HBDA Kapolei Chapter

By Tim Cubero, Jr.

Our Long-Awaited HBDA Kapolei Chapter Greetings to you, Our Ballroom Dancing Friends!

It’s been awhile since we last posted, and many accomplished and upcoming dance floor activities are ready here to salute you – our loyal readers!

Our Kapolei Chapter just finished the first quarter classes - Merengue, Tango and Salsa.
What does that mean? You are right-

Our social dance & pot luck will be on June 4, Monday, and that is very, very soon! We're fortunate to have Augusto Jarra sign up to do our music and line dancing again. Members of our "sister chapter" Pearlridge, and Aliamanu will be attending, along with many of our Telemark dance instructors.

Marilyn Meers, Benny Agbayani and Rose Vazquez and on the right:
Nora Dionisio, Nieves Cubero and Leona Powell at the Cultural Arts Ball on May 5

At the social dance we will register those wanting to enroll in our second quarter classes. Classes to be offered - Night Club Two Step, Waltz, and Mambo. Theo and Diane Behic will continue to be our instructors. Second quarter classes start on Monday, July 2, for 8 Monday sessions ending with a social dance and pot luck on August 27. Anyone interested in signing up for the classes can call Willy at 781-2076.

I really expect that our gathering will be just as big and even bigger; and so, Nieves and I plan to arrive early. Our chapter hopes to see you in line: (1) to participate in our pot luck field trip down the tables of food we all bring to eat; (2) to wait in line to dance with someone you’ve always wanted to dance with and you are no longer shy to ask: "May I have this dance?" and (3) to demonstrate your fun in the line dances mixed with partnered dancing as well.

Martin and Leona Powell, Georgie and Jesse Amantiad and on the right:

Yvonne Oshiro, Nilda Quindara and Faith Agbayani

See all the fun that’s coming soon on June 4. Smile now and have fun with us on that night!

We also just started our routine dance practice. So far 9 couples have signed up. Theo and Diane are our choreographers, and we will be doing a Rumba.

See all the fun in our pictures here You too might be in future blog pictures, especially when you join us this coming June 4th!

See you!

Pub's Side Note: There is no truth to the rumor of six cases of champagne.

It is looking better all the time.

I was expecting that the Month of May would be a low plateau with all the changes I made. But we did not lose as many hits as I thought we would. The total for all the blogs was up, because of the Calvin and Debra excursion to the famous Blackpool Competitions. Town Dancer blog hits going up into the Solar System.

"The first thing I have to decide when I build a blog is what I want to accomplish with it,

and what it can do if successful. I am not going to live forever. I leave it to the ones

that can make use of it."

 

But now I have work to do. I will cut down on my town trips and try to drum up some doings in the West. That is, where I am allowed to. Most dance classes are not to be photographed. It is an old hang up when they went by the syllabus and the syllabus is quite limited.

There may be some that are still in the thinking that I benefit too much from their good looks, talent, fame, fortune and social status. I usually drop those like a hot potato. It takes work to find out those that are willing to be in. They make the final decision and if they want out, then I just abide by it. Simple?

"Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton

I had an invite to town on Saturday but I will concentrate on Monday, Kapolei Social and on Tuesday, at the Fleet Lounge. If I have my camera working and take some notes, perhaps get a quote or two, I can make two good blogs for Oahu - West,

They were very nice to me last time I went to HBDA (after six months) at Aliamanu, so I will try to make it this month too. Just hope I can recognize that those that would rather not be in a photo. I will gradually weed those out, so that I don't bother anyone.

Basics, 101:

Right Hand Lead: The signals given by the man’s right hand to help the lady go in the right direction. The man’s right hand, generally on the lady’s back, will give three different leads: Finger Lead, which helps the lady turn to her left. Heel Lead, which helps the lady turn to her right or back cross. Palm Lead, which helps the lady to move forward. All very gentle. You may "speak" a little loud when you first dance with a lady, but they are so good, that very soon all that is required is a "whisper."

Pub's Side Note: From a friend, "I love the West Coast Swing. Except the other night I tried that tunnel thing. She never came out the other end. They're still looking for her."

Knick Knacks

Calvin and Debra still knocking'em dead with some terrific blogging on Blackpool. The hits have been going through the stratosphere, and the hits are all "legit." If we can just get one more good guest author, Town Dancer blog is ready for independence.

"Blogging is using a new medium for what it is good for - connecting and interacting.

Blogs are whatever we make them. Defining 'blog' may be a fool's errand."

I can begin to focus on getting rid of Oahu And Beyond. Just a couple good information contributors and a couple good guest authors will do it. The blogs will evolve differently, and result in a marked difference. They can both settle in at about 134 average hits per day which would be 4000 hits a month each. Not bad for these Islands. Then I can devote my time to the ones in the West.

