Portland, Oregon.

Upcoming Dance Events Portland, Oregon. Population less than Honolulu,

but these people like to dance up a storm.

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." --Thoreau

Every Thursday, Dance: 7:30pm to 10:30pm.
Waltz Eclectic Thursday nights at Fulton Park
DJ Dennis Myers, Host Colleen Suzanne. All styles of waltz plus an eclectic mix of other dance music. All ages, all levels. Everyone welcome. Fulton Park C. C., 68 SW Miles, Portland. Cost: $7

Sat. May 4, 2013
Lesson:7:30 Dance: 8:30 -11:00. Stacks Image 20
World Cafe at Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th St, Main Ballroom.
7:30- Lesson: fundamental lesson with Rachel Lidskog
8:15- Dance : DJ Dennis Myers. Cost: $12 for lesson and dance, $10- Dance only

Portland Dance Eclectic presents an evening of dancing to some of the most beautiful and danceable music from around the world, in the spacious, friendly ambience of Portland's premiere dance hall. The lounge and bar will be open. Dancing will in the main ballroom and will be continuous from 8:00 to 11:30.

The music will have a variety of latin, swing, waltz, and blues rhythms. . Expect to be seduced into an evening of dancing outside of the typical categories to both familiar and fresh, new music.
Latin, Swing, Waltz, Blues, NC2S and Alternative Tango. Yes, have a playlist.

Sat. May 11, 2013
Lesson:7:30 Dance: 8:30 -11:30. Blues Eclectic Dance at Norse Hall. Blues, West Coast Swing, Blues, Waltz. Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th St,
7:30 - Lesson with Marjorie McNair. 8:30: DJ: Sam Liebermen
Cost: $10 for lesson and dance, and a playlist.

Sat. May 18, 2013
Lesson:12am - 3pm. Richard Powers Weekend review with Dean Patton from Seattle Paradise Ballroom, 826 SE Belmont

Sunday, May 19, 2013
Lesson: 10:30 - 11:30 am, Dance: 11:30-2:30 pm.
Waltz Eclectic Sunday Brunch and Dance
10:30 to 11:30 Beginners Lesson by Uwe Hessinger
partnered by Colleen Suzanne
11:30 to 2:30pm: Eclectic Dance music dj'd by Dennis Myers The music we play is a ballroom-like mix of contemporary dance styles: a number of varieties waltz and waltz tempos, swing both east and west coast, two steps, latin and music that you can do both blues and tango style dancing to.
Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th St, Cost: $12 for lesson and dance, $10- Dance only

Pub's Side Note: No one seems to know anything about the Laptop computer. Some one is going buy it for the price or some one is going to get it for free if they got the number.

Latin Dancing

Latin dance is a general label (and a term in partner dance competition jargon) that refers to various forms of ballroom dance and folk dance, and can include a range of perhaps four or five hundred different dances from the original inhabitants in Latin America.

"Charity, good behavior, amiable speech, unselfishness — these have been accepted by all and  declared the elements of popularity."

Ballroom examples established by the dance teachers and dance organizations many years ago, include the cha-cha-cha, rumba, salsa, samba, mambo, danza, merengue, tumba, bachata, bomba, plena, paso doble and bolero. Some also include Argentine tango in this list although many tangueros consider themselves quite unique, which may be true.

"Nostalgias" by Placido Domingo

The British did very well in establishing a firm foundation for it all. The big difference in the Standard and Latin became very evident and they accepted the original rock step in the Rumba and Cha Cha Cha. Consequently there is quite an intermission in their competitions between both divisions. The change in costumes, dance attitudes and of course, the music are profound.

In the American style they divided but only as a convenience to others. They regarded Latin only as part of their ballroom dancing. The Rumba and the Cha Cha Cha have a square basic invented in the US and use the rock step only as an alternative basic. Consequently they have established the Smooth Division and the Rhythm Division for Latin but also to include any fast movement such as Swing. The music also seems to increasingly veer off the original Latin music and it becomes, "You can dance Rumba to it." This is not the same as "You  gotta dance Rumba to it." This will become more evident in the new Latin Nightclub.

 

With the new Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Kailua, their Latin

dancing is going to get rolling and this blog may get hits.

