The Law of Diminishing Returns.

We are just about there, if I am the only writer. One person by themselves is limited in any blog unless they are a very famous person and I ain't it. So it stand to reason and all of our reader/dancers will know that we need the Information and Photo Contributors more than ever to advance the readership. It is still a long ways from Social Media.

"Let go of the people who are holding you down. If you consider them,

you already know who those people are."

The total readership is at about 400 average hits per month for six blogs. Whereas the increment has been almost one every two days, it will slow down to about one a week, without additional Guest Authors. If we get a Guest Author, the hits will go back up to one every two days. This is all based on our past statistics.

"La Media Luz"  by Julio Iglesias

All potential Information Contributors are afraid of the commitment and we mustn't blame them. That is how it has been in the past, Newsletters, Web sites etc. But blogging is much different, we offer the platform and you use it whenever you damn well please. We have had Guest Authors that just stopped writing. No hu, hu,  and somehow Blogger just removed them. And they never complained, so everybody is happy.

For all Contributors: It benefits them, it benefits the blog and it benefits the reader/dancers which are the most important segment of the blogs. Also the fact that Town Dancer will probably be the first one of our blogs to become completely independent. That is from me. But it is still wide open. With a few people from any of the other blogs and with the average hits over 100 hundred per day, they can also go. The "Junk" blogs will remain mine til  the end.

Pub's Side Note: Perhaps things will be a lot better when the city gets over the Carlisle "cattle car" business in transit. Auwe!

Not Ballroom?

By Jeffrey Felton, Nuuanu.

I haven't had much teaching but in over 60 years I have learned an awful lot of dancing. People would say I have loved music. True. The thing is I have never danced International Style and yet I haven't really danced American Style either. I have been lucky and danced mostly a kind of street dance learned at home parties, school gatherings, bars and night clubs.

"Carnival is a necessity in exhibition, theatrical, acrobatic and competition dancing.

Of little importance and may be superfluous in Recreational dancing."

When one dances with a variety ladies in a variety of places, one must stick to the basic movements so that we can both enjoy moving to the music. The step, step, step is very easily learned and with a little body action you can feel the music. And with the slow, quick, quick or quick, quick, slow, you get a little more variety with the appropriate music.

Learning the rock step and the chasse, gets you into feeling your oats in any dance and most ladies, bless their hearts, are very good at following. To top it off a few lessons at some social clubs like on Oahu and you can learn some easily led figures. Just be careful of teachers with LAGS.* You can wait months for the few good movements to become part of your routine, then if you feel like it take another course in bronze some where else.

"Jingle Bells"

I have seen the syllabi on the American, Country and International. They are mostly grouped the same because they took from each other. This was created by teachers a century ago and how they have perceived dancing mostly from their income perspective and make sense of their teaching to the prospective buyers.  It is not strictly social dancing.

In our social, street, cultural, recreational or whatever our group dances, the basic or "Bronze" is twice as big as the disciplines, and those are the basic movements used. When and if you get a steady partner or one that you dance with more frequently, then you begin to branch out into the intermediate class or "Silver." But you are not going to dance that with just anyone. Anything beyond this is "ballroom," exhibition, or competitions, contests, professionals or whatever but it ceases to be "Social." For most of us, it is not the same fun anymore.

When they say they have to "work" at it, then you know, it just ain't da reel teeng anymore. However if anyone wants to get into that, they have a right to their decision and we should respect that. Meanwhile, there's a hellava lot more us than all of them put together, let's dance, our kind of dance.  *  *  *  *

Pub's Side Note: *LAGS = Latest And Greatest Syndrome.

The Industrial Park

On Oahu where we worship Honolulu as the Mecca, many tend to accept living in bedroom communities without a place nearby to work and make a living. In Waianae it is a little more understood. "I coulda been home in 20 minutes."

"The people who try to do something and fail are infinitely better

than those who try to do nothing and succeed."

In too many sections the big bucks have been in the high end of the market, such as in Kapolei. Not enough people to warrant a large commercial district. Many come from far away to shop. But a 10 million dollar home is usually vacant for a large part of the year. They got the money, honey.

For the majority of the home owners in the West the perfect answer is the Industrial Park but of course this has been voted down by the rail people and their backers. And many of our legislators are paid by special interests such as the rail people. And everyone has seen their methods, by hook or crook.

"Joy To The World"

The Industrial Park like many in China and South America is designed to relieve congested cities. The type that has been voted down by Inouye and the rail people for West Oahu. One like this in Waianae and one in the Ewa Plain would be a miracle come true. Each would have about 1000 workers from the vicinity. That would be 2000 less cars on the freeway every day going to town, 2000 less cars in downtown Honolulu traffic and 2000 less cars coming back.

With the addition of Articulated buses in the #40, 91, 92 , 93 and 94, the rail becomes superfluous. But of course the billions and billions of dollars in profits by the few are more important. So many have been conned, it has been an assault on the citizens of these entire Islands.

"O Holy Night" (Cantique De Noel)

Some of the complainers of having a something new like the new Walgreens in Nanakuli have been about minimum wage jobs. But there is a well known fact on the Waianae Coast from people that work in minimum wage jobs. Minimum wage in Waianae is worth ten times what is worth in Honolulu. Our representatives on the coast do not have a clue. They get the bucks from the OP (the other people.)

From the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, written a millennium ago,

For some we loved, the loveliest and the best

That from his Vintage, rolling Time has prest,

 Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,

And one by one crept silently to rest.

