The New 2021 Clubs?

It won't be too bad, and if we all accept, we will be safer and our fellow dancers will be safer too. And we will do it until we get the all clear, perhaps by year's end. Married couples, people living together or in a serious relationship accepted. Masks will be worn and temperatures of the staff and students will be taken as soon as they enter the building and before they start dancing. Every person must complete a questionnaire to ensure they’re safe to dance. We don't have lobbies so everyone waits outside. The staff and students will be required to wash their hands before and after each lesson.

“Social dancers never lose hope. They believe that storms

make people stronger and never last forever.”

 

 

Additional hand washing stations with touch-free faucets and soap dispensers may be set up. Posted informative signs throughout to remind the staff and students to follow the safety protocols. We will be observing social distancing by spreading out students and their teachers throughout to ensure everyone is at least 6 feet away (and in another room entirely when possible) from other dancers. We must minimize unnecessary touch and personal contact while teaching and dancing.

"Walk With Me Through Paradise" by Melveen Leed

We will have a cleaning and disinfecting schedule. The hall will be thoroughly cleaned throughout the day and common touch points are cleaned at least every 45 minutes. We must eliminated hugs and handshake greetings. Just give a friendly wave hello and good-bye Whether you want to dance at home or in our sanitized dance rooms, we should be here to keep each other safe. We may avoid admitting Trumpanzees. Then too if you want to be safer yet, there will be Zoom.

"Social dancers believe that life can be better when you can dance."

Dance Marches On

As bad as it is on the Mainland, (the worse in the world,) some dancing groups are making their way slowly but safely back on the dance floor. No large crowds and they prefer not to have Trump Rally people. Partners only if married or have a serious relationship. And some places require it in writing. Temperature taking, masks and hand washing required even before being allowed to be seated. There are hand sanitizers available at no charge. No one touches the musical apparatus. And permission must be given to use the bathroom. Social distance is required between couples. Believe it, the people can still have a little dance enjoyment,

“Social dancers believe that failure may be a greater teacher than success”

Social distancing remains the most effective intervention that we have to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to a experts The study, which was among the first to look at the effects of weather on COVID-19 transmission, found spring-like temperatures were associated with some reduction in the spread of the virus, but the beneficial impact of temperature was easily diminished when social distancing was not implemented, particularly in densely populated areas. Ten feet is more effective than six feet. Inside is slightly more effective than outside.

"Sweet Someone" by Don Ho

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings as a protective measure in addition to social distancing Cloth face coverings may be especially important in cases when social distancing is not possible or feasible based on working conditions. A cloth face covering may reduce the amount of large respiratory droplets that a person spreads when talking, sneezing, or coughing. Cloth face coverings may prevent people who do not know they have the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading it to others. You wear masks not only to protect yourself but to protect your relatives and friends.

"Social dancers believe that it is pretty simple. We accept the dance

and the dance accepts us."

Merry Christmas

So, all of us in our social dance scene on Oahu know that it is not good. We face the fact that things are not going to get easy soon. The dance community did very well in closing up, wearing masks and respecting social distance. And we all aware of the fact the entire state opened up too soon and too much. We are paying the price in human misery. All of us at this Christmas time want to share our best feelings and the message to all from the bottom of our hearts. Let's stay safe.

"Silent Night"

We should also say that we should be grateful and proud of the work that many have done every day in our dance scene. Our dance scene must not die, our Island grows and we will have the opportunity to offer better opportunities to many of our friends and loved ones. And we may realize that we have made some preparations so that the spirit of Christmas can be felt in all. It may inspire us to cleanse our hearts of all bad feelings, forgive the offenses and perhaps unite us even more as the great social dance family that we are.

"Good tidings to you and happy Christmas for today

and all the Christmases to come."

Blogging in Process

The set up on my Blogs is changing. I had reduced the blogs down to five at the beginning of this year. Then a couple weeks ago I deleted Oahu Dancers and opened it as a Group in my Facebook Time Line and it is not doing very well. No Dancing. Now for the coming year I have changed Dance and Live to a Poster blog, with an opening date of January 1st and renamed "The Bill Board." That leaves me with Town Dancer, Social Dance Oahu and Dancing Nights for blogging. And since my time is getting more limited I plan to get rid of my best one. Town Dancer blog.

“Social dancers know that life's trials will test us, and shape us,

but may even change us for the better.”