We, the social dancers in the popular Latin dance world, must include the staples that were set up for us. Of course, because we are our own people, we are constantly making changes. At the moment we seem to require, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, Merengue, Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Swing, Tango, Latin Waltz. This will be on the musical agenda of the first Latin Nightclub established in the Central Valley of Oahu.

 

"Moliendo Café" by Azucar Moreno

Are there going to be other opinions out there. Of course, we don't carve anything on stone and the dancers will eventually make their own changes. I can imagine a slow, a medium and a fast Samba as three different dance modes and using only the simple chassé as the basic. Wow, whatta dance!

Taxi Dancing

By Genevieve Bernstein, Hawaii Kai.

An off shoot of the Taxi Dances of yesteryear, is about the great dance explosion that started everything one hundred years ago. In the teens decade the US went dance-mad and much of the world followed suit.

"The secret of many a person's success in the world resides in their insight

into the moods of people and their tact in dealing with them."

This dance craze was given much impetus by a young couple Vernon and Irene Castle. Vernon, the English comedian was working in America in stage musicals and Irene, a wannabee dancer met. He got her a job in the musical he was working in and they were married in 1911.

 

They practiced and practiced, went to Paris as a dance team and were very successful. They returned to New York where they began a series of tea dances that became the rage of high society. And of course other dance teachers bloomed all over.
 

"When The Going Gets Tough" by Billy Ocean

From 1912 to 1915 over 100 ballroom dances were created. The Castles founded Castle House, a studio for teaching a refined type of dancing. A natural sociological function to distinguish themselves from the "street dancers," the lower classes. Much as the Internationals have done in present day Hawaii.

They created many dances, the Castle Walk, the Castle Valse Classique, the Castle Tango, the Castle Last Waltz, the Castle Combination, the Castle Lame Duck, and the Maxixe. And most of their dances became fashionable in most American upper class ballrooms. And they firmly established the terminology for this type of dancing as "ballroom."

When they first founded Castle House, they had trouble finding a band that played music suitable for their dances. They met James Reese Europe (a black man) and engaged him as their personal musician. Many black musicians in New York looked down on syncopated music. Ragtime was associated with minstrel shows. Europe decide that his future lay in popular music and realized the power of syncopation, even in the primitive form of those days and made great use of it. He played in Carnegie Hall in 1914 ten years before the great Paul Whiteman.

Legacy Ballroom in Waipio, an example of a modern day ballroom. There is no record of anyone ever dancing on those floors. Dinners? Of course. A ballroom in Hawaii has not meant dancing it has meant eating. Someday, there will be a new one built "The Ecstasy Cultural Dance Room." And you can bet your dance shoes that it will be for dancing.

Pub's Side Note: It is pretty clear now that within two hours from the first attack by North Korea, anywhere, - the entire Capital city of Pyongyang and millions of innocents will disappear from the face of earth. We can do this with just one of our big ones. They are asking for it and we will oblige.

Personal

The personal part is shaping up. Relatives come first. My neice, Yvonne and her daughter Bridget who have been doing a good job of keeping me informed and I have seen them more than I have seen anyone of my other relatives.

"It requires less character to discover the faults of others

than is does to tolerate them."

Yvonne keeps me informed on her travels and she knows I enjoy hearing that my relatives are having a good time. I am not the only one that lives in paradise. She along with her mother, my sister Bea. just celebrated their birthdays and I was able to contribute to their happiness.

Left: Bea and on the right, Scott, Bea and Bridgit

 

Then I have my two sisters, Bea and Tillie and they have some general news, as per usual, to say now and then. I keep in touch as far as their birthdays and I know they share.

Jacob

So I have my granddaughter Tracey and her son Jacob, who communicate with me regularly and I just got an up to date photo of my great grandson Jacob. And his birthday is coming up in May. I should find out the date of Tracey's birthday. I know that whatever I can contribute will be shared and that is good enough for me.


Then lately I am having some contact with my people back in Nicaragua. Some back when they knew me as Profe. They were kids then, in Nicaragua. Pinki now lives in Tennessee and Daysi in Florida. Added to this I have Vard Omeir my present connection in Bluefields. He hasn't communicated in a while but I am hoping, for the check I sent just cleared my  bank.

"La Distancia" por Roberto Carlos

We have a good start and of course first they have to tune in a see what is already here. Then hopefully they can add to it now and then. With the addition of a Guest Author the others may see what it develops into. Then it will be theirs, all I can do is try.

