We Are Blogging

We are still getting some flyers that are meant for the entire world of dance, "To whom it may concern." Many are short, informative and necessary for those that have not seen the information. However we get very few that specifically apply to us the social dancers. We will get there and we accept because we must accept but it will be much better when we can develop these dance blogs into real social media.

"Social dancers learn to enjoy moving their bodies with ease and have the satisfaction of knowing that they may benefit from this Art for as long as they live."

That requires input from more people than we have now. The difference is being able to respond with our own independent opinions, whether the same or different. This is part of what is known as Web 2.0. A dance blog is what all "dance websites would like to be" updated on a regular basis, containing content that is of interest to a target audience of social dancers. Information easy to update and change. Our readers are gradually picking up on this action and the average hits per day are going up.

"Smooth" by Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)

From Maile Yagi
WBDC INVITES YOU TO A HALLOWEEN DANCE!

COME DANCE WITH GHOSTS AND GOBLINS AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE?
JOIN THE FUN AT WBDC'S HALLOWEEN DANCE 2018!

Since I am physically limited, I need some help. I live in Pearl City and West Oahu is easily accessible with the Handi Van. A good example was Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club Oktoberfest. Took the Handi Van to and from Wahiawa. Forgot the paper and pens to get quotes from anyone but I took the camera and extra batteries. I passed the camera around and got enough good ones for five collages of six photos each. We can sure thank the photographers. I posted three collages in Dancing Nights blog and next day I posted two collages to this Dance Blogs. Less than 20 photos, one blog, but thirty will guarantee two blogs.

Advertisement:

Man who dances, drinks and carouses, wishes to meet woman who dances,

drinks and carouses. Object: dancing, drinking and carousing.

Blogs Are Unknown

Blogs are appearing more in Hawaii than ever before and on the printed news pretty often these days. A reporter may be tipped off to a story by a blog, or a blog reports a different angle on a story. Blogs show up in magazines a lot, too. But there is a good chance that most of our fellow dancers on Oahu are not likely to be familiar with a blog (also known as a weblog) or experienced the blogosphere. What are blogs? This is a blog. There are now millions of them -- where did they all come from?

“Social dancing is inherently social, but steps replace words and beats iron out pauses.
The shy and the awkward find a home where good music and good rhythm
vanquished their shyness and awkwardness."

 

One of the things that is so amazing about blogs is their simplicity. Think about a "normal Web site." It usually has a home page, with links to lots of sub-pages that have more detail. In Hawaii many have dozens of information pages all organized under a home page. The complexity is good but too complex for most readers and most dance web sites do not have enough readers so they omit the counters that would enable them to find out what hits and what doesn't hit.

  

"Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias  (1999)

Our dance blog sites are much simpler: We normally have single page entries. There may be archives of older entries, but the "main page" of a blog is all anyone really cares about. Our blog is organized in reverse-chronological order, from most recent entry to least recent. So the first one is the most recent. If you wish to see older news, just keep on scrolling. And if you want to see something of your information posted in a dance blog just email it in.

"Life's challenges are not suppose to paralyze you.
They are supposed to help you discover who you are."

Shift

I am gradually shifting my personal to Dance Blogs and this Social Dance Oahu will have to find its own definition. Our social dance clubs seem to be dividing into three different groups and all intertwined. The regular solid social dancers (us), the exhibition dancers and the viewers. The main body will still consist of the social - universal dancer. We just need more places where we as social dancers can dance. Wahiawa District Park has been a big help but we desperately need some action in Waipio & Mililani.

"For some dancers, the hardest step in learning to dance

was the first one they took into the studio.”

There must be nice Community Center that will not be adverse to Social Ballroom dancing. Yes, I know, very difficult. Of course we only have a few Dance Studios in the West and all will teach you whatever you want to learn. We don't expect any feedback from any of them in the immediate future. We can only hope to include and help them someday.This will all take time. And perhaps in this blog we could have the "dance couple of the month" in the side bar. Who votes?

"Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera (1999)

The Good People one month and the Good Teachers the next month and alternate. I don't know, I just throw them out and hope somebody picks up on them. I need some help there. It all comes under Public Relations and some may think "who needs it?" That is just fine with me, as long as everyone knows that it was their decision, we can leave them out. Meanwhile we can have a ball dancing up a storm and reading and writing about it.

