Where is the Unversal Dancer?

By Charles Chung, Kalaeloa

Ballroom Dancing on Oahu in the nineties used to be like a Religion. Some could say in all seriousness, "I have the truth and everyone else is wrong." Some of you may remember what it was like in those days. At their peak, during the nineties we had already lost at least ten percent of our dancing dancers. That is, the ones that really danced.

In some disciplines: "It is better to look good than to feel good."

Now as new dancers come in they are becoming aware that there is no one on this earth that can tell anyone the correct way to dance. Perhaps, in the Russian Style, they can tell you that it is incorrect according to the Russian style, but not the "blanket accusation" that we had been hearing.

Perhaps the Germans have a style in which they dance a certain way. Of course, dancing any other way may be correct according to your style but it is incorrect according to their style. Anyone should be able to understand that, even me. Specially if it is to be judged.

"MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris

Probably the worse one is the English dancing of the Paso Doble and they dare to insist that they are correct. Ha! What do the Spanish know about Paso Doble? And more the English do not even suspect that the Spanish dance is the real thing and that there is nothing more hilarious for the Spanish than to see the English version. Yes, some are even rolling on the floors.

Then to the representation of the bullfight. No one wears boots in a bullfight except the horse riders. Least of all the matador. He wears white stockings and shoes that resemble ballet shoes. Let me tell, you don't go around stamping on sand with those. Arena means sand in Spanish. Even the Spanish realize this already.

"Red Red Wine" by Neil Diamond

So it is coming and we are going to have a great fusion of dancing on this Island, who knows it may emerge as the next great surge in ballroom dancing around the world. Since no dance has a patent on movement, the sky is the limit in being eclectic. Take the easiest and the most natural and dance it.

The other stuff (hard, difficult, tricky, fancy) can be for Professional Teachers of the competitions and exhibitions. We will establish the true "dancer" the one that is really dancing. The others, for show, will develop their own terminologies to distinguish themselves from the real dancers.

And most of us will be so fortunate that we will have many more places to dance for the simple pleasure of moving to music.

 

"It is not what you do that matters it is what you don't do

that really matters at the end of the day."