Cinco de Mayo Coming Up

When I first got here, several decades ago, one of the pleasant surprises was to see the celebration of Cinco de Mayo in Honolulu. I had no idea that anyone in Hawaii knew of this Mexican Holiday.

"Common sense ain't so common. Do not try to live for ever.

You will not succeed."

I even came across an old story, you probably heard it too. Way back in the 1860s, the Mexicans were very much into Mayonnaise. They thought it was the absolute greatest. So there was a boat from the US bound for Mexico with 50000 jars of Mayonnaise. Unfortunately it came upon a storm in the Gulf of Mexico and sank. The news hit Mexico like a shock wave and they made it into a new national holiday and called it, "Sinko de Mayo"

Information received direct from Alma Latina Productions

Cinco de Mayo Street Party in Downtown Honolulu
Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Location: Hotel Street and Nuuanu Avenue, Downtown Honolulu

This celebration serves to bring awareness to Oahu’s diverse population of 120,000 Hispanics from over 22 nations. It is co-produced by the Arts at Marks Garage, The Arts District Merchant Association, ChinatownGetDown.com, Alma Latina Radio Show and others. This celebration will showcase the diversity of Latino culture in Hawaii and includes music, dance, cuisine and the arts.

The Cinco de Mayo Street Festival specifically highlights Honolulu’s connection to all the beautiful colors, dances, arts, music, folklore and cuisine of Latin America.

Local Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban restaurants will feature seasonal specialties, alongside downtown landmark establishments and the best of Honolulu lunch-wagon eateries. Expect Nachos, spicy Chili Con Queso, Tamales and Horchata, Elotes and Pasteles, alongside Chicken Mole and Green Rice, Mexican Pizza, Lamb & Chicken Biryani, French crepes and Cheesecake. There will be more in the follow up.

Pub's Side Note: 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. Facing these independent voices, the old clique machine starts to crumble.

Oldies Bash Poster

Wendell Kwan has been gracious enough to send us a poster of the upcoming smash at the Pacific Beach Hotel. I asked for a few more words from someone, but he says the poster speaks for itself. Right On. Wendell, there will be time enough later.

This developing Peer group is looking better all the time. A peer group is a group with members of approximately the same age, social status, and interests. In this case the appreciation of the classic music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. That music that will remain unforgettable even for many of the younger folk.

 

"Yesterday" by the Beatles

 

Pub's Side Note: Blogs are more personal, direct and more current communication, They leave an opening for comments in each blog and they are receptive to more formal answers and opinions in the blog itself. The hits go through the ceiling. Real Social Media is much different than anything any of us have come across before. New to me too.

 

 

Shall We Dance?

Hang In There!
By Frank Takahashi, Wahiawa

Having just finished college on the Mainland, I took a Ballroom dance class at Arthur Murray's in 2004 as a way to meet the fair sex. Sound familiar ?

"We ought to dance with rapture that we might be alive …

and part of the living, incarnate cosmos." -D.H. Lawrence

The course taught 6 dances and we met 6 Tuesdays for an hour. I paid close attention, I tried hard, and I was pleased to receive several compliments. I was excited when the instructor invited the class to go Ballroom Dancing with him the coming Friday for "Graduation".  I even remember going over my notes thinking what a great time I was going to have that night !

Talk about a set up ! I never had a chance. First I found I couldn’t tell a Tango from a Waltz from a Swing to save my life. To my inexperienced ear, they all sounded the same. Then once the instructor told me what dance it was, I realized I could not remember the steps. The poor women in the class, bless their hearts, encouraged me to try and reminded me of some of the steps.

"Hold Me Now" By The Thompson Twins

Then I found out I didn’t know how to lead the steps ! In class we had memorized the patterns. I started to seethe. Next I found I couldn’t hear the beat and think of the steps at the same time. Now I was angry ! The ladies tried to cheer me up. They said none of the other guys were doing very well either. Oh, great. That makes me feel much better.

But nothing prepared for the final acid pill. There was a girl in the class I had a hopeless crush on. I had tired unsuccessfully to dance with her three times that night. As she sat there twiddling her thumbs at the table, the instructor came over and asked her to dance.

She couldn’t remember a thing either, but once he put his big arms around her she started to Waltz like Cinderella. She smiled and laughed and forgot about me. Hmmm, so this is what leading is all about. I just crossed my arms and steamed. It was obvious in the game of leading and following, the guy got the short end of the stick.