I have too many "Friends" in my Facebook Timeline, so the Oahu Dancers Group should be increasing very soon. It is much easier for outsiders to get in though I do not know how it is done. At any rate, we have space available for anyone to share their dance moments with our fellow dancers. Photos seem to get more interest than anything else. So I try to mix it up. We have so few that is is better to have two people instead of just one. Or three may be better than two. Anyway the photographer will decide.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges

The Bill Boards on the Mainland seem to be doing good, but I don't really know. But I am willing to try it here in Hawaii, though I know it has never been done before. On the Mainland the people pay for the their posters. But, my plan is to help any dance organization on Oahu. No payment is necessary, Just certain requirements. Only two sizes permitted, and if you like I can make sample for free as a trial. You can change it anytime you wish. Take a look see and anyone can decide.

"Social dancers know that it is with their feet that they move to music,

but it with their heart that they dance."

 

Zoom, what is it?

In 2020, Zoom has become one of the leading video conferencing software apps. It enables you to virtually interact with other dancers when in-person classes aren't possible, and it has been hugely successful for events such as social dancing too. The chat, share and collaboration app is an essential tool for small-, medium-, and large-sized groups that want to keep in touch and continue their regular workflows with minimal disruption - as well as becoming a firm favorite with dance groups especially around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Social dancers believe we'll be okay. No matter what shape reality takes, we can handle it.”

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service you can use to virtually meet with others - either by video or audio-only or both, all while conducting live chats - and it lets you record those sessions to view later. Being used by many dancing groups on the mainland. Over half of Fortune 500 companies reportedly used Zoom and during 2020 has hit greater heights, recently claiming 300 million daily Zoom meeting participants. When people are talking about Zoom, you'll usually hear good news.

"Maui Waltz" by Loyal Garner

 

Zoom Meeting and Zoom Room. A Zoom Meeting refers to a video conferencing meeting that's hosted using Zoom. You can join these meetings via a webcam or phone. Meanwhile, a Zoom Room is the physical hardware setup that lets groups schedule and launch Zoom Meetings from their conference rooms. Zoom Rooms require an additional subscription on top of a Zoom subscription and are an ideal solution for larger Groups.

"Social dancers think that if they believe they can, they are halfway there.

Some News

The Elections in Europe are pretty easy, cut and dried, everybody votes and they get the results fast. But not in the US, we are a third rate country. The entire world knew that Biden won by November 5th. The American public was officially notified by November 15th. Something about the official rules or something. But of course we have Trump and he is not about to accept anything from anyone because he knows how his crooks operate. Spent over 100 million dollars to screw up the works denying the loss and blaming everyone else. Finally on December 14th the Electoral College declared Biden the winner. Should be over? Hah. Trump is still trying to goof up the works. Yogi Berra quote, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

“Social dancers believe that hope is the power of being cheerful in

circumstances that we know may be a bit difficult.”

The Trump Pandemic is still out of control in the entire US. None of the other countries are in as bad a condition as we are. Trump screwed it from the very beginning, he was pushing snake oils. And he will not do anything anymore. From all the other countries and their relative successes we know of several things we have not done in the US. Testing on some regular basis and washing your hands often. Wearing masks and having a respect for social distance. Trumpanzees do not do any of this and they contaminate everyone else. We are getting better in Hawaii but still too much control by Trumpanzees.

 "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

In our dancing, most people are learning very well. There has been more acceptance of wearing masks and that is a big help. Most dancers realize that six feet of social distance is fine but seven, mo bettah. And if you are in anything that might be a Trumpanzee environment, TEN FEET IS MO BETTAH YET. Washing the hands is not so evident but some people carry sanitizers. If the business rules are tightened up we can come out of it. No tourists from the Mainland. From Taiwan, New Zealand, fine.

"Most of us old timers get to know that life is an extraordinary adventure and

we fully understand that we can only do this - one time around."

Shanghai, China

Nightclubs in Shanghai have mostly come back to life as owners and customers feel increasingly comfortable that the coronavirus epidemic is under control, but disinfectant, disposable cups and masks have become part of the experience. They could have a little more social distancing. At 44KW, a club for electronic music lovers in the financial hub of Shanghai, customers sit, dance and mingled with little sign of social distancing on the weekend. The club re-opened in June after closing for about six weeks, but it took a while for business to get back to normal.

“Social dancers on Oahu can always see Rainbows and they always stand for hope.”