“Social dancers often think, that it may take a good fall

to really know where you stand”

Shift

I am gradually shifting my personal to Dance Blogs and this Social Dance Oahu will have to find its own definition. Our social dance clubs seem to be dividing into three different groups and all intertwined. The regular solid social dancers (us), the exhibition dancers and the viewers. The main body will still consist of the social - universal dancer. We just need more places where we as social dancers can dance. Wahiawa District Park has been a big help but we desperately need some action in Waipio & Mililani.

"For some dancers, the hardest step in learning to dance

was the first one they took into the studio.”

There must be nice Community Center that will not be adverse to Social Ballroom dancing. Yes, I know, very difficult. Of course we only have a few Dance Studios in the West and all will teach you whatever you want to learn. We don't expect any feedback from any of them in the immediate future. We can only hope to include and help them someday.This will all take time. And perhaps in this blog we could have the "dance couple of the month" in the side bar. Who votes?

"Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera (1999)

The Good People one month and the Good Teachers the next month and alternate. I don't know, I just throw them out and hope somebody picks up on them. I need some help there. It all comes under Public Relations and some may think "who needs it?" That is just fine with me, as long as everyone knows that it was their decision, we can leave them out. Meanwhile we can have a ball dancing up a storm and reading and writing about it.

“Social dancers often think, that it may take a good fall

to really know where you stand”

Central Valley

Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club and Dot's in Wahaiawa got the Central Valley jumping. Just Tacos in Mililani has music but they will not do much good until they get a dance floor. From there Waipio will get a Social Dance Club or Dance Night Club. The Rail Catastrophe has awakened many residents. They want to live, work AND PLAY in their own Kuleanas.

“She danced her way right into his heart. Corny, but true.”

Many dance venues on Oahu have beautiful Web Sites. And yet few have counters on them. They don't have an idea of their readership. Single digit average day hits is not cutting it. You are just  beating your gums. A few have counters and they average over 20 hits per day, which includes search engine hits and ordinary scam spam robot hits. I get surges now and then from both of those outside sources. I have five blogs so, with comparisons, I got a good idea how many readers are on Oahu.

"If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez   (1999)

From Consumer Report:
Facebook has slowly but surely eroded the privacy controls that were centrally important to attracting users in the first place, in an effort to make more data available to advertisers. ReadWriteWeb reports that many of the TOS and privacy changes have amounted to a bait-and-switch, with Facebook suggesting that such changes will make the site more useful when in reality, the changes only enabled Facebook and third-parties greater access to data.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

Pub's Note: Yes, much of what is written in our blogs is copied from newsletters, magazines and other Blog sites. Rudyard Kipling once wrote:

"When Homer smote his blooming lyre. He’d heard men sing by land and sea;

And what he thought he might require, he went and took, -- the same as me."

Wahiawa District Park, Oktoberfest

I prepared for this excursion and still forgot some things, paper and pen to write a few opinions in the the blog. The Handi Van got me there at a nice time and everything else was moving very nicely. I got the first person to take my camera and she got the majority of the photos. Others did help too. And there was no truth to the rumor of a keg of beer.

They always set up a nice background for taking photos and they are very good. I put some in yesterday's blog, Dancing Nights. But then I had enough photos for three collages in that blog. I still got two collages for this one. We were lucky to get a few people willing to help getting these good photos.

It has been written many times that the Polka was a simple Czech dance that was known and danced in the early 1800s long before the nobles got hold of it - it is a truly Czech folk dance. By 1835, this dance had spread to the ballrooms of Prague. From there, it spread to Vienna by 1839 and in 1840 was introduced in Paris by a Prague dance instructor. It was so well received by both dancers and dance masters in Paris that its popularity was referred to as "polkamania." The dance soon spread to London and was introduced to America in 1844. It remained a popular ballroom dance until the late 19th century. There are people that believe it is still being danced today in the 21st. century."

"Beer Barrel Polka" by The Andrews Sisters.  (1939)

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in

any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, - Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Oktoberfest in Wahiawa

I began planning the excursion to Wahiawa early and I had made the arrangements the day before with the Handi Van. They were to pick me up at six and take me to the WBDC shindig in Wahiawa. They got me to the Wahiawa District Park before seven, good people. There were a few people there already doing a bang up job of setting things up. And I was lucky enough to say hello to all these nice  people. And in no time at all, Leland Yagi has his beautiful music floating in the atmosphere.