 

"Young At Heart" by Frank Sinatra

I contemplated the cosmic joke that the sex that needs the easier part somehow got stuck with the harder part. No Fair ! Where do I go to report this injustice ?  No, I was not the winner. I soon left. Despite my total humiliation, afterwards I decided not to quit.  I sure am glad I didn't.  Nor should you. I am still having the time in my life in the social clubs and even in the nightclubs.

 

"Through these blogs read the most informed cultural dancers in the Pacific."

 

 

Knic Knacks

Our newest and bottom blog in hits is of course, NxNW Oahu. The geographical center has been temporarily set where the Turtle Bay Hilton is located so they will cover the Eastern part of the North Shore and the Northern part of Windward Oahu. This central location will of course be changed according to the Guest Authors that will eventually take it over.

"A well-grounded assurance is always attended with three fair handmaids:

love, humility and holy joy."

Many of our reader/dancers have friends and/or relatives living in these sections. Perhaps some of them may be interested in reading, writing, looking and submitting photos and whatever it takes to make this blog into Social Media of cultural dance. This a test to see if I can can set it up "long distance." I will just help to build it up, they will inherit it whenever they are ready.

I have found very little on the Western part of the North Shore, and I am now looking for something in the Northern part of the Windward Shore. I have been told that there is plenty there. We will see what we will see. The main thing is that already the Rail Tragedy is screwing up the works in the West with the Rail, not only in the city government. More people are getting interested in dancing on the Windward side. Arthur Murray already has set up a branch studio in Kailua and they know what they are doing.

I know there have been attempts lately of teaching International Style of dance but it went no where. So it looks very good for the American Style especially if they get a few bands playing out there in some nice cozy clubs. Some of the best American Style dancers have been taught in the East by very capable teachers.

"In The Mood" by Glenn Miller

There is a number that appears each week in the Western Oahu blogs. I get it from the closing Dow Jones on the Friday before. It usually appears by Saturday. It is a form of lottery in which the prize in this case is a used Acer Laptop computer in perfect condition with Window Vista installed. If your Social Security Number ends in the same two digits, the Laptop is yours. I thought I was going to use it extensively so I got a bargain extra battery. You can have that too.

Update Looking Good

Our bottom blog in our blogosphere remains of course, NxNW Oahu. The center for now is approximately where the Turtle Bay Hilton is located so they will cover the Eastern part of the North Shore and the Northern part of Windward Oahu. Many of our reader/dancer have friends and/or relatives that live in these sections.

"If you’re unsure of yourself, dance as though nobody were watching.

If you know you’re good, dance as though everybody were watching."

 

Perhaps they may be interested in reading, writing, looking and submitting photos and whatever it takes to make it Social Media in cultural dance. This a test to see if I can set it up "long distance." I will just help to build it up, they will inherit it whenever they are ready.

Most of our blogs are for the beginners and lower intermediates. The higher intermediates and advanced dancers already know it all, so there is not much they can learn in these blogs. There are other blogs for them and it should all be quite understandable. No Hu Hu.

Dancing, for us, is just discovery, discovery, discovery.

We are still getting a lot of flyers that are meant for the entire world of some people’s fans. "To whom it may concern." Many are short, informative and necessary for those that have not seen the information. However we get very very few that are specifically for our reader/dancers. We will get there.

We accept because we must accept but it will be much better when we can develop this into real social media. And that requires input from a lot more people than we have now. The difference is being able to respond with your own opinion, whether the same or different. This is part of what is known as Web 2.0.

The lucky number for the used laptop will now be for entire island blogs. Anybody reading any blog got the last two in your SS#, that's it. Laptop is yours.

"For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield

Pub's Side Note: A dance blog is what all "dance websites would like to be" updated on a regular basis, containing content that is of interest to a select or target audience. Information easy to update and change. Our readers are gradually picking up on this action and the average hits per day are going up.

Rumba 301

Caribbean Music is not the same as the rest of Latin America. The Son cubano is a style of music that originated in Cuba. The word son (literally meaning 'sound' in Spanish) has also come to be used for other traditional rural musical styles of Spanish-speaking countries.

"Dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."