There really weren't many clients as most people were quite worried about their safety. The client flow began to recover quickly towards the end of July, that business was back to last year's average levels but not everything is like the old days. The club checks the temperature of every customer and gets them to register their details. Staff, including bouncers, bartenders and waiters wear masks and gloves all the time. Customers didn't have to wear masks but now they do. There must be more social distance. The issue is still in doubt.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges

Some glasses have been replaced with plastic cups and the club has installed hand sanitizer dispensers throughout. Door handles and toilets are disinfected every hour while the entire club is disinfected every day before and after opening, Clubs have been at the center of coronavirus flare-ups in other Asian cities. A cluster of cases linked to clubs emerged in South Korea this month, triggering fears of a second wave of infections and leading to clubs and bars being shut again. They are picking up on this action on Oahu?

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching"

 

Not by Christmas

Social distancing remains the most effective intervention that we have to reduce the spread of the Trump Pandemic. Dr. Fauci knows, Trump does not know. Studies which were among the first to look at the effects of weather on the Pandemic transmission, found spring-like temperatures were associated with some reduction in the spread of the virus. In Hawaii we are favored, but the beneficial impact of temperature was easily diminished when social distancing was not implemented, particularly in densely populated areas. And the greater the distance, but higher the efficiency of protection. Trumpanzees do not understand this. Many of our good people in Hawaii do not either.

"Social dancers believe it is possible to solve our problems. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come and we shall dance again."

Are masks effective in preventing Trump Pandemic? Wearing cloth masks can help prevent people infected with the virus that causes the pandemic from spreading the virus. Make sure your cloth mask fits snugly but comfortably against the side of the face and completely covers the nose and mouth, Make sure it is secured with ties or ear loops, includes multiple layers of fabric, allows for breathing without restriction, It helps if it can be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape. Cloth masks should NOT be worn by anyone who has trouble breathing or unable to remove the mask without assistance.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Christine Ono

 

When we opened too soon, allowed tourists from the mainland and allowed schools to open we have run up the cases and deaths in Hawaii. We will not make it by the end of the year. There are clusters of Trumpanzees like Ewa Beach to Mililani that take pride in "NOT" wearing a mask. Keep away from those people. However hope is not lost. Schools will be coming into more control and we will be more careful of tourists from the mainland, very likely to be contaminated. Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia. Fine, these countries are coming out of it very well. The US because of Trump is the worst one of all. Keep those people away from us.

"Social dancers learn step patterns and learn that if

you believe you can, you're halfway there."

 

Biden Is In

In the book, Animal Farm by George Orwell, after the pigs have taken over and run things their way for the good of everybody. it seem to be just like up to the time of Obama. Then something went wrong and Trump and friends took over. At the end of the story, it mentions a sign that had been put up at the beginning of the "revolution." It had said, "We are all equal." And someone (I think it was Barr) had written underneath, "But some of us are more equal than others." I hope we are now starting a new book, a much better one for the people.

“Social dancers know how fortunate we are who still

have hope that we shall dance again."

President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration events are likely to look different from past years in order to prevent the spread of the Trump Pandemic. The inauguration is scheduled to take place amid a surge of infections across the country. The change-up to the quadrennial tradition is an illustration of Biden’s dramatically different approach to containing the virus from that taken by Trump. It is likely to feature “scaled down versions of the existing traditions” and may borrow from the techniques that were used to put on the virtual Democratic National Convention over the summer.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Bruddah Iz

Biden's approach to tackling the Trump Pandemic is that it is the most immediate and obvious challenge facing the country. He intends to provide free testing for all and hire 100,000 people to set up a national contact-tracing program. He says he wants to establish at least 10 testing centers in every state, call upon federal agencies to deploy resources and give firmer national guidance though federal experts. He says all governors should mandate wearing masks.Voters suspicious of federal authority will see this as overreach, but it lies very much in line with Mr Biden's and Democrats' general view on the role government should play. We shall overcome.

“I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes,

and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” ― Eleventh Doctor

Wuhan, China

It has been a hard road, testing, wearing masks, respecting social distance and washing their hands. They don't have Trump leading the wrong way with Malaria drugs and other snake oils. Dancers are bringing Saturday night fever back to Wuhan as the lock down is being relaxed. The people have been very cooperative and they are dancing once again on a Saturday night by the side of the Yangtze river, which winds through the central Chinese city where the novel coronavirus pandemic began. We almost had it made in Hawaii, but we opened too soon and permitted tourists from the Mainland.

“Social dancers believe that we must hang in there. It may be astonishing how

short a time it can take for very wonderful things to happen.”

