International Dance Day

In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the 29th April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, creator of modern ballet. International Dance Day on April 29th is an annual celebration of how dancing positively impacts our lives. The human body’s ability to move, groove, pop, and sway has captivated the way we interact with music and express ourselves artistically. This day was created to allow the world to recognize dance as a professional art form.

"Social dancers believe that it is because of hope that we suffer.

It is through hope that we will change things for the better."

Dancing gives us the ability to communicate emotions frequently deeper than our own language. International Dance Day is a tribute to millions of people across generations who have dedicated their lives to this craft of enchantment. People reflect each other constantly, but when they dance, perhaps what they reflect most is that moment of honesty. Dancing is an action shared by both professionals and amateurs alike and is enjoyed in all parts of the world. This day is all about celebrating the history of dance and recognizing its monumental place across all cultures.

"Hanalei Moon" by Loyal Garner

Line dancing for men? It is not illegal on Oahu?

Covid 19 seems to be World Wide is spite of Trump. It is pretty clear that it spreads mainly from person to person, Mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. If you wear a mask, you not only protect yourself from some one else, but you also protect someone else if you already have it. If each wears a mask, double the protection. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

"Social dancers believe that in all things

it is better to hope than to despair." 

 

Little Update

This blog is the newest and the bottom blog in average hits per day. It would help if I was famous but even with that it would be tough without blogging about the dance last week or the dance next week. In blogging, feedback is important because it can give us the information to evaluate whether we are meeting our objectives. A system without feedback is doomed for failure. Relating this to social dance is easy. If we accept that the feedback we get from reader/dancers can make changes to what we publish and we may see positive results.

“Social dancers believe that they can learn from yesterday,

live for today and hope for tomorrow."

On the mainland the Covid 19 environment is still very varied mostly with the confusion set up by Trump. In Los Angeles, several people got sick after dancing at their favorite clubs and then everyone gets on Twitter or Facebook. Then they must pray for those friends that attended those particular clubs and having a bad time. Since April 1st at least a dozen members of this ballroom community have died from COVID-19 with several others sick from the illness. Most of the dancers were still attending several dance events in and around the city around the end of march.

"Waikiki" by Amy Hanaialii

 
There will come a time, soon.

There were Night Club parties, there were birthday parties, and just social parties. They had a special event on April Fools Day with too many people. It was widely attended as were a few other dances in the days following. Six Week Delay by Trump sure messed up the works. We are all certain now. Stay home until further notice. So that if you or someone you know attended any of these events or places in early April, please be vigilant of any COVID-19 symptoms. We are being careful in Hawaii, - Oahu, being the worst. However we will survive. We’re not only just dancers, we are family.

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear.

If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

We still holding on.

It has been another weekend when most nightlife venues on Oahu have not been able to open their doors, leaving dance floors empty and clubbers at home. So what are nightlife venues doing? From what little we can get, we can say that the venues' main goal is trying to survive economically, while also finding ways to collaborate in the fight against COVID-19. The industry is showing solidarity to the victims of this epidemic and the many cases that there are on these Islands. Fortunately we are running few deaths, and only on Oahu and the Big Island. We are getting very little feedback from our readers to share information with our fellow dancers.

"Social dancers believe that hope itself is like a star - not to be seen in the sunshine
of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. ”

In the meantime most places are high lighting their venues wishing that this crisis was over as soon as possible. Our blogs need any helpful information or criticism that we can publish to improve the club scene for every ones benefit. We also need information of what we can do at home. Streaming means listening to music or watching video in "real time", instead of downloading a file to your computer and watching it later. With internet videos and webcasts of live events, there is no file to download, just a continuous stream of data.products, look into it. The doors will open once again and we will have dance floors full once again.

"Molokai Waltz" by Amy Hanaialii

 In June? We can only hope.

