Wahiawa Rerun July 2018

This blog not going anyplace. Most places in town have terrific Web sites and have advertising in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. Most are not sure what a Blog is. Hell, I have been working blogs for 20 years and I am not sure either. I have six blogs now and I have tried to make them different but tough to communicate that to the readers. The reader/dancers have some idea of what each blog does. If you have some dance information to share, email it and it can go in the blog of your choice.You are the ones to make it Social Media.

“Social dancers believe that dance does not give rise to anything in

us that isn’t already there. The music just sparks a fire that

illuminates who we have always wanted to be.”

 It helps to have information contributors. This invitation from Maile of WBDC.

Aloha Dancers!
You are invited to WBDC's Stars and Stripes Forever Dance, to be held on Friday, July 13, 2018, Wahiawa Recreation Center, Hale Hookipa Room, starts at 7:30 pm - 9:50 pm, Potluck or a small monetary donation appreciated! Attire: (Optional) DRESS WITH RED, WHITE, AND BLUE!  STARS AND STRIPES ARE GREAT TOO!

"The Star Spangled Banner" even if you don't know all the words. 

With enough guest bloggers and steady information and photo contributors, our blogs will be up in the stratosphere in hits. If we plan it right with the best blog, I can make my gradual withdrawal and let the guest bloggers take the blog over and they will make all the rules. For now I  hope it will be Town Dancer because that is the leader of the pack.  With new blood, these bloggers can teach the rest of us how to do better.

 “Social dancers know that the job of feet is walking,

but they also know that their hobby is dancing.”

Moving Nicely

This blog is holding on but not too good. Like all the other blogs we need the information contributors, specially those that can eventually become Guest Bloggers. This is the solution for all the blogs to the immediate problem of getting more average hits per day. Once we can establish that and watch the hits go into the stratosphere, we will be certain of what to do. For now getting the Information and Photo contributors is most necessary. We must share our dance environment with our fellow dancers. That is what a social media blog is all about.

"Social dancers believe that they should all be able to dance through life and
only change the tempo now and then according to the music.”

In Hawaii, American Style is still in social dancing with over 60 per cent of the entire enchilada. Mainly in the studio, dance club and nightclub dancers. Once the Nightclubs in the West get going and giving the American Style cultural dancer what they want, then, that will set the new night club style for the islands. They all have a valid reason for living and we should respect.  International is 30% with 10% by the peripherals, Line, Night Club, Salsa, Tango, Swing etc.

     "I've Been Thinking About You" by Londonbeat (1991)  

Introducing David and Lea at HBDA Cultural Ball

Our changing dancing scene, Mambo became a standard in American Style dancing of the last century but never officially. The Hustle also has entered into the American Style of dance. Then both were supplanted by the Salsa and now the Bachata, coming in strong. What happened to Reggaeton? And the Zouk still waiting in the wings. Will the kids know what to do with it? You betcha.

"Truth: the most deadly weapon ever discovered by humanity. Capable of destroying
entire perceptual sets, cultures, and realities. Outlawed by some governments
everywhere. Possession may be normally punishable by death."

Night Clubbing in West Oahu

The Night Clubs have been divided by their fans very nicely. A big part of the dance scene in this century is what is considered by some as Latin Music, Bachata, Salsa and Merengue. It is Latin but only a small part of it. The rest is relegated to Social Dancing and take your pick. Meanwhile we have to polish our social dancing to include the Waltz. The Waltz? Yes the Waltz, and the Foxtrot. There will be new beautiful music for these dances for the rest of the century. The Rumba and the Cha Cha Cha, also go together like coffee and cake and it is still considered by some as the best music ever written.

“Social dancers know that our lives may not all fit together,

but our souls knew how to dance.”

Then we will probably evolve a new Brazilian Samba which will have more basic steps using the Chasse. The Swing, is still in doubt. There are so many swing dances which will probably include the West Coast Swing since it is still gaining in popularity. The Tango, is on hold for the same reason, too many different versions and it is just a matter of which one. On Oahu, the American and the Filipino are leading with International coming up very nicely. I don't see any of the other Tangos even threatening get in.