 

Tourists from the mainland are the ones most likely to be contaminated than any others in this entire world. Yes, because of Trump. Most countries do not permit Americans into their countries anymore. Wuhan residents are now beginning to dance their worries away. The city is slowly getting back on its feet, hopeful that the worst is passed, but worried by the emergence last week of a few fresh cases on the virus. While most large indoor gatherings are still banned, people are reclaiming their daily lives and hobbies, which in many parts of China includes “square dancing” or "line dances," usually in the evenings in public squares, plazas or parks.

"Morning Dew" by Melveen Leed.

May I have this dance?

On Saturday night, over a hundred masked people can dance on an open-air riverside walkway in central Wuhan as loudspeakers blare out everything from electronic dance music to Japanese pop. Some waltzed in pairs. Others may move in sync to choreographed dance routines. All wear masks and mostly kept apart. It’s may be hard to breathe when wearing this mask to dance and you can’t get rid of the perspiration, but the mood is great, and you can finally gather with your fellow dancers, Stay safe folks and we shall dance again on Oahu.

"Social dancers believe that dance is the joy of movement to music and the heart of life."

Maybe by Christmas?

Social dancers on Oahu are still lacking much knowledge of our dance situation.There has been a consensus that it has been challenging to navigate the Trump Pandemic whether you are a teacher, a dancer, or someone walking down the street. It has caused an increase in overall stress level, with guidelines changing on what feels like a daily basis. The state as a whole was doing very well until about three months ago. Then the Trumpanzees insisted on opening up too soon and too much. Our cases and deaths went through the roof.

"Don't despair, we are in not total control, we have hopes that the entire world is listening to science and is not going to rely on snake oil."

We have had a couple of lock downs again. We have more use of masks and we are respecting social distance more. The tourists and the schools make the issue still in doubt. They allowed tourists from the mainland and those people are contaminated. Americans are no longer permitted to enter Canada. Reports come out one day and then be retracted the next only adding to the frustration that many of us are feeling. One thing that we must remind ourselves is that we are dealing with a novel virus. We are watching science do exactly what it is supposed to do. And some still pay no attention. Research is happening at a very rapid rate- normally we wouldn’t see articles published for months,

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges 

We shall dance in the Palladium again.

The world is collaborating and learning more about this virus every day and so the recommendations are changing. They are dancing in Wuhan, China. Science is constantly correcting itself right now as our body of knowledge surrounding the virus continues to expand. I see this as a good thing - if we were still operating off of data and information we had in March we would be in a much different place. The scientists are adjusting their views, in a constant state of learning, and not just sticking to their own biases and perceptions. Dr. Fauci was right and Trump was wrong.

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”
― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Slow Going

On Oahu we have accepted that our ability to dance together has disappeared overnight, This has been a stress for us social dancers not being able to socialize and that’s really hard. So should dancing with strangers come back? Hell, yes. As to when we will feel safe again, there’s a hopeful precedent in what happened a few years after the 1918 flu pandemic. We just have to be patient, for our social-dance scene to evolve, we can’t be first out of the gate. But it’s not "no dancing" — just "not yet" for social dancing.

“Most social dancers believe that if you lose hope, somehow

you lose the vitality that keeps you moving," 

 

Unfortunately, the Trumpanzees have been pretty hard in Hawaii and three months ago we were coming out of it. Then they opened too soon and too much. Hawaii is still in bad shape. They do not believe in masks or social distance. Trump Rallies have no recognition of masks or social distance at all. We don't know too much either. Six feet is fine but not engraved on stone. Ten feet is better than six feet, and 20 feet is better than 10. Most people can see the reason easily. Trumpanzees cannot.

 

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

 

Hi Grandpa, Attached are a few pics from my Mom's birthday dinner we took her out to... Thank you again. We had a nice celebration! Much love, Your Granddaughter, Tracey.

Most of my relatives are from California. My granddaughter lives in Whittier. Yes, that is my great grandson. Jacob. I will play the game and make more contacts. None of these are dancers

 

“Most social dancers know that we got more yesterday than anybody.

What we need now is some kind of tomorrow.”.

 

A Veteran Writes

Most of us were not heroes, we were just ordinary guys. Heroes get medals for "Above and Beyond the call of Duty." We were only doing the "Call of Duty." On August 15,1944, I am on a dusty dirt runway outside of a small village near Rome. I am just a kid, almost nineteen, I had a few beers and I am feeling nice. Now at close to 2 AM, I am on a C-47 airplane roaring down a runway with lights about as visible as flashlights, marking the left and right sides. We finally lift off and we become airborne with a set course for Southern France. The invasion would be starting in about six hours. I and my fellow paratroopers didn't have to worry about airplane formations so we just tried to sleep.