Last year I brought the many blogs down to five. The hits had determined which one of the blogs would be deleted. But it was much easier to make the decision and it made it easier for the rest. Now the problem is the very limited dancing in all of Hawaii. The hits have been going down. We have little to report. If I can get some feedback to share with the readers, the hits may go up again. I am not famous, so I cannot carry the blogs by myself. Feedback is necessary and we would have more productive dance blogs.

"Social dancers have always held to the hope, the belief,

of a better world, beyond the horizon."

The Dumbest Liar

January, -  Rush Limbaugh declares for the entire world to see, that "the covid 19 was no worse than a cold." Trump promptly awards Rush with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Shortly thereafter, Sean Hannity declares on Fox News for the entire world to see that, "The virus is a Democratic Hoax." The entire Trump cabinet and the GOP in Hawaii applauded. Than we began to approach 100 average deaths per "day" in the US. The Six Week Delay was over and Trump appointed his top expert on covid 19, Pence in complete charge. Trump went on TV and proclaimed for the entire world hear, that "He" was in complete control of the Covid 19. And the average deaths per day went up to 500 per day.

"Social dancers know that you can't eat Hope, but it can sustain us."

Not enough hospital supplies. He knew by then that he was screwing up royally and promptly shut up his Health Department and cancelled all communication with experts world wide and got his own people that knew everything about covid 19. On April 1st the US went up to over 1000 average deaths per day. And some of the State governments realized Trump was no help and began to step in to help the people. The Christian Evangelicals began to promote different snake oils, "guaranteed" to cure the deadly virus. We don't know what happened to Jim Bakker and his "Sure Cure."

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

This may be in our future, again.

When we got to over 2000 average deaths per day, there were many more people that became convinced that this is serious business. Most accept the mask and the social distancing. But there are some that think in terms of MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. People do not mean shit. Protesters out there are being paid good money. BY WHOM?  Many top republican politicians are trying to open up the business in their territory. So a couple hundred die every week. No sweat. Trump has come up with a brilliant idea. "Disinfectants." Would you believe 60000 total dead by the end of this month?

“Social dancers believe that if we become devoid of hope and conscious

of being, we will have ceased to belong to the future.”

Line Dancing

By William Fong, Ewa Beach

Ten thousand years ago only men danced, then humans discovered agriculture. We got civilized and dancing became more intricate. In the Mexican Civilizations of three or four millenniums ago they had "professional musicians and dancers." Somewhere along the line, in the last century in the industrialized world, many men have learned to feel as if they have two left feet. The concept of moving gracefully is not a part of their self-image. Learning to dance is way out of the comfort zone of many men. Some men simply accepted line dancing as an acquired gift, going back to the Greeks in Greece, centuries ago.

"All children are dancers. The problem is how

to remain dancers once they grow up."

I felt this in my youth, despite my strong desire to flow across the dance floor like Gene Kelly. The feelings of awkwardness persisted and I had little control over my body. But in my forties when I began to slow down physically, I discovered something about Line dancing. In spite of my sloppy learning, I could learn, along with everyone else, the appreciation of the music, the timing, the rhythms and the steps of the different dances. With time I could relax and move my body as I pleased and whichever way I wanted and simply enjoyed my movements to the music. Later on I went into partner dancing,

"Fly Me To The Moon"

One of these days.

I found the way to experience touch, to interact with another person safely. I learned to be comfortable dancing in sync with my partner and leading. I will never participate in a competition. I feel no need for it. But the need to enjoy my music in movement will be there until the day I die. It can be the start of a wonderful adventure. You revel in the music and your body as your coordination grows along with the feeling of freedom moving around the floor. It was not always easy, and there are too many men out there that a missing a very good thing.

"Social dancers believe that they have only one life to live, and
they are not promised a perfect tomorrow. So they might
 as well have a good time with what they have."

Slowly Folks.

