Da Stats

Our Statistics, December 2019
Ask anyone who has a website and they will tell you that some of the most important things you can do are, to monitor visitors to your site and pay attention to the stats. I did not know much when I began 20 years ago, but I sure have learned. The present statistics available are fine for big web sites with thousands of hits per day but not for small stuff such as mine, They even give me how many hits I get from various countries around the world. I don't really care if no one reads my blogs from Nigeria or Afghanistan, What is very important to me is Waianae, the North Shore, Honolulu,  Most web sites no longer have hit counters on their sites.They cannot see any benefit.

"Social dancers believe that life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage
and you must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Blogger Statistics lead the way to the mess. They have all kinds of statistics, where they come from, the operating system used used and dozens of other gimmicks. And they include scam, spam, robot hits which mean nothing for the Bloggers doing blogs. In fact they are detrimental to our data. If you inquire you can almost see their attitude. Their heads lean back a little and their eyelids close slightly as they pronounce from on high, "They don't exist." Wow! They are erratic and perhaps that is the only way to record them,

"Sweet Someone" by Don Ho

If you can get something close to the real thing, stats can be a very useful and valuable tool in getting your blog site optimized. They can tell you if changes you make are having a positive or negative effect on traffic. One of the best things existing at the moment is that some web and blog masters ignore stats and just "fly by the seat of their pants".  "Anything that can be measured can be improved" but you can't improve anything unless you can measure it. And the stats we have available at present just do not have give me what I think I should have. For now we can be somewhat skeptical.

“Social dancers believe that you should be who you are and say what you feel,

because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

 

Mexico

By Roberto Gonzales, Niu Valley
In the first civilizations in Mexico, the professions were developed 8000 thousand years ago. Royalty and the politicians around them were first. Gradually there were others, the high priests, the mathematicians, the astrologers and among these were the professional musicians and dancers. They did not have to work in the fields, seven days per week. They got all that they needed, a place to sleep, some food, clothing, and it was mostly men. You need a little nookie, they could fix you up. And from the very beginning they evolved the first variation of the even step, "the Rock Step."

"Social dancers believe they can try to be clones at times."

Same as the Even pattern, but you could rock, back and forth or sideways. No one is sure but perhaps it took a full millennium to evolve the Chassé. At this time, they were also evolving music.  The move must have had many different names according to the place where it was used and no one has ever had a patent on it. The name was first applied in ballet when dance experts recognized the movement and used the term, "Chassé," from the French which means, to chase. Basically, it is the movement of one of the feet, followed by the second foot somewhere behind it and then stepping in the same the direction with the lead foot.

"Moliendo Cafe" por Azucar Moreno

Basics tell us that we can do forward with either foot, backwards with either foot and sideways with either foot. Variations? Not many, perhaps a thousand or so. Now, it you take the Rock Step, break on the "two" and you will naturally rock back on the three. Then a Chassé on the four and one, and with the right music, you gotta perfect Cha Cha Cha. Someone invented this recently? Hah! And of course, they may even tell you how to do it "correctly." Yeah man.

 Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

Mexico

By Roberto Gonzales, Niu Valley
In the first civilizations in Mexico, the professions were developed 8000 thousand years ago. Royalty and the politicians around them were first. Gradually there were others, the high priests, the mathematicians, the astrologers and among these were the professional musicians and dancers. They did not have to work in the fields, seven days per week. They got all that they needed, a place to sleep, some food, clothing, and it was mostly men. You need a little nookie, they could fix you up. And from the very beginning they evolved the first variation of the even step, "the Rock Step."

"Social dancers believe they can try to be clones at times."

Same as the Even pattern, but you could rock, back and forth or sideways. No one is sure but perhaps it took a full millennium to evolve the Chassé. At this time, they were also evolving music.  The move must have had many different names according to the place where it was used and no one has ever had a patent on it. The name was first applied in ballet when dance experts recognized the movement and used the term, "Chassé," from the French which means, to chase. Basically, it is the movement of one of the feet, followed by the second foot somewhere behind it and then stepping in the same the direction with the lead foot.

"Moliendo Cafe" por Azucar Moreno

Basics tell us that we can do forward with either foot, backwards with either foot and sideways with either foot. Variations? Not many, perhaps a thousand or so. Now, it you take the Rock Step, break on the "two" and you will naturally rock back on the three. Then a Chassé on the four and one, and with the right music, you gotta perfect Cha Cha Cha. Someone invented this recently? Hah! And of course, they may even tell you how to do it "correctly." Yeah man.

 Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

Increasing the readership

Because I didn't know anything about blogging 20 years ago, I have experimented with many types of content and SEO help in getting hits. This was overdone, I am not selling bananas. They didn’t do that much for me and just gave me enough to know what I did not need. The content remains pretty much the same, however, I have come to the conclusion that to build up an extensive reader/dancing public is to evolve the blog into Social Media and that requires different opinions. Feedback from the readership to share with our fellow dancers.

"Dancing can help with weight management alongside increasing

spatial awareness, good for the body and the mind."

Highly recommended is to be a Two-Center, willing to contribute their two cents of dance information for the benefit of all our reader/dancers. And they are completely in control. They can email the information once a week, once a month or once a year. No commitments, your decision. From there it is up to anyone if the wish to be a Guest Blogger. In effect your own blog within the dance blog. You can get in, write, post photos, edit, save, delete and publish when you are ready. All without saying boo to anyone.

