion is humility."

Just Dancing on Oahu

Line dancing on Oahu is rolling along nicely and more accepted as part and parcel of the evenings dance entertainment in most dance groups. The step movements are usually simple and the classic music is meant to move to it. Some lose dancers when they get too fancy, like many ordinary dances. They have plenty of information for Line Dancing in Hawaii. I would like to help but they seem to be doing just fine. I do try to explain to everyone, that our blogs are not "an instead of" but "an addition to." Patience.

“Social dancers believe that every dance they make belongs to them. It is part of

their collection, some bad ones can be discarded. Some have been the very

best and they will never forget them."

This takes time and flyers are not the answer, we should be patient. We hear about Round and Square dancing but they don't seem to want to say anything or they just don't know about us old fashioned social dancers. The few that know of us have thousands of photos in Facebook, or wherevah and expect us to spend hours in research. Facebook just lately hit 3 billion videos per day. Sorry we just don't have the time. We just have to wait and be patient. Salsa is all over the place but they all have terrific Web sites and most of them look very nice.

"I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey (1992)

Would be nice to have a nice write up in one of our blogs from one of our readers for our reader/dancers. Eh! but that becomes Social Media. Swing is the same way, some flyer kind of emails and many with nice Web sites but nothing concrete in writing for our reader/dancers. We have had some good contact at Swing Dance Club of Hawaii but little news. But they seem to have lost interest in our blogs. Most of the need will be in the outskirts of the Island. The news that is happening is more important than what is going to happen. It doesn't cost anything and there will come a time. 

Blogger's Law #41

"All gossip at the Palladium is true. Do not be misled by facts."

Night Clubbing in Honolulu

It has always seemed like the night club scene in town is doing just great. Terrific Web sites and good advertising, they are packed solid every day of the week. So we just want to help the ones that need some blog help, not as "an instead of, but as "an addition to."

"Social dancers, dance like no one is watching, because they are not.
They are checking their phones."

Emailed from Jesse: Went to this joint and I really just wanted to drink a little. They had a Salsa night sound system setup for other genre than salsa music. So much bass the place vibrates, bring earplugs for the high and distorted volume. Music songs get chopped off at the middle and change rhythm to a different genre unexpectedly. Songs don't have a happy ending at all. Music is streamed on and on without a pause or end. So we don't have a chance to at least thank one's dance partner. The young seem to take to it readily.

"Black or White" by Michael Jackson (1991)

  

Selection of music to dance is so high in BPM that does not lend to partner dancing. Floors are sticky but I can overcome a bad floor but not unbalanced music for dancing. Songs that contain a mix of either merengue, salsa, hip pop, and/or reggaeton should be avoided but here is what it is played. They have the dancers going and coming jumping to change the genre in the middle of the song/dance. But if you just want to have a few drinks in a dance environment, then I guess it is OK.

"We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance.
We err because it is more comfortable."

Wot's New?

The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument of communication, like a newspaper, a newsletter or a radio. However on Oahu, in our Internet terms, Social Media, (our blog sites) don't just give you information, but get feedback from the readers and share that information on the Blog Site. And we have several methods for getting this feedback. Comments, Information emailed and the top, of course is being a Guest Blogger. In effect, having your own blog within the Dance blog of your choosing.

"Social dancers may believe that love is song, dance and celebration: a song

of gratitude, a dance of thankfulness, celebration for no reason at all."

For our dance blogs, we need those snippets of information on your dance scene and two or three of your favorite photos. You are the final judge and your opinion comes first but a word of advice, two people in a photo are better than one. Three, better than two and four better than three. However, 16 is not better than 15. Again I state, the photographer makes the final decision. Then there is that special photo of a couple in a beautiful dance pose in exhibition costume. Perfect to make "transparent" and use it in my posters. Whatta deal for everyone.

"When A Man Loves A Woman" by Michael Bolton (1991)

Think of regular media as a one-way street where you can read a newspaper or listen to a report on television, but you have very limited ability to give your thoughts on the matter. Social media, (our blog sites) on the other hand, are a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate too. You disagree with something? Email your version, you have rights too. Unfortunately, not many of our possible reader/dancers have understood any of it. So there is nothing to do but have patience and wait.

"The truth can be too obscure, too plain and too pure. To live it you may have

to explode. There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance."