Happy New Year

The New Year brings us new hopes, new promises and new reasons to dance. The New Year is a time for celebration of love, music, dance and of life. It's the time to thank God for our wonderful friends, and to bring to their lives as much music as they bring to ours. Life is a banquet and too many people are starving to death.

This coming year will mark the beginning of a year of dancing pleasure and discovery for us all. Each day will hold something special that is wonderful and new. This new year will adorn our lives with many beautiful things and sweet memories of dancing to cherish forever. And the care of those whom the heart holds close.



Better than any New Year has been and will be, Better than any joy known or to be known, Better than any wish realized or to be realized - that's how this New Year should be for us. And we hope you all have a great  new year dancing.

 

Competition Dancing?

Competition Dancers on Oahu
by Francis Kamiya, Kaimuki

Let us explore competition dancing, just to demonstrate some interesting points. At most competitions, the circumstances in which you dance are very controlled so as to be fair — you know the dance you’re doing, who you’re dancing with (your partner), the level at which the others are dancing (your class or difficulty level), the time you’re on the floor (a single heat is usually only a few minutes long), the steps to do (the syllabus), and the music is a certain tempo (set by the rules).

"For centuries people have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer and carries over into the New Year."

  

Spectators are usually other dancers, who appreciate the hard work involved, and judges, who are looking for specific, pre-defined things to put into your score. So you’re doing a controlled thing (dancing) in a controlled environment (at a competition) for pre-defined reasons (where do you rate on the scoring sheet?) for an audience who knows something about what you’re doing.

If you are a regular and like competition dancing, you’ll want to know there are two "flavors" — amateur and pro-am. Amateur only means the participants don’t make living by teaching dancing. An amateur dancing with a teacher is pro-am. Amateur couples are scored by their performance and, in a pro-am competition, the amateur is supposed to be the one being judged.
 

"Sh-Boom, (Life Could Be A Dream) by the Chordettes.

Some competitions result in only one winner, and at some competitions some folks don’t place or win anything. Other, less "serious" competitions may award everyone a first place, because you’re judged alone (and not against the field of other dancers in your category. It can get a little complicated and there are literally thousands of rules.

So let's face it. It ain't da reel teeng!

Pub's Side Note: We don't have to hold it against anyone who wants to be a competition or exhibition dancer. That should be their privilige. But then there is the Golden Rule. "
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The Latin Competitions

Latin people looking in on The Latin Competitions
By Brandis Riba, New Jersey

Latin people all agree that the Paso Doble is supposed to be intense but what they see at the competitions is grotesque facial contortions that border on hiliarity. What they also see is overpowering jazz and disco elements choreographed to (sometimes Latin music) and called Latin dancing. Many find the women’s costumes distasteful and even shameful to their culture.

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."

As I dodge a few hurling tomatoes and crawl back to my desk, let me tell you what my Argentine and Uruguayan friends have taught me about the tango and their relationships with the competitions.

Thanks to Argentine shows that have roared through the U.S. and Europe, the world now knows that the authentic tango is a completly different dance than what is displayed at the competitions.

The history is fascinating, and it has to do with the Argentine depressions and dictatorships that would cut her off from the rest of the world for decades. and a legend about a Prussian soldier inventing a military march time during WWII that set the standard for the European tango forever after.

"La Comparsita" by Placido Domingo

For many years, Argentine and Uruguayan people throughout the world saw that the tango demonstrated as a ballroom dance is totally foreign from what they knew. Many have told me they "just couldn’t bear to watch" those competitions. But somehow their authentic style has prevailed. Instead of lamenting, they made their own performance and the world was moved to tears.

They played their own music, danced their own dance and even the heart of the "cantador" and the soul of the "bandoneon." The tango of Argentina has made her place in the world.

Even ballroom competitors will attempt a little Argentine flavored footwork in their show pieces. I’ve even seen a video or two claiming to be representing the Argentine Tango, although most of it is really just fancy moves done to the American Tango.

"El Dia Que Me Quieras" by Julio Iglesias 

The proper recognition is coming, be patient.

Swing Dance Club Xmas Dance @ the Elks

What a yummy fun time @ the Swing Dance Xmas party last Sunday. Nice turnout of 70+ I'd guesstimate. This was my first and will be back next year.

Susan, Roland, Bill and Lile

The ladies were dressed to the nines which was much appreciated by the Martians in attendance. A lot of familiar faces w/surprise attendees and many new ones.

Aurora and Vince

Haven't been to the Dance Hall at the Elks since the Sunday Tea dances ended about 3-4 years ago. Very pleased to see that the hall has been tarted up w/the addition of a wonderful wood floor perfect for dance.

The event ran from 5:30-10 PM w/a nice buffet. Lots of dance, social chatter and laughter throughout the evening.

Bert Burgess (my fav DJ) was offering up choice cuts all night. During dinner the mix had people swaying, boppin' 'n tappin'. Pat commented, "I hope he plays those songs again later." Bert has a vast library of music. Don't know if he's into it but maybe if you need a DJ w/a top notch sound system (Bose I believe) for a dance or party give him a ring and ask. He can only say, "No"...which I doubt, he's too nice. Click on the Aiea Ballroom site to contact him.

Once the hunger was satiated the dancers packed the floor the rest of the evening. I heard comments of how many really good dancers there were. Picked up a couple of sweet steps.

CRS strikes again. PC definition of CRS, "Can't Remember Stuff."

I haven't been able to locate my 2 year old point and shoot camera. There is of course a perfectly reasonable explanation. I stashed it someplace really safe....... I do know where my Sony Digital is but can't locate the flash. Figure it's ensconced w/my "secured" P&S camera.

Okay this is between you and me and need to know. 

Must have been exemplary this year 'cause under the tree I noticed that Santa left a tiny package w/a tear. I could make out the word "Canon." Figured it was already almost open so divested it of the torn and tattered wrapping to lo and behold, a camera!

Don't rat me out to Santa or any of his suck up elves 'cause I'll be back to the annual lump of coal. Already got enough for an imu. It's not that I'm naughty.... I really try to be nice, maybe make one or two questionable choices during the year but nothing naughty. You know, other people get away with full blown naughty but not ole Richie. Every Xmas there I am sittin' on a cold dank rock trying to keep warm next to my lump of coal fire hopefully toasting a marshmallow. Meanwhile all the naughty are out and about riding jet skis, driving new cars and partying like there's no tomorrow. What the heck? Maybe I should try for uber naughty this year.......

I digress, back to the camera. Did a quick "How to" and thought, "This is just what my primary caregiver called for, simple enough for a 5 year old." Confidently forgoing any silly attempt to practice I ventured out. Imagine my chagrin when I realized that a 5 year old has got some serious skills.

Bobbi and some funny lookin' guy.

They as yet can't make cameras Richie proof only Richie resistant. Validated this over and over again this weekend with a plethora of shots that ranged from blurry to shaky. Somehow stumbled into a couple of mistakes that are surprisingly usable. Still trying to figure out what I did right. Oh, that's right...someone else took them!

This cretin does not have the mindset needed for photo journalism. When the music plays my body wants to move in it's usual spasmodic fashion and does so with gusto. In hindsight missed out on many great moments. Made mental notes and hopefully will be able to retrieve them from my "everything goes in, nothing gets out steel trap brain."

Merry Xmas to all,

R

Confessions of a Ballroom Addict

Another year is coming to a close. It’s the Holiday Season and time for parties, gatherings, fun and merry making. We want to wish you all a very safe and fun Holiday Season.

It’s been a good year for Debra and I. We’ve made new friends, continued our learning experience in dance, shared many experiences, joined more dance clubs, learned new dances, etc., etc. And, this brings to mind a YouTube video recently posted to Facebook by our friend and ballroom enthusiast, Yuko Yu, called Confessions of a Ballroom Addict. Some find it funny. Some find it amusing. Others find it boring. I find it kinda scary because it reminds me of someone close to me. :-) Anyway, I thought I’d share it with those of you who may not have seen it yet. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_f7OioT2Gg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Just so we don’t get totally caught up in dance, Debra & I make it an effort to do other activities. We just did the Honolulu Marathon (I still have a slight pain in my right calf). Here’s a picture of Debra and fellow ballroom dancer, Jackson Cho, with our dancing friends, Lorrie & Mike Chun. (Mike used to be an avid marathon runner - did the Honolulu Marathon in the “3-hour range” - WOW ! He’s now retired from marathons, but came down from their home on the ridge, with Lorrie, to support and cheer us on - on our home stretch. June decided not to do the marathon with us this year, but came down to cheer us on earlier in Waikiki and again at the finish line. This was Jackson's 11th Honolulu Marathon.)