Oahu Dancers is a blog about Dancers on Oahu. Surprised? A dance blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts and in this case it is about dancing. But now we are in different situation, we are not dancing, we are staying home. And what are we doing? "Only The Shadow Knows." We had plenty of information before of the hot spots for the week, but not now. If we can get some of our readers to share some information with our fellow dancers, we would get some readers back. We could let them know what we are doing and perhaps what else we could do. Just until we start dancing again. Email it in and I shall post. Mahalo.

"Social dancers wish all of you with enough hellos to get you through the final good-byes."

Many on the mainland are getting the rhythm more ingrained in their muscle memory. They are home and it is easy. They put on their favorite fox trot in a nice four count. Then they just use the even step. left, right, left, right, in place and feel the easy movement with the music. Whenever they feel fine with the movements, they start going forward in a circle around the room. There is Change of Feeling. How about backwards. Fine, they just have to be careful and there is a different feeling. How about a left turn, a right turn? But everyone gets the message, they will feel their way into the music and they will get better all the time. You will be a Social Dancer.

"My Molokai" by Willie K.

A word of caution to all our readers. Beware of the Snake Oil sales people. Right now, most are Christian Evangelicals. Jim Bakker, most prominent with a "Sure Cure" and there are several others, "Guaranteed." PT Barnum said, "There is sucker born every minute." Trump says he was wrong. "It is every second." Liberty University favors Clorox, the Christian Evangelicals favor Lysol and the KKK favors Windex. Just be careful folks, and listen to the ones that really know like the rest of the world.

"Social dancers believe that hope is being able to see that

there may be light ahead despite all of this darkness."

Hanging On

"Time has no divisions to mark its passage. There is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins, it is only we mortals, who ring bells and fire off pistols. Today will be the same as Yesterday with some change. Tomorrow will be same as today with some change and life goes on. Let us make the best of it."

Singapore: Strobe lights flash across a near-empty dance floor, as a DJ "live-streams" thumping electronic music from a Singapore nightclub to revellers confined to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. How about Oahu? We don't know. The outbreak sweeping the globe has shuttered once lively nightspots from London to New York, but innovative DJs have started putting their performances online so clubbers don't miss out. Anyone on Oahu that can share info with our readers?

"Walk Through Paradise" by Melveen Leed

Cancelled to May 31st.

The trend is another example of how the virus, has left billions of people without a place to dance. After Singapore ordered the closure of many entertainment venues April 5th following a steady rise in infections, popular nightclub "Zouk" threw a "cloud-clubbing" party, "streaming live" performances by six DJs via an app. It took place on a Friday night when the club is often packed with hundreds of party goers -- but only a handful of people were allowed to attend, most of them staff members. The DJs have conceded that they found it very weird at first.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God,

which is why we call it, the present."

RE: Line Dance

From Richard Takahata Email:
I can upload the line dance step patterns to Youtube. But first I have to caption/label the step pattern on each clip and then decide on making the clip repeat 2 -3 times so that its easier to follow it during practice repetitions, and that takes time.

I have reviewed videos of some of the line dances at socials, and you already seem to know them. So you'd probably want those to practice to with music and seeing/following the group. The June 2018 Sampaguita Dance has Electric Slide, Uptown Funk and Blurred lines... starting at time mark 1m 28 sec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wO2TsuqlQA&t=20s

There's Sex on the Beach from the Roaring 20s back in Jan, but its not online yet... need more time.

Richard

"Tiny Bubbles" by Don Ho

Carol, where are you?

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 2:02 PM Helen Bajo <bajo954@gmail.com> wrote:
is it possible to send me the videos?

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 10:16 AM Richard Takahata <godancing.wbdc@gmail.com> wrote: Enjoyed talking with you yesterday and hearing you and Helen were doing well despite the lack of freedom and many restrictions

Line dance basic steps I learned in Carol Kohguras classes last fall at Wahiawa - this is a list and I have video of her doing demos. These help build to doing full dances that are done at our socials ( Blurred Lines, Electric Slide( also - Felipe's 3x variations), Sex on the Beach, Uptown Funk, Cha Cha Slide, Cowboy Kumba Ya )

Back-to-back
grapevine
Key
Lindey (cha-cha w/break)
fan
Jazz box/Jazz Turn
Weave ( varioation of grapevine)
point-touch
charleston kick
V and Turn

Take care and try to have more fun.