 

 

The Industrial Park

On Oahu where we worship Honolulu as the Mecca, many tend to accept living in bedroom communities without a place nearby to work and make a living. In Waianae it is a little more understood. "I coulda been home in 20 minutes."

"The people who try to do something and fail are infinitely better

than those who try to do nothing and succeed."

In too many sections the big bucks have been in the high end of the market, such as in Kapolei. Not enough people to warrant a large commercial district. Many come from far away to shop. But a 10 million dollar home is usually vacant for a large part of the year. They got the money, honey.

For the majority of the home owners in the West the perfect answer is the Industrial Park but of course this has been voted down by the rail people and their backers. And many of our legislators are paid by special interests such as the rail people. And everyone has seen their methods, by hook or crook.

"Joy To The World"

The Industrial Park like many in China and South America is designed to relieve congested cities. The type that has been voted down by Inouye and the rail people for West Oahu. One like this in Waianae and one in the Ewa Plain would be a miracle come true. Each would have about 1000 workers from the vicinity. That would be 2000 less cars on the freeway every day going to town, 2000 less cars in downtown Honolulu traffic and 2000 less cars coming back.

With the addition of Articulated buses in the #40, 91, 92 , 93 and 94, the rail becomes superfluous. But of course the billions and billions of dollars in profits by the few are more important. So many have been conned, it has been an assault on the citizens of these entire Islands.

"O Holy Night" (Cantique De Noel)

Some of the complainers of having a something new like the new Walgreens in Nanakuli have been about minimum wage jobs. But there is a well known fact on the Waianae Coast from people that work in minimum wage jobs. Minimum wage in Waianae is worth ten times what is worth in Honolulu. Our representatives on the coast do not have a clue. They get the bucks from the OP (the other people.)

From the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, written a millennium ago,

For some we loved, the loveliest and the best

That from his Vintage, rolling Time has prest,

 Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,

And one by one crept silently to rest.

 

 

Triple Filter Test

This specially for the Creative Researchers And Producers, they have dwindled in the last few years but unfortunately, some still remain.

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?" "Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?" asked the man. "That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth.

Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it." "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.

Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary ...".
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?".

 

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued." You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness.

Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Have you ever tried living up to it? Do you believe people can?
Well.. Don't just sit there! Share this lesson! this is a good one!

Pub's Side Note: In Waipahu? Most everyone might say;
"I coulda been home in 20 minutes." We're learning.
The sun doesn't rise and set in downtown Honolulu or Waikiki.

International Dancers.

Ran into another Club Dancer who accused me of being an International Dancer. Us, the Social, Recreational, Cultural dancers have not found our right terminology or niche yet. Most of us know where we are at but the "outsiders" don't know. They just ain't wid it yet. Eventually they will pick up on the action. And we are definitely the biggest group of dancers on this island and we dance.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't.

And believe that everything happens for a reason ...

If you get a chance - take it;  if it changes your life let it.

Nobody said it would be easy ... And it's going to end.

They just promised that it would be worth it.

The International Dancers look down on us as being junk dancers. And the other dancers brand everyone one that does not dance exactly as they as "International Dancers." Of course they simply do not know. International dancers are ballroom dancers and they usually require a ballroom. In the last ten years, (this century) the Internationals have seized the term for themselves, and rightfully so. It belongs to them, not "us." They consider themselves art.

So we are definitely in the middle of this dancesphere along with 60% of the dancers on this island. So how you like them potatoes? Sixty Per Cent! The problem is we are having to define ourselves first, and we will eventually find the acceptable terminology. We dance primarily American style of dance, not the International Style of dance. By primarily, I mean that many of us can modify any movement in it, if and when we damn well please. Somebody have a problem with that?

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"   ...   José Feliciano

The competition and exhibition dancers dance only the International style of dance and they try according to their strict rules, which may be engraved on stone. And yes, everyone knows that some will take International dance classes for years, but would never make a dent in a competition. They have to live through that, it's their problem.

In our cultural dance group, we do not have to dance in ballrooms. We dance to our music, in libraries, gas stations, malls, school cafeterias, district parks and community centers, that's our culture. And if you see us dancing in a gas station, please don't call us gas station dancers. We have even been known to dance in Night Clubs and very nicely I may add, except in places where they force us to drink alcohol. We are gradually defining ourselves and taking a little pride in it.  Watch it, we may be Da Reel Teeng!

We are so fortunate that on this Island we have some of the best American Style dance teachers in the US. Now if we can just find a nice place in the West where they appreciate what we are, we can dance up a storm and enjoy life to the fullest! May I have this dance?

The New Photo Icons

Most everyone is well aware in the difference of blogs or web sites with or without graphics of some kind to liven up the looks. In blogs it helps to represent the currency of the blog, they are up to date.

Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education;

dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be

able to dance with the pen?  ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

I use drawn graphics and converted photos of dancers in two separate categories in my files. (Examples in these included posters.) However I am going to set up a third file. "Our Dancers." These are our people that are getting to be well known in our blogosphere.

I will go about getting these photos slowly and I started out with Calvin & Debra Ota. Lately I added Theo and Diana Behic. These photo icons will not be identified by name. Most of our people will recognize them immediately. Their photos will not appear every day, nor every week, and no guarantee of every month. They will be used in the new posters I will make. Then they will appear only when I use that poster. And the poster will be available for anyone.

They will be full length photos, hopefully in a beautiful dance pose. They will be left in color to appear in the posters and they will be "our" people. They will all be changed to "transparency." That is in the poster only the dancing figures will show.  Anything in the background of the photo will be transparent and show whatever is in the poster background. Gradually I will delete all the other "professionals" and we will only have "our" People.