1991 "I Don't Wanna Cry" by Mariah Carey

We are going to see more Latin music and dance in West Oahu. Most of it is fast action and good for the kids. The slower ones will be enjoyed by the more experienced dancers. Kapolei has "Sabado Con Sabor at Luibueno's on Saturdays, and Artisan After Hours Club on Sundays. Of course we should give Cholo's Homestyle Mexican credit for having live Latin music and dance on the North Shore now and then. With a bigger dance floor they will have it made.

"There may be two kinds of people in this world: those who believe there are two kinds
of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better."

But there is hope yet,

This blog remains at the bottom of the pile. Plenty of dance places on Oahu, but all of them are making Big Bucks and they have beautiful web sites and plenty advertising. They do not need a blog, That is entirely their decision and they certainly have a right to it. So we can only go for the ones that may need us, we mustn't interfere.That new social dance club developing on the North Shore has their own ideas and they sure are entitled to use them.

“Social dancers believe that dance is not dance, if they don't do it from their hearts.”

Some potential information contributors have their own way of doing it and it must be respected. I do get comments with Anonymous and I will be accepting the good ones, but I will give them a pen name. We should respect everyone's opinions. But in the blogs they can be prominently displayed for all to see and read. And of course that leads to more readers and in return it should lead into more Guest Bloggers and more of our blogs will go independent. Perhaps we can continue the year in a more rightful area for each group.

1991 "The First Time" by Surface

Have we defined ours? Not really, but even though most "dancers" don't know it yet, we are in the process. It will be much easier when we get more Guest Bloggers, for then we will get different opinions. That'll do it. Ordinary Communication Media is one way. We are accustomed to whom it may concern: newsletters, email flyers, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV. They do their job but there ain't nuttin' like a blog. The feedback!

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

Carolina Dance Club

Since 1999 the Carolina Dance Club (CDC) has been promoting the wonderful diversity and passion of Swing, Salsa and partner dancing here in the Triangle, North Carolina area. We strongly believe in making social dance affordable and accessible to everyone and work to bring the highest quality of dance instruction and music enjoyment to our community. Our club began 19 years ago hosting a monthly Swing dance with 30 or 40 passionate, devoted dancers. Today our club numbers 250+ members and is celebrating 14 years of weekly Sunday Night Swing dancing and afternoon Salsa and afternoon Ballroom dancing at the beautiful Raleigh Elks Lodge.

 “If people listen to music and dance every day, they find happiness

and sacred solutions to many problems.”

On any giving Sunday 110 to 160 dancers of all ages will be swinging, dancing and making new friendships and connections with people from across the Triangle/Triad area. All dance activities are smoke free and open to the public. Fostering and promoting outreach within our local dance community has been an important goal of our club. We do this by co-sponsoring dance events with local dance instructors, promoters and dance organizations that share a common purpose – bringing the joy of social dance to people of all ages and backgrounds.

1990 "Close To You" by Maxi Priest

We support many non-profit organizations with fundraising initiatives at our Sunday Elks Lodge dances. If you are a non-profit and would like our support, let us know. This philosophy of inclusion and a sense of giving back to the community we live and dance in has guided our club activities and has helped us build our dance club into a friendly, active and growing organization. We invite you to come out and dance with us, enjoy friendly people, share your talents and your passion for social dancing every Sunday afternoon and evening. CDC club membership benefits and enrollment.

"Most Social Dancers can tell you that not everything that counts can be counted,

and not everything that can be counted counts."

Social Line dancers

I had never noticed before that there is more line dancing in Night Clubs on Oahu. It is easy thing to get into it at break time from regular partner dancing in the evening about ten PM. They use the KISS method, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." And it seems that many of the best developing women dancers are coming into the partner dancing world of Social Dancing from the line dancers. Not like old times when the club dancer evolved from "street" dancing, but that is becoming scarce nowadays. Meanwhile, line dancing is already an accepted part of the Social Dance scene. So men wannabees can get more into that, even if just for the fun of it.