Richard 

"Social dancers know that hope is sometimes all we have,

when we have nothing else, But if we have it, we have everything."

RE: Line Dance

From Richard Takahata Email:
I can upload the line dance step patterns to Youtube. But first I have to caption/label the step pattern on each clip and then decide on making the clip repeat 2 -3 times so that its easier to follow it during practice repetitions, and that takes time.

I have reviewed videos of some of the line dances at socials, and you already seem to know them. So you'd probably want those to practice to with music and seeing/following the group. The June 2018 Sampaguita Dance has Electric Slide, Uptown Funk and Blurred lines... starting at time mark 1m 28 sec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wO2TsuqlQA&t=20s

There's Sex on the Beach from the Roaring 20s back in Jan, but its not online yet... need more time.

Richard

"Tiny Bubbles" by Don Ho

Carol, where are you?

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 2:02 PM Helen Bajo <bajo954@gmail.com> wrote:
is it possible to send me the videos?

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 10:16 AM Richard Takahata <godancing.wbdc@gmail.com> wrote: Enjoyed talking with you yesterday and hearing you and Helen were doing well despite the lack of freedom and many restrictions

Line dance basic steps I learned in Carol Kohguras classes last fall at Wahiawa - this is a list and I have video of her doing demos. These help build to doing full dances that are done at our socials ( Blurred Lines, Electric Slide( also - Felipe's 3x variations), Sex on the Beach, Uptown Funk, Cha Cha Slide, Cowboy Kumba Ya )

Back-to-back
grapevine
Key
Lindey (cha-cha w/break)
fan
Jazz box/Jazz Turn
Weave ( varioation of grapevine)
point-touch
charleston kick
V and Turn

Take care and try to have more fun.

Richard 

"Social dancers know that hope is sometimes all we have,

when we have nothing else, But if we have it, we have everything."

Hoping

Many dancers are not taking a complete vacation from dancing. There are plenty of online videos where they may just touch up what they already know and very likely add a little polish here and there. They are getting some good music. Knowing how to dance at a club or party hasn't been that hard. Most from experience know that they can look passably good on the dance floor. Check out the dance videos available on line. Both men and women can develop body coordination with simple party dance and club dance moves that they can use on their own or with a partner.

“For social dancers, hope may be a verb

with its shirtsleeves rolled up.”

GUYS: You can review what you already know very easily from home. You can pick the most simple dance moves to make sure they are the most "practical" and "natural" moves for you. When you get tired of the basics, you can start adding your own pick of new stuff. LADIES: You can polish the moves that you need to partner any dance with simple and flirty club moves. It is very important to know which moves require lots of energy and which moves are simple grooves that are meant to be subtle. The key to looking sexy is to add your own arm, torso and hip movement to each move. Remember to keep social dancing fun and easy going.

"I Will Dance For You" by Willie K

"Til I Waltz Again With You" by Theresa Brewer 1953

Sitting around with time to think, many of realize that fashion is a very important element in social dancing. Whether it’s practice time or a dancing party we always want to wear dancing clothes that can help make us look and feel better. It's very important as we feel and behave differently when wearing different styles of clothing and, therefore, we will ultimately dance with different feelings. Men find it simply easier. Women may find that beautiful long flowing silk skirts and elegant blouses will make any woman feel extra feminine making her more aware of her dance movements and gestures. Stay Safe.

“Social dancers believe that we got more yesterday than anybody.
We're hoping to get little better kind of tomorrow.”