"Morning Dew" by Melveen Leed

In Hawaii, dance blogs are enabling hundreds of dancers to express their opinions with reduced political risk simply because of the sheer number of like-minded opinions online. Blogger, Word Press, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook etc. Facing these independent voices, the old clique machine starts to crumble. With enough Guest Bloggers, the hits will go through the roof, and I can get rid of my best blog. I am getting old.

“If we are not for ourselves, who is for us? And if we are only
for ourselves, what are we? And if not now, when?”

American Style and International

Interesting to learn about social dancing which is actually the first term used for these dances mostly based on the American style of dance. Many were introduced during WWII with the large influx of military. There continued to be trickle of more "basic" solid moves in most of the dances. And there was some private teaching on all the islands. Then with the sixties, Aiea Ballroom Dance Association arrived and that was the beginning of the big change to a more formal form of dance.

"Social dancers believe that the heart supports the rest of the body, physically and mentally.

It could be exercised like the other muscles."

Of course it could not be done by a single dance club. The spin off was Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association in Honolulu. And a third Club in the Central Valley, the Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club. That start the whole ball rolling and even a smaller overflow to the neighbor islands. There had been some private teachers and some were beginning to set up a studio even if only in their garage. There was smattering of locally invented dances and some were very good. How many remember the "Double Blues?" One of the best I have ever seen. Now that we are beginning to understand the entire enchilada, we will eventually settle down to an accepted terminology for our type of recreational dance.

"Molokai Waltz" by Amy Hanaialii

Then the Internationals arrived and it was a whole new ballgame. It was a far more restrictive discipline and they taught the "correct" way to make the right moves in Competition Dancing. They were right of course. The judge would judge using the same rules, stands to reason. Then the distinction was further established by most of the American Style instructors in their advice. Learn your American first before you go into the higher class of dance. That did it. Their peak was a year after the opening of the famous Palladium on Honolulu.

"Social dancers believe that wealth consists not in having great possessions,

but in having few wants."

The 21st. Century Dance Group

There may one thousand Latin dances that are danced regularly in the World. Which ones could be danced socially, for a social occasion on Oahu, as in a Night Club? The decisions are continually being made by the Night Club owners in conjunction with their DJs. But that is never final. If you want to do business you have to listen to the dancers and "they" will and should make the final decisions. This is then applied to the music too. This new fancy kine music is nice, but nuttin' like da reel teeng, the oldies but goodies. If they play a paso doble at a night club and only two people are dancing it, it should be quite understandable for management. Dat ain't it.

"Social Dancing is never choreographed and while dancers don’t plan on how to dance the song entirely, the leader leads every step and the followers do their part beautifully."

If you play a Rumba and the floor is packed. Then you know, and everyone will know. Dat's it. If they are not dancing you got the wrong kind of music. Should be pretty easy for a good bean counter. And also, incessant music without a stop is counter productive for the real Latin dance environment. Another reason live music is so popular on Oahu. A little time to take the lady back to her table, a little social conversation at your own table and a couple of sips and you are ready to go for the next memorable dance. And, of course, they become memorable. In the more civilized countries, it is 60 and over, which are the "Oldsters," the social security and the retired - a natural division.

"Shores Of Haleiwa" by Loyal Garner

On this island this growing number of very good experienced dancers still consider themselves "not old." And yet needless to say they are not interested in learning that new acrobatic step pattern where you throw the lady over your shoulder. For some of us that are still dancing in our eighties we also consider them quite young. These oldsters are very good in dancing the recreational style of social dance that we dance on this Island A style in search of the right terminology. Once the Disciplines have established their kuleana, and the Night Clubbers have establish theirs, then this great group of us that had been so rudely excluded before, will be able to move as a more cohesive unit. It's coming.

“Social dancers believe that we must not allow other people’s

limited perceptions to define us.”

Better Blogging

Party and social dancing on Oahu is here to stay. Many different choices, and our best is in the various socials around the Island that are danced at District Parks or Community Centers. There are also very nice dance parties at the Studios, no hu hu. Remember when you were a kid and you thought adult life would be nothing but parties with your friends? Reality is quite the opposite. Responsibilities come in the way of partying every single time. So even if you take time out to meet up with your friends, some of them might not even show up. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with the ones that are there. Adult social dance parties are the perfect place to meet new people and expand your social circle.

"Social dancing doesn’t require a certain level of ability, and making mistakes are understood and laughed off. Considered quite normal among our fellow dancers."

We are developing some very nice socials in West Oahu and fortunately many photos are being taken and posted in various social media. Learn to take plenty and learn to discard the worst. Forty % of the photos that are taken at a dance social are junk and those that are good, may be seen and appreciated only once. Not many dancers will ever want see them again. And everyone knows that there may be a bigger bunch tomorrow. The point is that we all capture way more photos than we did just a few years ago and the vast majority are either not good, or very very VERY similar to other images that may be much better. I am learning to delete and no more albums

"City Lights" by Loyal Gardner

From the photos that we capture from our personal family to just what we snap day to day on our mobile phones, can all add up to tens of thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of individual photos that may have to be sorted and stored somewhere…on an ongoing basis. When you’re taking photos, experiment with different poses and arrangements. Play with the zoom and the angle of the shot. Even minor adjustments can create an entirely different picture. The main reason of taking many pictures is that it will give you plenty to choose from. It’s always better to have more pictures than you need instead of having no good options because you didn’t take enough. Another benefit is that you get more practice this way, and you’ll train your eye to take better shots.

 "There are many shining qualities in the minds of our dancing people, but there is none so useful as discretion - without it, learning is pedantry and wit impertinent."