"Social dancers love to focus on the lyrics but sometimes they focus
on the lyrics too much and forget to dance to the music.”

In line dancing you first learn to enjoy moving to the music that is usually played in most social dances, and in dancing, moving to the music is it, recreational dances or cultural dances and perhaps even in Night Clubs. Eventually we will find the best terminology. And in line dancing they have one of the greatest inventions in the world, the Playlist. You will learn to dance to the music not the beat. It will be because you like that song, not because you can dance rumba to it. You will become a social dancer.

"Dancing the Electric Side to the Electric Boogie song."

Then you will develop, on your own, just dancing and enjoying the few sequence steps in each dance, the "timing" for each dance. Anyone can step one, two, three on the Waltz, but very soon, the "rhythm" comes in and you will want to stress the movement on the one count. Natural. Then you will develop your own unique style, all on your own and you will feel comfortable with the entire package, music, timing, rhythm and your own style. From there it is just skip and a jump to partner dancing. There are over 500 documented steps in every dance. To dance socially and for fun, keep away from anything that smacks of intermediate or advance. That is for OP (Other People.)

"I should not believe in a God who does not dance." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Fad Dances

By Fred Chun, Waipio

Fad dances are for the young and the kids have always said, "Never trust anyone over thirty." That seems to be the dividing line for decades and its OK with me. Fads are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity. These used to be called "dance crazes" but no longer mainly because of modern day hype they usually last longer  Lambada last ten years and made billions of dollars. Dancing style fads have always been a part of social dancing, sometimes gliding smoothly into tradition after their "newness" has faded, and sometimes simply fading away into oblivion.

 "Social dancers may dance to inspire, dance to freedom, - life is about

experiences so dance and let yourself become free.” 

After WWI, in the early 1920s a string of dance crazes swept the world, including the Jitterbug and the Charleston. The decade was called the roaring twenties, it was a period of prosperity until the Depression hit. During prohibition everyone was having a ball, drinking, dancing and having fun.
Perhaps the most significant of all these early 20th century crazes was the tango which came from Argentina in the early 1900s. The tango swept the world in the late 1910s and 1920s, sparking a worldwide craze that was fanned by its use in Hollywood movies, and the style was soon appropriated to become part of the standard dance repertoire. But even then it has split into many different tangos in different countries.

In the US alone we have three. In Hawaii, four if we include the beautiful Filipino Tango. In modern times "fads" also arise and disappear much more frequently. This is certainly spurred by modern communication improvements (printed media, radio, movies, television, Internet). World War II was also another spur in the dance crazes. From Latin America, dance fads included the merengue, the samba, the mambo, the rumba and, in the early 1960s, the bossa nova. Each new Latin style enjoyed massive popularity, and many transcended their fad status to become standardized styles in the repertoire of western popular dance tradition.

Blogger's Law No. 28C:

"No matter what goes wrong, there is always somebody who knew it would."

The New Wave

We are getting closer to a good job description for the two-center. Several two-centers can develop into the heart and soul of any blog as social media. Instead of the quiet, verbal, gossipy, untruths and innuendos that we have had in the cliques, they can have an honest opinion out in public and with the people responsible clearly stated. And opinions are like noses, all different but everyone has got one. Once a day, or once a month, a decision that should be entirely up to the two-center. The hits would double on all the blogs very easily. And socially it would mean that we are connecting with other dancers that may still feel uncomfortable with club rules. They would rather do things their way and not as the rootzi tootzis say we should. Getting closer to real democratic principles for social dancers.

“Social dancers know that music does not need the language of words.

It has movements of dance to do its translation.”