Social Dancing Marches On

Came across some terminology that is somewhat common among experienced social dancers:
Truck: Impolitely applied to women that have a heavy tone. The ladies usually acquire this from dancing with "Truck Drivers." Truck Drivers: Men who lead with excessive force including two hands for turning a lady. Of course, it may be acquired from dancing with "Trucks."

From the Spencer Dance Centre in London.
"Carry the lady as if she is tray of drinks - the most beautiful crystal glasses
containing the very best champagne. Do not spill a drop."

Underarm Turn: A turn in which the lady turns to her right while the man is holding her right hand with his left. Unleadable Step Pattern: Any dance movement that cannot be led and followed easily in a basic pattern. Mostly in the Silver Division and up. They must be taught and learned. Upbeat: The last beat of a measure, as opposed to the downbeat, the first beat. Also: In classes, used by the instructors as "and' to signal the next move in the following beat. Video Tapes: A terrific way to supplement and learn dance movements during this terrible time. The easy way to repeat it and specially for those that can learn easily by watching. Vocals: A musical selection with one or more people singing. Along with the Harmony and Melody, this is of little interest to beginners. This is more appreciated as the dancers realize they are becoming social dancers.

"In This Life" by Bruddah Iz

 

Patience and hope, our day will come.

The American Revolutionary War. How did that happen? Those were turbulent times throughout the world. The rich in Great Britain could no longer bleed the colonies of money and they had continued to make attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs. The Declaration of Independence came in 1776. I am sure no one said it, but they were not going to take that shit any longer. The insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America.

“No, our science is no illusion. But an illusion it would be to suppose that
what science cannot give us we can get elsewhere.” 

 

We May Make It

From the Internet:
In the US, our healthcare system is already collapsing. Countries have two options: either they fight it hard now, or they will suffer a massive epidemic. If they choose the epidemic, hundreds of thousands will die. In some countries, millions. And that might not even eliminate further waves of infections. If we fight hard now, we will curb the deaths. We will relieve our healthcare system. We will prepare better. We will learn. The world has never learned as fast about anything, ever. And we need it, because we know so little about this virus. All of this will achieve something critical for us, it will buy us time. We must not open too soon.

 "Social dancers wish everyone just enough loss to appreciate all that you possess."

At home, if you got the music, you can dance the American Rumba easily by yourself. Of course, it is much better with a partner. Mostly, you just want to move the body more Rumba like. Don't try to move the hips. Learn to bend or straighten the legs and let the hips go as they wish. The music is slow enough so that the moves just naturally blend together. The rest of the upper body is just used for gestures and much does not have to be in time to the music. Then American basic was the box step by Arthur Murray, Slow, Quick, Quick, which is used to this day on Oahu.

"Sweet Someone" by Don Ho

There will come a day and we will dance again.

Fred Astaire used it when he began his studios in 1947. Arthur Murray sued and he won. The judge did not know much about dancing. Fred Astaire than changed the same box basic to Quick, Quick, Slow and he got away with it and which is used to this very day on the mainland. On Oahu we use the Arthur Murray Basic. However on the Mainland they also use the alternate basic, which I use and the ladies are terrific and can follow it very easily. Basically it the same one used in the International Rumba, everything else is American.

"Social dancers know that the stars are there. We may not reach them but

we can have hope, look up and see their beauty and believe in them."

Do Something

For experience social dancers this has been more shocking than most times. But it seems that many have maintained most of their strength through this time with a little activity at home. With some movements muscle memory doesn't lag too far behind. But aerobic endurance decreases about twice as fast, and is harder to rebuild—particularly for dancers, since class and socials typically stop and start too much to build stamina. Of course, every body is different, and those with more robust baseline fitness won't lose it as quickly. Look up aerobic programs online, jump rope (with good sneakers), climb stairs, run (with good shoes) or go biking You gotta do something.

 "Hope is a powerful force and probably the most important factor when it comes

to overcoming life’s biggest challenges. Without it, everything is lost."