Debra & I also have a hike planned for this coming weekend, and the Great Aloha Run in February (come join us for the run). I guess we can consider this cross-training for dancing. :-) . . . there we go, everything ties back into dancing . . . scary. Nah, we do other activities.

Anyway, Happy Holidays Everyone !!! Have Fun. Be Safe. And, hope to see you soon on the dance floor. :-)

With Aloha,
Calvin & Debra

Da News

No classses in town, just party, party, party. Mostly in Waikiki. There is some action in the classy hotels on the Waianae Coast but not for us common folk. They will wait on you Hand and Foot, but charge you an Arm and a Leg. Later for them, much later.

"Keep the smile, Leave the tear, Think of joy, Forget the fear, Hold the laugh,

Leave the pain, Be joyous, Coz it’s a new year! Happy Holidays!

For sure Waikiki is getting seedier by the day. The traffic is bad on week days and gets worse on Week Ends. It is getting more cheap carnival kine. So the Hotel String going up to the Airport is going to get some action. It was there at one time but advertising had all gone to Waikiki. Now the locals are leading in the action towards the West Coast.

Then too Waikiki is coming into its own with the new Waikiki Social Dance Club. Different than the ordinary dance clubs in town that must adhere to a regimen set down by American and International styling associations. The revolution has not been long in coming since they started to lose so many dancers.

It is coming back strongly now in the mix of the club dancer with the ordinary beginning ballroom dancer. Some standard basic movements that have been there for centuries are beginning to be accepted because they are easy and do not require hours of practice or teaching by ultra professionals.

We must give them all the help we can give, and hope for the best for the dancers. That is, the ones that do the dancing for fun, not for the others.

Yes, we have too many new gadgets available:

If she wants a date, Meter

If she wants an escort, Conductor

If you think she is picking your pocket, Detector

If she goes up in the air, Condenser

If she is slow on comprehension, Accelerator

If she is hungry, Feeder

If her hands are cold, Heater

If she is narrow in her views, Amplifier.

Knicks Knacks

From the Coach’s corner:

"The one thing I tell people is when you’re dancing just try to listen to the music and picture yourself, or assume that you’re part of that band, that you’re one of the instruments in that band, and you want to make your body do what that instrument is doing. And above all, enjoy yourself!"


From the days when they did not have music 24/7:

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.You will find

it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Making resolutions?: Involve friends and family. They can support your efforts, and can motivate you to keep going. Setting a personal goal is not a "promise" which can never be broken. Don’t paint yourself into a corner by overstating what can be a realistic change you plan to make.

Clave from Africa? There are several methods and some that are wrong. There may be a clarification some day but most of it in looking at it from the present and it is not from Africa. It was from the original Indian music before the Spanish got to the Americas. Only it was in a five beat measure. (yes they had six and even seven beat measures.) The first measure was 1,3,5 and in the second measure it was 2 & 4. So you have 3 in the first measure and 2 in the second, every other beat, these Indians were simple.

But what happens when you try to apply it to a four beat measure? Ah Hah!

Back in Town Dancer

I thank Calvin again. I can see the entire enchilada now and I can get back to see how I can make it an independent blog, without me permanently. A few people seem interested but since they don't really know, they are afraid of the commitment which actually there is but not much to it.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one:. ~Mother Teresa

Another part of an interview with Frankie Manning:

When did the teaching part of your career begin?

That didn’t start until in the ‘80’s! Actually, I didn’t do teaching the way that it’s done now. But I guess I started teaching as soon as I started dancing. I would get out on the floor and I’d do something, and if I thought it was good I would call somebody over and say, "Hey, come over here. Can you do this?" But it wasn’t like you were going to do 1, 2... we didn’t know anything about counting or anything like that, we just listened to the music and we would say, "Hey, look, this step fits the music, let’s do this step."

I would show it to this particular person, they would learn it, somebody else would learn it, they would teach it to somebody else, then they taught it to somebody else, and that’s the way the steps got spread around. So everybody would learn it. One person would show another person, I don’t say teach, they would show them and that was the way we all learned how to dance... by watching what other people did.

"Take The A Train" by Duke Ellington

One you started teaching; did you enjoy the teaching aspect of it more or the performing?

When I first started teaching, I enjoyed that very much. It was kind of... it was educational for me, plus it was comical and humorous because I was used to showing somebody a step and they would get it almost... When I started teaching, people started asking, "What count is that?" And I would think, "What count? I don’t know what count that is!" I’d say, "I don’t know what count it is. I’ll tell you what, I’ll do the step and you count!" So I would do the step and they’d count and they’d say, "Oh it’s on count...." I’d say, "Yeh, okay, that’s what it is!" I’ve been teaching now for a long time and I’m still learning.