From the Internet: Some night clubs are glorified lounges with some dance floor,

and lots of tables on the side for bottle service:

Sure, some people dance. Many people on Oahu, go to these places, however, to sit at their tables and look smug about how cool they must be to get bottle service. And occasionally they get up and dance on the seats around their table, or on the dance floor right in front of their table. This kind of clubbing is all for being able to say they went to the coolest hotspot, and seen by the right people. And just perhaps, they may do a little dancing. And before you think we are being overly snarky, we have all had our stints of frequenting these nightclubs and sitting at tables and looking smug.

 "I'll Remember You" by Don Ho

Just received email from Calvin and Debra Ota. They have arrived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a total of nine couples from Hawaii competing at the famous Gumbo of Ballroom Dancesport Championships from Friday June 29 to Sunday, July 1st. It is presented by USA Dance Chapter 5031 and Louisiana Dancesport at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We know they will do well. They may not be social dancers in our class, but make no mistake, these people are dancers.

“Social dancers know that the things they do for themselves are gone when they are gone,

but the things they do for others remain as their legacy.”

Night Clubbing on Maui

Most visitors from the Mainland and from the neighbor islands to Maui are looking to escape the busy nature and stress of their everyday life environment. However, many still appreciate planned busyness and enjoy regular visits to the local Night Clubs. If you are a night owl traveling to the Valley Isle, fear not. You don’t have to take a break from tearing up the dance floor or indulging in your daily nightcap.

“Most social dancers know that there is no likelihood that they could ever
make a living from dance. They are doing it because they love it.”

Though smaller than Honolulu's nightlife scene, that on Maui is fairly impressive, given the small population of the Island. With a wide variety of places to choose from – from an authentic Irish pub with live Irish music nightly to a rowdy local water hole where locals go to watch the game, to a swanky, upscale martini lounge, you are sure to find your niche. You might even build up the courage to try someplace outside your comfort zone. And meanwhile we may get some dance news to post in this blog.

"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

You are on vacation after all. If not now, when? The nighttime crowds, including a large percentage of locals, are interested in far more than simply visiting tiki-style huts and sipping mai tais on a beach (thought these are also great options). This is Hawaii and there are plenty of places that offer a beautiful view of the Pacific, so you don’t even have to get your toes sandy unless you want to. No matter where you choose, you will end each night happily. And perhaps you can share a little of that happiness with our reader/dancers.

"For the social dancer, - dancing has a minimum of explanation,

a minimum of anecdotes and a maximum of sensations."

China Dancing

By Alison Dakota Gee
"DANCING? YOU WANT DANCING? You follow me." The beaming coat-check man is almost skipping as he briskly leads the visitor down the halls of Hong Kong's Ocean City Restaurant and Night Club. Once inside -- Wham! The blast of music and of rainbow-colored lights hits you square in the face like an epiphany. A Chinese band is belting out The Girl From Ipanema as some 30 couples cha-cha their way across the floor.

“Social dancers can feel it, when the lead asks, "dance?" and she says, "Yes"  to him,

- at that moment they are already dancing.”

Many of the women are partnering each other, like girls at a village fair.The men, fewer in number, seem to gravitate towards those women who are exotically dressed -- such as one in her mid-30s who has shown up in a strapless, backless, black taffeta number. And this is seven o'clock on a Tuesday evening -- when most of Hong Kong is trapped in the rush hour, weary and concerned with the anxieties of daily life. Ocean City is just one of a number of clubs catering to Hong Kong's growing legions of ballroom dancers. Young and old, first-time plodders and nimble twirlers -- they are all there, cocooned in the 60s and 70s as the 21st century seethes outside.

 "Lady" by Kenny Rogers  1984

And it is not just in the evening that these gatherings take place. From 3 pm to 6 pm daily, Ocean City hosts tea dances, where dim sum is served up with the rumbas. In Japan, middle-aged Japanese executives can be seen on suburban train-station platforms, practicing not their golf swings but their dance steps. The country's hotels, quick to step in on the quickstep, have begun sponsoring organized evenings, complete with a live orchestra. The cost? No less than $180 per person. They are dancing in the Orient.

 "The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering. Idiots are always

dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life."