Some may be using their computers a bit more. There is an awful lot of good stuff on the internet. Of course you will come across an awful lot of junk too. Be careful and don't download anything. The best is your browser because you can get plenty of good help there. You can find many online videos on dancing. Many beautiful exhibition dances that can make you wish you could dance like that. Then there many class videos, short or long of just about whatever dance you wish to know about. Exercise and limbering up videos too. You don't have to just sit on your rusty dusty all day.

"Old Devil Moon" by Jimmy Borges

We cannot lose hope, someday we may dance again.

Then you can look at different dances on the Internet and realize that Europe and the United States are no longer the Ballroom Dancers of the world. They have some very good ones, Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep. And a couple of them may becoming obsolete in this century with the decline of the Big Ballrooms and the Big Bands. The much Bigger Part of the new era in the 21st century will be the Latin Dances. Unfortunately some are made up, manufactured much as the Bolero was made up by Dance Teachers in the United States almost 100 years ago. Many fad dances will continue to come and go.

"Social dancers are more optimistic and hopeful by nature, but even they need

a little reassurance, every now and then, that things will get better. Be nice."

Do Something

For experience social dancers this has been more shocking than most times. But it seems that many have maintained most of their strength through this time with a little activity at home. With some movements muscle memory doesn't lag too far behind. But aerobic endurance decreases about twice as fast, and is harder to rebuild—particularly for dancers, since class and socials typically stop and start too much to build stamina. Of course, every body is different, and those with more robust baseline fitness won't lose it as quickly. Look up aerobic programs online, jump rope (with good sneakers), climb stairs, run (with good shoes) or go biking You gotta do something.

 "Hope is a powerful force and probably the most important factor when it comes

to overcoming life’s biggest challenges. Without it, everything is lost."

Some may be using their computers a bit more. There is an awful lot of good stuff on the internet. Of course you will come across an awful lot of junk too. Be careful and don't download anything. The best is your browser because you can get plenty of good help there. You can find many online videos on dancing. Many beautiful exhibition dances that can make you wish you could dance like that. Then there many class videos, short or long of just about whatever dance you wish to know about. Exercise and limbering up videos too. You don't have to just sit on your rusty dusty all day.

"Old Devil Moon" by Jimmy Borges

We cannot lose hope, someday we may dance again.

Then you can look at different dances on the Internet and realize that Europe and the United States are no longer the Ballroom Dancers of the world. They have some very good ones, Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep. And a couple of them may becoming obsolete in this century with the decline of the Big Ballrooms and the Big Bands. The much Bigger Part of the new era in the 21st century will be the Latin Dances. Unfortunately some are made up, manufactured much as the Bolero was made up by Dance Teachers in the United States almost 100 years ago. Many fad dances will continue to come and go.

"Social dancers are more optimistic and hopeful by nature, but even they need

a little reassurance, every now and then, that things will get better. Be nice."

We will make it.

Social dancing requires strength, mobility, power, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular endurance. More? That's true for exhibition, competition and professional dancers too. Not only does dancing keep you fit, but it also boosts your mood and keeps you mentally sharp. Ordinary dance studies published on Oahu have found that dancing is something that lowers the risk of dementia by 76 percent. It’s no surprise that mastering such a uniquely beneficial mind-body exercise demands a little extra support in the training department

"Hope itself is like a star — not to be seen in the sunshine of

prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity."

It’s crucial that dancers protect their joints and muscles, and strength is the number one injury-prevention tool. Make it a practice to skip a few dances in an evening of dancing. We can also add that low-back issues are common among dancers. When you dance, your hips and core work together. If those muscles are weak, it pulls on the lumbar spine and may cause low-back pain. To counter this and stay in peak form for dancing and other athletic pursuits, it is recommended setting up a short exercise routine for when you get back on the dance floor.

 "Shores of Haleiwa" by Loyal Garner

There will come a time.