There was little picture taking and I asked a young lady that was there for the first time, if she could help with photos. She quickly discovered that the batteries in the camera were dead. I gave her some new ones and away she went and most of the photos in this blog are hers - terrific job. There was some transfer in photographers but all to the good. As per usual some people did not want to get involved. No Hu Hu. I got enough pictures for two blogs.

People kept coming in and plenty of hugging and kissing. It was party time and the dancers were beginning to feel it. The music and dance of this club is Social Dancing, so that the DJ is not tied down the music of the disciplines. And in this Oktoberfest, there was plenty polkas.  And I saw a lady moving to the music the way she wanted to. A sideways rock step, back and forth, and she needed no instruction from anyone.

"Beer Barrel Polka"

The music was written sometime in 1927, then in 1934 with lyrics, the Will Glahé recording sold many copies in its German version. But it was not until 1939 did this polka become famous around the world. "Beer Barrel Polka", as recorded by Will Glahé, was number one on the Hit Parade in the US. It is possible the reason for the rapid spread was due to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, and subsequent emigration of thousands of Czechs to other parts of the world, bringing this catchy tune with them.

Nice to see two Ladies get out on a polka, and dance going around and alternating arm hooking. Then joined by more ladies, and even the spectators were having fun watching. Dis is Social Dancing to Da Max. Kau Kau right after and Maile got me some goodies. I left shortly after, my Handi Van was due at 8:30. Ten minutes late, not bad, they are good people. Got home before 9:30. Checked the camera and I got enough pics to make another blog tomorrow.

Social dancing is more casual and informal, it is more of an intuitive dance. Although there is structure to social dancing just like international ballroom, social dancing welcomes musical interpretation, experimentation, imagination, improvisation and spontaneity. And we can witness this in the Central Valley, - Wahiawa for example.

Steady

Lucky I have more than an ordinary counter. There is nothing extra in the writing of this blog but the hits are holding up very steady. My counter doesn't just count hits but can tell me where they came from. It this case, I am getting an awful lot of scam, spam robot hits. I don't know what benefit they get from it but they do bother. Then the counter used to tell me from what country. Now the biggest percentage is from "Unknown Region." So what do I know?

“With good music and a good dance, you enhance your physical,

emotional, spiritual and mental well-being.”

So the only way these blogs will progress will be from Feedback. The "Two Centers" willing to stick their 2 cents in dance information to share with our fellow dancers. The reader/dancers would be happy, the Two Centers would be happy, and the blog will have hits going through the roof. The blog will get to the point when they can refer to themselves as Social Media. We can cover the dance functions and make some terrific blogs. Finally we can make our Best Blog independent, (from me.)

"Believe"? by Cher (1999)

We will eventually have photos in every blog. They will not be seen in Nigeria or Pakistan like in Facebook, but they will be seen on Oahu by anybody and everybody. And we will know how to get the best photos. Like two people in the photo is more effective than one. Three is more effective than two. But 20 is not better than 19. Peas in a pod is not as good as an unsorted group. Too bad I have fumbleitis and I just have to pass my camera around and hope for the best.

"Social dancers know that about all you can do in life is be who you are.

Some people will like you for you. Some will like you for what you

can do for them, and some won’t like you at all."

Steady

Lucky I have more than an ordinary counter. There is nothing extra in the writing of this blog but the hits are holding up very steady. My counter doesn't just count hits but can tell me where they came from. It this case, I am getting an awful lot of scam, spam robot hits. I don't know what benefit they get from it but they do bother. Then the counter used to tell me from what country. Now the biggest percentage is from "Unknown Region." So what do I know?

“With good music and a good dance, you enhance your physical,

emotional, spiritual and mental well-being.”

So the only way these blogs will progress will be from Feedback. The "Two Centers" willing to stick their 2 cents in dance information to share with our fellow dancers. The reader/dancers would be happy, the Two Centers would be happy, and the blog will have hits going through the roof. The blog will get to the point when they can refer to themselves as Social Media. We can cover the dance functions and make some terrific blogs. Finally we can make our Best Blog independent, (from me.)

"Believe"? by Cher (1999)

We will eventually have photos in every blog. They will not be seen in Nigeria or Pakistan like in Facebook, but they will be seen on Oahu by anybody and everybody. And we will know how to get the best photos. Like two people in the photo is more effective than one. Three is more effective than two. But 20 is not better than 19. Peas in a pod is not as good as an unsorted group. Too bad I have fumbleitis and I just have to pass my camera around and hope for the best.