"Outshined" by Soundgarden

The west is slowly developing with quicks and starts, but there is a lot of experience in the West. They just have to think West, and most of them still think Town. Could be supporting more dancers and less groups. Shouldn't be any hu hu, we all learn and Rome was not built in a day, Whatever your dance style, West Oahu's diverse musical roots will instill a powerful connection to all of Oahu and its people.

No more need of the Rail. Google's Self-Driving Car Hits Nevada Streets

Google's self driving vehicle cruises the Las Vegas Strip and is growing up right in front of our eyes. The fledgling autonomous vehicle program recently passed its driver's license test in Nevada, the first license of its kind in the United States. Obtaining Nevada's self-driving car license clears the way for Google to test its technology on public roads in the state.　

Can you imagine living in Makaha and leaving a night club in Waikiki and since you are not a dancer, staggering over to your car, struggling to get in and turn the car on and saying. "Home, James."

"American Woman" by The Guess Who

Pub's Side Note: I have notified Blogger that we do not need a follower or followers. We need readers, information contributors and guest authors, but we do not need followers. They attached the flag from somewhere but they do not know how to delete it. They have written methods but none of them work. The search engines are full  of people trying to delete the followers. The only thing you can do is delete the blog and then start all over again. Tough.

Dance Categories

Dances can be classified into three categories that not very many people go into. There are not many that can define their particular dance into one of these categories, the Fad, Novelty and the Standard dances. And these dances generally adhere to an age level. The Fads are usually with the younger (under thirty), the Novelty with the older and the Standard with the over forty,

"How much you know is not as important as what you do with what you know."

Fad dances usually picked up by the young folk who can get interested very easily, into anything never done before. These were also called "dance crazes." At one time some lasted a full decade. In the early part of the last century, you could have a new one every month. Dancing style fads have for some centuries been a part of social dancing.

Sometimes gliding smoothly into tradition after their "newness" has faded, and sometimes simply fading away into oblivion, as other new fads would appear. This has happened even before the evolving partner dances set in and will continue in the future.

The Novelty dances would usually last a little longer but also eventually died down as other dances would appear. However, many novelty dances have remained even after they have become obsolete. How about the Polka? Just good fun. How about the Twist? Still around now and then. I expect the "Macarena" to surface one of these days. Our Dance world!

"At Last" by Glenn Miller

Then the very good ones remain on much more solid ground. The decisions are made by older people with some decades of dancing experience. These "Standards" have also been helped along by the disciplines, though some still carry dances that are now clearly obsolete in recreational dancing.

The standard dances are the ones that will be playing in West Oahu in the near future. It will involve mainly the recreational, cultural dancer. The Pau Hana dance is coming, instead of a Happy Hour. The Pau Hana Dance will have less drink, more dancing and more talk story with friends and relaxation in the middle of the week than any other form of entertainment.

"Sentimental Journey" by Les Brown

The music will not be played, incessantly non stop. Music inherently depends on silence in some form or another to distinguish other periods of sound and allow dynamics, melodies and rhythms to have greater impact. Most music scores feature rests denoting periods of silence.

Accomplished composers don't take all their best ideas and muddy the listener's experience by rattling on and on. These artists know how to communicate their ideas clearly. Listen to the space between the phrases. Listen to how silence is used as a color, and not simply as the lifeless backdrop of compositions. Silence, when used effectively, is a color.

There will gradually be the acceptance of silence of 30 second intervals or more, which will be a welcomed respite for all. The same as the ole days when the band had a little time between tunes.This will be relaxation. The non-stop is for the kids, let them enjoy theirs.

Information Contributor

The two town blogs Town Dancer and Oahu And Beyond have two additional Guest Authors each. And the hits show it. So, Oahu - West and Central Valley blogs are in sore need of Information Contributors. In our case, what is an information contributor?

"Some of the wheels in the dance community have to be dragged, kicking and screaming

into the 21st century. I will not do that. If they do not want it they shall not have it.

But the sign on the door I leave open still says welcome."

Of course, very simply, that person just contributes information. Now we have the difficulty. They are not sure what constitutes Social Media and the information we need. For the very best example, tune in to Town Dancer blog, and see what Calvin and Debra are writing about their Blackpool experience. The hits are going through the stratosphere.

This is their viewpoint of a tiny part of our dance world. There are a thousand other points of view that we will not have simply because no one thought to share them with us. This of course includes photos. And we understand that there is not much action in the West Side. What little there is, is reported in the Town blogs.