Pub's Side Note. People still learn on how the music moves them. The other method that is taught is a different thing, not wrong, just different. And what is this about a Night Club with a built in Dance Studio in Honolulu? Or a Dance Studio with a built in Night Club? And the new Blog, Oahu -West.

Thanks Calvin for the first step

Thanks Calvin, I seem to be back in as a Guest Author, so I can see, New Posts, Edit, and limited Setting. The next step is Administrator and then I can see the whole enchilada. Mahalo to those who accepted any inconvenience.

"Charity sees the need, not the cause"

Meanwhile, I have tried Word Press, and have found it wanting. It is free, but at every turn, they "offer" an upgrade. You cannot color a line except through html and a photo that is posted cannot be made larger, only smaller. Minor inconveniences but they add up. The graphics do go in color which is nice.

Blogger has a mass of inconveniences too, so I will be looking into another free blog somewhere.I will have to look. No news on the recovery of Platinum Horseshoe. It has no administrators at present so it cannot even be deleted by anyone.

I will probably get a new Blogger blog to cover the "new" territory. West Oahu sounds like a nice solid name and we can  change it later if we want.

Moanalua Corridor is pretty well established from Pearl City to Salt Lake. They are on solid ground, and the dense population is a big help. The entertainment centers have doubled in the last ten years, so that the deluxe nightclub is coming. $20 cover charge will probably reduce the bar bums, but the drinks will be fairly priced and they will probably have a Juice Bar. This can make for a class clientele that may stay a while.

"I'll Never Smile Again" by Frank Sinatra

The natural line of dancers strength has already occurred past Pearl City, from Ewa Beach up through Waipio, Wahiawa and all the way up to Haleiwa. The nightclubbing center for now at Wahiawa. Everything west of this line is our kuleana. This is a limit for us and does not apply to others. They can and should do as they please.

The very good news is that the total hits on all the blogs is going up, not spectacularly but slowly and steadily. From my stats, I cannot see the point of diminishing returns. We are still in process of developing the whole thing with the object of having all the blogs having different Guest Authors and minimize the interlocking kind of thing. We should continue the pursuit of diverse opinions. That will cut the Creative Researchers And Producers down to nothing.

Cordoba & Szekely follow-up

Robert Cordoba and Deborah Szekely were here giving a two-day workshop at the Palladium this past weekend. Due to schedule conflicts, Debra and I couldn’t attend all of their sessions. However, we did manage to go to their Hustle segment. All we can say is these two are fun, informative, and are well capable of showing you how it’s done.

Because I provided some background about Robert and Deborah in a prior blog, I won’t go into their credentials again. If you missed my blog and are still curious about this couple, here’s the link: http://townelite.blogspot.com/2011/11/cordoba-szekley.html I also scanned one of their cards, which I posted below.

In addition to the Saturday afternoon Hustle session, Debra and I went to the Swing Dance Club Hawaii’s social on Sunday evening. While we were there, we chatted with some friends, including Sandy, who told us that all of the workshops were great and, especially, the West Coast Swing workshop where they spent some time on pauses and hesitations which give each dancer a lot of freedom of expression either individually, or as a couple. Too bad we missed that session. We’re trying to learn WCS - well . . ., me, more than Debra, because I have to be able to lead it and Debra seems to be a natural. :-)

What really caught our attention was their little demonstrations or mini-exhibitions. I’m not sure if this couple is still actively competing, but they have some pretty slick moves. I’ve attached a brief clip of their impromptu dance. I didn’t get their permission to video or to post any videos of their performance so it’s just a really short clip just to give you an idea of what they look like - just casually dancing for a small social audience. I think you’ll agree, they’re pretty good. Those of you who were there and saw their performance know what I mean.

We also talked briefly with Robert and Deborah at the social. We found out that they do like to occasionally vacation in Hawaii. And, while they’re here, they certainly wouldn’t mind getting in a little workshop or coaching time to cover some of their travel expenses - hey, why not. And, they do welcome private lessons at a reasonable cost.

In addition to West Coast Swing and Hustle, they also teach the Nightclub 2-Step and some of the American Rhythm dances. We also found out that Robert danced and competed, at one time, with Brian Watson’s former partner - before Carmen. So, he’s got a little experience competing in International Latin, and Standard as well. And, Deborah is no pushover. She's a powerhouse that keeps everybody on the right track. Anyway, if you like these types of dances, keep an eye out for their return to Hawaii.