"Social dancers know that about all you can do in life is be who you are.

Some people will like you for you. Some will like you for what you

can do for them, and some won’t like you at all."

Dance Structure On Oahu

Seventy years ago the English style was pretty much England and the US until the name change to International and then it spread throughout the "Empire." American style remained confined to the US and Canada with maybe 60-70 percent of the dancing. And there had been much influence of the American Style by the US military in the outlying posts such as the Philippines, China, Korea and Japan.

“Single social dancers some times feel like they’ve been dancing

with the same ten cute girls their whole life.”

Then International came to Hawaii in the 60s and some teachers were able to convince many in their recommendations that some American Style classes should be taken before taking International classes, This was a clear implication that International was at a level of dancing much more advanced than the lower class American style. Then they taught many of their moves as "correct" and they were accepted as a different style and done differently. Sounds logical to me and many took to it. However, within ten years, the statement came with no qualifications. Even today, many will flatly state, that they dance "correctly." By default anyone who does not dance that way is dancing "incorrectly."

 "Angel Of Mine" by Monica  (1999)

The noses of the "Rootzi Tootzis began to be lifted when observing Social Dancers at the time of the Palladium and there was the introduction of a new phrase, "Junk Dancer." It established the end of their upward climb, and showed the rise of the Social Dancer. American has always been more diverse and more subject to change among different factions and many teachers prefer those options. Even on this island we have some very good differences. International has more strictness from the governing body and it remains very close to the original beginnings for competitions. We are so fortunate that on Oahu we have had some of the best American Style teachers in the Pacific. We could just understand and respect each other.

"Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it." 

Independent?

I have been fortunate to have had several people that have suggested "You should do this or that ..... etc." Which has been nice and in some cases has helped to defined my job description. But of course, few people on Oahu know anything about dance blogging including me. We are all just finding out by doing and knowing that there are 20 times more Web Sites than Blog Sites in the State of Hawaii.

“Social dancers believe that the real dance is a spontaneous body movement

that is in harmony with the beats of the music in your heart.”

We do need more people to try to share a little information and perhaps a couple photos of (you and your fellow dancers) enjoying yourselves in last nights shindig. Blogs are "current" and that is very interesting to our fellow dancers. Who knows, some of you may learn to like the sharing and the joy you give to others by doing so. Then you can surely phase over into a Guest Blogger and can open, write, post photos and close it all without saying "boo" to anyone.

"Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears (1999)

And the hits are guaranteed to go through the ceiling. It will no longer be SOS (same old shit.) And the new person will have become a blogger. Some of the wheels in the dance community have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. I will not do that. If they do not want it, they shall not have it from me. But the sign on the door I leave open still says welcome.

"Meanwhile, not everyone has to be the Chosen One. Not everyone has to be the

person who saves the world. Most people just have to live their lives the best

they can, doing things that are great for them, having great friends, trying to 

make their lives better, loving people properly. All the while knowing that the

 world may make little sense but they try to find a way to be happy anyway."

Ocktoberfest

This blog is standing still. Not too bad but this is at a time when Facebook is receiving 3 billion videos per day. Town Dancer still remains our top blog. We still do not know who is running it, not much Feedback. But they keep pretty close to the social dancers of the dance community on Oahu, like most of us. So there seems to be plenty of reader/dancers in that category. With the others we can try to understand  and stay at a respectable distance. They have Web sites, so obviously for them, those are more effective means of communication.

“Social dancers believe it takes two, the lead picks the moves and the follow

executes them effectively and usually beautifully.”

From Maile Yagi

"Life is variable - a rich strain of music, suggesting a realm too fair to be."

James and Yolanda Tilley

Hi Grandpa,
Attached are a few pics from the 50th anniversary party for my parents.

Hope you like them...Much love,

 Your Granddaughter, Tracey

My daughter Yolanda and her husband James

"Human beings grow best with encouragement and love. Today let every word

you speak (to yourself and others) be filled with kindness."

Politics

We are still looking for those that may be interested in reading, writing, looking and submitting photos and whatever it takes to make it our blogs into the Social Media of dance. This a test to see if I can set it up "long distance" since I am limited in getting around. I can just help to build it up and the Guest Bloggers will inherit it whenever they are ready. Most of our blogs are for the beginners and intermediate dancers. The advanced dancers already know it all, so there is not much they can learn in these blogs. There are other blogs for them and it should all be quite understandable. No Hu Hu.