I will not be seeing many of my fellow dancers on Oahu for awhile and we all know why. We can all agree that many of our of fellow dancers are the best in the Pacific. Most of us accept that we were dancing to purely enjoy the dance, which is what most social dancers do. Each blog had been developing some niche, so everyone could decide which one was more pertinent by reading them and asking. Not relevant at the moment. The information contributors will eventually decide and define some of these blogs and the hits will go through the ceiling. And furthermore, to blog just for fun will just make it real social media on the island of Oahu.

"In all things it is better to hope than to despair, however bad
it may seem. Where there’s life, there’s hope."

We Can't Lose Hope

The slowdown has been difficult but most of us have been keeping it low key. The entire state of Hawaii has behaved very nicely and not paid too much attention to that crackpot in Washington DC. His Six Weeks Delay will cost 50000 deaths in the US by the end of the month. In Hawaii, we have a total of nine deaths up to date, 6 on Oahu and 3 on Maui. The other neighbor islands are holding on. I have just made my mask with six layers of T shirt material which is not perfect but good enough for what I do.

"Social Dancers may find hope in the darkest of days, and try to focus on the brightest."

In the Senior Housing where I live, the Social Activities Room has been shut down and the entire place is under semi-quarantine, and prescribed social distancing. I exercise by walking up and down the hallway about every two hours. I go down to the first floor once a day to get my mail. I have a helper that comes once a week with groceries and she cleans up the place. I have a VA nurse that comes every three weeks, and takes my vitals. Also my VA doctor that comes every three months. So I know I have to get out soon. I am going "stir crazy" an old movie prison term. I am not in excruciating agony, I may survive, I can still look around.

Someday, the lights will go on again.

Wahiawa Industrial Park consists of two well designed and constructed concrete buildings with excellent access and parking. Each bay has a roll-up door and main-access door. With a twenty-five foot clear span, this warehouse is designed for high cube storage. Wahiawa Industrial Park is located at the north end of Cane Street next to the police station in Wahiawa. And Wahiawa sure needs another one like it. One of those bays could be converted into a very nice Dance Night Club. They already have a high ceiling, and nice mezzanine could be built. No you don't want it packed every night. close it on Monday night, take a rest, you deserve it.

"Laughter is timeless, Imagination has no age and Dreams are forever."

Staying Home

The dance scene on Oahu is just about as low as it ever going to be. Dancers cannot top dancing. We will find ways to keep on dancing. For now the most used at home is the online dance video of lessons or exhibition dances. All we can do is to try to mimic and enjoy moving the body to music. Line dancing is the easiest for most line dancers. And many find polishing up the moves that they already know to be just fine. Notes and suggestions will be gratefully accepted by us. Email them in and we can share them with our fellow dancers on the blog of your choosing.

"Social dancers wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting."

Meanwhile, most of us are well aware of the very basic rhythms and enough variations in the types of music in the dances that we enjoy. And we all have our favorites, we are not clones. We may have a distinct song we like to dance in that particular dance. Some DJs have difficulty understanding this because they are not dancing it, and for them a Rumba is a Rumba and a Cha Cha Cha is just that. And the dancers can definitely dance it. Then Social Dancers prefer at least a 30 second break between each song, it makes each dance a special scene and you have a beautiful evening. I believe Warwick Sargent is the only one that ever took the opportunity to announce each song and by whom, and everyone certainly appreciated that.

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges

The young and their fad dances have existed forever. Since 1913 there have been over one thousand fad dances in the US. The "animal" dances lasted to the middle twenties. The disco variations exist to this day. Social Dancers are realizing now that there too many dances out in dance land to dance in at a good Bronze level. We must reduce it down a six or seven dances that remain for our personal enjoyment only. Even the diehard Tango dancers that insist on theirs being the real thing. Which one? Many do not know that in Argentina there are at least 10 different Tangos taught. We are Social Dancers.
 

"Happiness is too many things these days for anyone to wish ill on anyone lightly.

So let's just wish each other a nice time. "