Carolyn Noah did a great job organizing and coordinating the Cordoba-Szekely workshops. Hope she does it again in the near future.

With Aloha,
Calvin & Debra

What was ballroom in the eighties?

From Diary of a Street Dancer
By Walter Darian

USA New York and East Coast, in the eighties.

To be included in the "select" group, a dance must have lasting appeal! A dance’s Basic step determines whether it will be accepted by "trendy" public as well as the experienced Social Dancer. The great appeal of the Mambo was, and is its Basic step — the dancers constantly moving from and returning to the Basic.

"Of the dancers, by the dancers and for the dancers, does not include all the dancers.
There will be some that do not wish to be included and their wishes should be respected."

A sure "kiss of death" for a new dance is one with an uninspiring Basic step. The Hustle is a good example: when first introduced it was vastly different from the popular style introduce a year later. — when a "quick" step was added to the Basic. The addition which made the dance, - gave it substance. Not since the Mambo, has a dance been so embraced by the dancing public and it has taken its deserved place with the other classics.

There are five "Major" (must have) dances popular with "the crowd." And topping the list is,

The Mambo: Mamboniks are simply driven wild by its pulsating, exciting rhythms.

The Tango: Danced in your preferred style; Roseland, International, Cafe or Argentine — is perhaps the most beautiful of all dances. Its music ... intoxicating. If there are violins, guaranteed her eyes will be closed.

"Rags To Riches" By Tony Bennett

The Foxtrot: Slow and easy, your arms around your partner, cheek to cheek. or to a faster tempos of Society music, is pure delight.

The Lindy: I have said so much about my favorite dance, there is no need to elaborate.....

And there is one more that rounds out the "Big Five." It is exciting, breathtakingly fast and a real crowd pleaser! It is also the most difficult of all the American Social dances. When you‘re moving at "figure skating" speed ... suddenly stopping short ...turning-on-a-dime, reversing your direction (against the LOD) the girl responding with a smile, following perfectly and rewarding you with words like."Oh, you’re wonderful" I tell you, thats pleasure.

You’ve guessed by now, that I am referring to another of my favorite dances — the spectacular Peabody!

When you can do these five dances of substance well, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you can dance with the most sophisticated Social dancers of New York and Florida. No small accomplishment!

Pub's Side Note: Styles and preferences do change and in the 21st century it is definitely morphing over into Latin. This means Waltz, (chasse and the walking 3 count) Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Tango and Swing. And the line dancing will conform.

The Time for Town Dancer is coming

Town Dancer blog with Calvin and Richard blogging is moving even farther ahead of whatever is in second place. Now, we really have to go for Guest Authors to open, post and close all by themselves without saying "excuse me" to anyone.

"You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could

and should do for themselves."

No annual or monthly meeting. No annual fees or monthly dues. And they can write whenever they damn well please. We cannot get any stricter than that.

Calvin and Richard have both shown interest in Swing. I include an excerpt from an interview with the famous Frankie Manning.

When did you start dancing?

I actually started dancing in 1927. At the time I was 13 years old. I like to say I started dancing then because that’s the first time I can remember going to a ballroom, where there were kids around my age that were dancing. It was the first time I actually had an opportunity to dance with a young lady.

And was that all swing?

At that time it was called swing. Lindy hop had just begun. The youngsters were doing what we had done before, like the Charleston and the dance we called the breakaway, which is the Lindy Hop, period. But at that time it was swing music, so the dance just went along with the music.

Had you studied other kinds of dance before you did swing?

I didn’t study any dancing, period. I never went to dancing school or anything. I just went to dances and watched other people dance and picked up what I saw them doing.

So at the time you called it swing, you didn’t call it jitterbug or lindy hop?

Jitterbug wasn’t even a name back in 1927. The word jitterbug didn’t come about until the mid-thirties. Around ‘37, ‘38, ‘39.

How long after you started dancing did you actually start performing?

I didn’t start performing on stage until 1937, which would be 10 years later

____________________________________________________

Pub's Side Note: Is it possible that Frankie Manning could evolve into the swing icon of the 20th century without a professional teacher. Unbelievable..

So Town Dancer is overdue to become the first independent dance blog in Hawaii. I will stay but only as a Guest Author and get my two cents in once in a while. But the administrators will run it and it will be Social Media.