"Have You Ever" by Brandy (1999)

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”

Blogging Along

We still need reader/dancers that are willing to share a few happy dance moments in time and perhaps a couple photos. Our fellow reader/dancers of this blog would be the same friends, neighbors, relatives and fellow dancers. There are those that have their own reasons for not sharing and we must respect, among them is the custom of advertising in ordinary media in the last century.  I can see that in our blog and realize that some bloggers can get the hits going into the stratosphere.

“Social dancers believe that dancing may be their heartbeat,

their soul, their true happiness.”

One good thing we are realizing is that the Big Band era was over 40 years ago then the Big Ballroom era soon followed. We, as social dancers are finding dance floors of less than 1000 square feet very comfortable for a group of 100 friends or so. In the photos we get just about everyone. Not the same with the big dances. Then only the big shots and the terrific exhibitions and we see them over and over again. Our blogs are different than that.

"I'm Your Angel" by R. Kelly & Céline Dion  (1998)

Then we are spreading out. The Moanalua Corridor has been pretty well screwed up the Rail Catastrophe But Kapolei and beyond up the Waianae Coast looks good. The North Shore is showing good signs. The Central Valley has always been solid with Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club and Dot's in Wahiawa. Now Mililani has Just Tacos with good music. And Waipio is not far behind in the planning, - a perfect spot.

"Social dancers think that the best revenge may be to just

smile, move on, and do nothing."

American Rumba

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, the actor, 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. Though George Raft was a good dancer, Frank Veloz did the main male dance part in the movie.

“Social dancers can dance from their hearts and just let their passion shine through”

  

Arthur Murray thought he knew better when he introduced the box step as basic for Rumba, from the American fox trot with a slow, quick, quick which is still done in American Style to this day. Later the Fred Astaire schools followed suit, and Mr. Murray went to the courts. The decision in favor of Arthur Murray had a big influence on letting other styles acquire the original rumba movement which was a rock stop and a slow step similar to the Mambo and Salsa of today. And used by the International Style,

"The First Night" by Monica  (1998)

Fred Astaire then changed his box step to a quick, quick, slow, which was closer to the rock step and a slow in the original. And that is what is taught in the Fred Astaire studios. They run the National Dance Contests of American Style dance all over the US and the Fred Astaire basic. There are no Fred Astaire studios in Hawaii, the American rumba basic in Hawaii is slow, quick, quick in a box step. The alternative basic for everyone is the rock step and the slow step. This is slowly being picked up in Hawaii and used mostly in Night Clubs, it's a natural.

“Social dancers believe that there may be no facts, only interpretations.”

Ballroom Dancing

By Jason Lombard. Mililani

Ballroom dancing has been the most practiced form of social dance on Oahu in the last century just like the rest of Hawaii. And ballroom dancing has gradually divided itself into groups. The first when the American style discipline was introduce on Oahu in the 50s and somewhat different than the street or social dancers. And in the 60s the Peripherals, the Swing dancers and the Argentine Tango dancers. Shortly thereafter arrived the first Internationals. By the 80s we had the Social dancers at about 20%, the Peripherals at 10%, the American at 40% and the International dancers at 30%, and all under the description - Ballroom Dancers.

“Social dancers learn quickly that life doesn't always go the way they want it to,
and that's okay, they still dance on.”

Then came the Palladium in the old style of the Big Ballrooms. And the Internationals were on the rise and there was much printed matter advising the dancers. Even suggesting they should have some lessons and experience in American before taking International classes. Clearly an implication that International was on a higher plane than American. In the Palladium, arose terms "Ala Wai Dancer" and "Junk Dancer," to describe the non International. We can plainly see that International Style of Dance peaked shortly thereafter.

"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith (1998)

Meanwhile the social dancers on Oahu were increasing and dancing in small intimate groups, in Gas Stations, Malls, Parks, School Cafeterias and if lucky, in a District Park or a Community Center. There were more Social Clubs forming and the type of dancing remains in the American Style but readily interchangeable with the Night Club and the Social Club environment. In this century it is the Social Dancer that will prevail socially. You have a different view of it? Your welcome.

"Social dancers believe that the stupid neither forgive nor forget;

the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but never forget."