So our West blogs are the ones that need the information. Your personal point of view that is yours and nobody elses. Seek and find where the dancing is, that is news for all of us. And when you see a few good information contributions by you and you see them in print and everyone is pleased, then you can begin to think along the lines of being a guest author. This simply means you can get into the blog, write what and when you want, publish and get out without saying "boo" to anyone.

With enough guest authors and running over 100 average hits per day, I can retire from the first blog that qualifies and it will continue very well with five or six people running it, I guarantee it.

Pub's Side Note: "Through these blogs read the most informed cultural dancers in the Pacific."

Age and the Temporary Dances

By Jonathan Chang, Kalealoa

Most people dance one way or another when young. Sometimes it is just prancing around to music. By the time they are teenagers, there is for certain a "fad dance" that everyone must learn. They get on it with mixed results, some good and some bad and many indifferent.

Who said? "I will never allow anyone to do me the injury of making me hate them."

But eventually in a few years it is superceded by another "fad dance" and attempts are made to learn the new one and again with varying results. It may even happen a third time at which time it is just too much. The young often say,  "Never trust anyone over 30" which is about the right line of division.

By that time they are married with kids, and trying to make ends meet and life is not exactly conducive to learning a new fad dance. That is when the interest may arise into the Ballroom Dances, first because there are no teenagers around. And secondly because they realize that the dances will be around for some time. That Waltz music will always be great and there will be some great new music in every genre.

"Kiss Of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs

The steps and patterns they learn in Waltz will be danced 30 or 40 years later in sheer joy. If they stick to the American Style they will never have to worry about pressure to compete. They can dance just to enjoy the movement to the music of their choice. And it’s party, party, party. And a new "Universal" dancer is created. And it is the fastest growing dance group on this Island.               *  *  *  *  *

We will endeavor to communicate all this to the public. But who or what is the public? The only public we have available are our reader/dancers and they probably are already interested in dancing. We have to get the information to Teachers and School administrators. And Parents, for their kids but also for themselves.

Politicians are important and people in general too. So it puts us in a position of not selling potatoes but perhaps we are selling something else. Then there is the important factor of finding a place to dance.

Pub’s Note: First news from Calvin and Debra at Blackpool. Beautiful that it is not in report form qualified for a Web site. This is blogging to da max, in a nice story form, Social Media. Our reader/dancers will be glued to their computer screens for the entire blog and maybe even run it a second time. Most of us will never see Blackpool, but we can experience a little of what is like through that blogging. Our reader/dancers are beginning to really understand Social Media in our blogging. Dat's Da Berries!

Affordable Portable Dance Floors

From: www.dancedeck.com

Modular Laminate Tile Dance Floor With a Plastic Base & The Look & Feel of Wood. DanceDeck (DK) is Signature Flooring's most affordable portable dance floor. The DK portable dance floor is versatile and practical and will suit everyone's budget.

Bloggger's Law Number 43b: Some teachers teach by the book, even though

they don't know who wrote the book or even what book.

DanceDeck portable dance floors are ideal for home use, hotels and motels looking for a practical special-event dance floor, dance studios looking for a lightweight traveling or practice floor, trade shows, exhibits and temporary retail displays. DK looks like real wood, but cleans up like a no-fuss vinyl tile. DK is simple to install, clean, transport and store - making it the most practical portable dance floor on the market.

"My Love" By Paul McCartney & Wings

Durable Dance Floor Tiles Are Practical & Lightweight DK modular floor tiles are 1ft x 1ft x 1/2in, weigh less than 2 lbs each, and use a simple, 7-loop snap-connection system. DanceDeck tiles are made up of 2 layers - the top layer is a vinyl laminate no-wax tile with the look and feel of real wood. DK's base layer is made of a polypropylene co-polymer.

It is specially-molded to form a tray for the top layer - holding the top layer securely inside the base tray. The plastic tray offers many benefits - resistance to water and moisture, conforms to most surfaces, provides a durable connection system and keeps the tile lightweight and easy to handle. The plastic tray has channels underneath to allow for drainage and inevitable spills; and to provide extra stability on soft or uneven surfaces

A Dance Floor That Is Simple To Install:

DanceDeck’s simple male-female connection system allows for quick assembly without tools, cams or mechanical devices. Anyone can assemble this portable dance floor. A 12ft x 12ft dance floor can be assembled by 2 people in 30 minutes! For added ease, DanceDeck ships in pre-assembled 3ft x 3ft panel sections. Our patented 7-loop connectors (the most loops of any tile on the market) provides the simplest and most secure connection of any other portable dance floor tile on the market. See typical installation times and instructions.

Pub's Side Note: Don't give up. We will eventually find the right places to dance and with the right people. "I coulda been home in 20 minutes."