 

 

With the uncomfortable seats, all the equipment I was carrying, and the tight parachute harness, I might doze a little but that's all and I could pray a lot. As we approached the coast of France over an hour later, I remembered the fear growing inside of me and of praying a little harder. And probably repeating to my self, "Dear God." Soon enough the red light came on to indicate that we were nearing our drop zone. It was still pitch black outside and we were not encountering any anti-aircraft fire. So at that point I started to worry about what might be waiting for us on the ground and the chances of landing in the vicinity of the drop zone. It was time for a little humor and the jump master got up and announced "OK, all you guys with the one way tickets, stand up."

 

 
We made our last minute equipment check, hooked up our static lines, faced the rear of the plane and waited excruciating moments for the green light. It may have been after 3:30 am by then. The green light flashed on and we moved forward, leaving the plane one by one. I remember getting to the door, saw the guy in front of me vanish and then just a big black hole, I made the sign of the cross and went out. Once out of the plane and the parachute opened, I always got that sense of relief. I checked my canopy, looked around and only glimpsed a couple of other chutes but worried when I realized I couldn't make out any ground features. Everything looked hazy and my first thought was they dropped us in the Mediterranean.

 

Then I broke through a fog bank and that is what was preventing me from seeing the ground detail. But they had dropped us low enough so that we would not spend too much time in the air. So suddenly, there was the ground and I had no chance to prepare to land. I hit like a sack of shit as they use to say in those days. Just got a little banged up, that's all. I quickly got out of my chute and put my equipment together, There I was all by myself in a foreign country, God knows where. But I was just fine so far, now I had to look for the other guys. I pushed the safety off my trigger guard, just in case, but hoped I didn't run into any Jerries. I was on solid ground now.

 

Have a Happy Veteran's Day.

 

Blogging

Traditonal blogging delivers content but does not facilitate readers/dancers to participate in the creation or development of the content. On Oahu social media such as Twitter and Facebook have shot to the forefront of people's attention throughout the world because the participation may be fun. Of course, we will not push, so that many in our dance environment will take a while to fully understand. At this moment we do not have enough dance information to share so we go slow. We must be patient and the hits on our blogosphere may reflect this, when we begin to dance again.

"If I have a hundred ideas and only one of them turns right, I am satisfied."

Of course, the majority of our possible somewhat steady readers are still not certain what blogging or social media is all about, and let's not blame anyone. Social Media is not what we have been accustomed to for fifty, sixty years. We had news letters, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV type of media and all "to whom it may concern," with very little feedback. Social Media is essentially a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Social media gives you what TV never could - a chance to be engaged and engage others. Blogging is not so much even in Makaha.

"Waikiki" by Amy Gilliom

 

Most dancers are well aware of a possible commitment and even if not true, is their privilege, with the results being that blogging is increasingly going to the younger by default. In everything we do, we do not exclude anyone, they exclude themselves. And we. on Oahu, accept that, it is clear enough. Thanks to social media, it's easy to share our ideas, photos, videos, likes and dislikes, within our own dance world as far as it will go - and find out what the reader/dancers think of them. You can find friends, business contacts and become part of our entire dance community for the benefit of all. And it is all up to you.

“Social dancers believe that hope is a verb with its shirtsleeves rolled up.”

The Pandemic in Hawaii

The Trump Pandemic has revealed deep cracks in Hawaii’s government and social system. Many of us are having a better understanding of how we came to be in the situation we’re in now, We must put Hawaii’s experience in perspective and provided some thoughts for the future. It’s been six months since Hawaii’s first stay-at-home order went into effect, barring residents from most public spaces and shuttering thousands of businesses in an attempt to stop the Trump Pandemic from spreading across the islands. Now the dance community on Oahu is waiting to emerge from a second stay-at-home order, with many wondering what there is to show for months of personal sacrifice.

"Social Dancers know that life is an extraordinary adventure and they fully understand that they can only do this - one time around."

Hawaii had major advantages aiding its pandemic response: An ocean to help seal its borders more tightly than any other state seeking to quarantine travelers. A population somewhat more likely to don masks than residents on the mainland unfamiliar with the custom or unwilling to give up personal comfort in the name of safety. The support of residents, a majority of whom said they were willing to bear extreme financial burdens in order to keep the state safe. And we had time: Washington state saw its first fatality from the Trump Pandemic on Feb. 29. Hawaii didn’t lose a resident to the disease until April 1. Still, six months into the pandemic, the fight against the virus has battered Hawaii’s economy and taken a serious toll on the mental health of residents.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

Then we let the tourist in and opened the schools. As beleaguered parents braced for the second month of virtual classes, businesses continue to lay off employees and federal benefits dry up, the state is facing perhaps its biggest challenge yet: restarting tourism safely when just relaxing restrictions for residents was enough to send cases skyrocketing and force the state back into lockdown. We now have 236 deaths in Hawaii. We are in bad shape but we sort of have a another chance to get it right. Perhaps we can dance by the end of the year? Testing, masks and social distance. This is not a Trump Rally.

"Social Dancers believe that the future belongs to those

who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

 

We Way Behind

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday lifted all coronavirus restrictions across the country, except in second-wave hot spot Auckland, as the number of new infections slowed to a trickle. Some restrictions were also eased in Auckland to allow gatherings of up to 100 people, but the country’s biggest city needed more time before all curbs could be lifted, Ardern said. “Our actions collectively have managed to get the virus under control, This was the center of the outbreak and that’s why that caution is needed here.” New Zealand, a nation of five million, appeared to have halted community transmission of COVID-19 earlier this year.

“Social dancers believe, you've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll

never be hurt, sing like there's nobody listening, and live like it's heaven on earth.”

  

A fresh outbreak in Auckland in August prompted the government to place the city back in lockdown. And as in most of the civilized nations around them, they have their tried and true methods. No snake oils, Malaria drugs, Clorox, Lysol, Voodoo Medicines, Goo made from pillows. And no Tucker Carlsons saying it is a Democratic Hoax. They are testing regularly, wear masks, and respecting social distance and it is working far better than in the US. There is already some dancing outdoors where have more ventilation, and they do respect social distance. They are leading the way world wide. Trumpanzees do not understand that.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Christine Ono

Another tip is smiling with your eyes. Supermodel Tyra Banks was known for this, 'smizing'. In Hawaii, it's parallel to the art of dancing hula. Using facial expressions to tell a story. Kandrie Martinez is a hula dancer and said, "eyes is what expresses my emotions and what I'm feeling." Martinez knows that spreading aloha is still possible during this new normality. As a hula dancer, she says a song is understood when a dancer uses her movement, shows the emotions within her face, tells a story with her eyes. Martinez said if she were dance while wearing a face mask, the viewer would still be able to know what she was feeling.

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

From Lily Diamond, Part Three

I also recommend bringing a copy of Haunani-Kay Traskʻs "Lessons From a Native Daughter" on your trip—an iconic beach read to decolonize the mind!  Be respectful and honor boundaries. How do you act when you enter the home of someone you respect greatly, on whom you want to make an excellent impression? Enter into this place with that same degree of respect, and more. As a guest, you would think twice before barging into spaces where you weren’t invited, and if you were told there were specific areas you should not enter, you would want to respect those boundaries. There are many places in Hawaii that hold great cultural significance and are not for settlers or visitors. What a beautiful thing that is, to be able to honor boundaries. It means we begin to live in a world where our own boundaries are respected as well,

“Social dancers still believe that to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

Be curious, and if you don’t know, ask. The culture of white supremacy teaches us to be ashamed if we donʻt know the right way to be. But guess what? We are all fallible, and we all make mistakes. White supremacy teaches us to make assumptions and put up a front of defensiveness when we don't know the answer. Don’t be a white supremacist! Ask questions if you don’t know how to pronounce a word, if you’re not sure of the appropriate custom, or if you’re not sure of your place in a situation. Don’t presume you know. Be open to learning new ways.

"Shores of Haleiwa" by Loyal Garner

Give back to this place, rather than simply taking from it. Consider what you are being given during your time in Hawaiʻi: Rest, beauty, comfort, ease, the purity of this land, and the illusion that all of this comes easily, freely. In truth, all of these gifts, and the very impact of your presence, come at tremendous cost to the natural resources and the people here—particularly our host communities, the kānaka maoli. How can you give back to Hawaiʻi and its people to create a model of healthy relationship for other visitors and future generations? Spend your money with locally-owned businesses and artisans. Consider making a donation of money and/or your time to an organization working to restore Hawaiʻi’s natural resources and protect its people.

What have we learned in 2020?  We are fragile, we need each other, we need this earth, and we must rewrite our stories of community, connection, and equity if weʻre going to survive. I hope you use your time in Hawaiʻi to do just that. (And for goodness sake, wear a mask.)