Son combines the basic structure and elements of native rhythms and percussion instruments of Caribbean origin and the Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar. The Cuban son is one of the most influential and widespread forms of Latin American music: its derivatives and fusions have spread across the world.

The terminology as has been used by historians is quite diverse with many identical items having many terms and many different items have the same term. This can be quite confusing. The name derives from the Spanish word, Rumbo.  "Por ese rumbo," means, "like that," "similar to," "somewhat," and which was applied by the Spanish to all the similar dances in the Caribbean.

"Dazed And Confused" by the Led Zeppelin

Later on Rumbo evolved from the dance to mean "party" or "spree." It is secular, with no religious connections. Over time, rumba ceased to be simply another word for party and took on the meaning both of a defined Cuban musical genre and also of a very specific form of dance.

The term spread in the 1930s and 1940s to the faster popular music of Cuba (the "Peanut Vendor" was a classic), where it was used as a catch-all term, rather like salsa today. Also, the term is used in the international Latin-American dance syllabus, where it is a misnomer for the music used for this slower dance is the bolero-son, much slower. Ballroom rumba is basically son and not based on the authentic folkloric rumba. Similarly, the African style of pop music called African Rumba or soukous is also son-based.

"Tangerine" by Jimmy Dorsey

Rumba is danced very nicely on Oahu in Night Clubs and Social Dance Clubs and the only negative is that the music may not be Latin. So you "can" dance rumba to it, but it definitely is not the same as you "gotta" dance rumba to it. This will take a while to permeate all quarters. Our blogs are bringing all this out for our reader/dancers to see, so Rome was not built in a day.

Pub's Side Note: A dance blog is what all "dance websites would like to be" updated on a regular basis, containing content that is of interest to a select or target audience. Information easy to update and change. Our readers are gradually picking up on this action.

The Middle of April

This blog is standing still. Not too bad but this is at a time when all the others are moving ahead. The town blog, Honolulu Dance Guide (for the live music aficionados in town) is doing just great. They are closing in on Town Dancer, our top blog. We still do not know who is running it. They keep away from International types and adhere to the American Style of Dance. Not unlike most of us. So there seems to be plenty of reader/dancers in that category.

 

"Life is variable - a rich strain of music, suggesting a realm too fair to be."

We are not getting much from Dot's in Wahiawa or Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club, just a few flyers. So we can understand and let them stay at a respectable distance. They have Web sites so obviously, for them, those are more effective means of communication.

We are making small contacts with Mililani Chapter HBDA, and the advantage is they don't have a Web site. What an opportunity for the "proof is in the pudding." They will be able to see the results in blogging. And we can just be patient with  "Just Tacos," they have a Web site.  If we can include the Line dancing in Mililani, the center of this blog will be shifting over to Mililani.

 

"People Get Ready" by the Impressions

The North Shore has some dancing but no one connected to our blogs knows anything about these. Most of their dancers are connected to the area Ewa to the Stadium and many still believe in "keep the country, country." Many prefer to attend in town where supposedly they have Da Reel Teeng. Then most are well educated and understand paying for a Web site. But they are still wondering about a blog. Blogs must be making it somewhere. This will take time. A counter?  What's dat?

With Waikele and Waipio, the silence has been deafening. Except that most people accept the fact that the Rail Catastrophe will make the Dance Pavilion null and void. The West coulda been a contendah! It's the dough, Flo. The Rail Party already making millions. Property taxes going up? You ain't seen nuttin' yet. But you voted for Caldwell's Rail Party, now we are all stuck with them.

Pub's Side Note: There are three rules for getting guaranteed hits in a blog. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

Shaping Up Good

Notice from Maurice on the dinner/dance at the Pavillion of the Red Café, plus the additional notice of the Fund Raiser at Ige's Restaurant and 19th Puka. Then received from Wendell Kwan notice of the Oldies Soc Hop at the Pacific Beach Hotel in October. This blog is beginning to communicate to the reader/dancers what they wish to read about.

"The best defense of the Truth is just to tell it,

 rather than to spend a lot of time refuting error."

Much of it is plain old advertising and repeated too much can be grating. But initially it is always communication specially if is short, sweet and to the point. Blogs are quite different than other social media and they must invite "outside" opinions. That is the real gist of blogging, a presentation of the many different opinions that are out there, and like noses, everyone has got one.

 

"Revolution" by the Beatles

We need dancers that are willing to share a few happy dance moments in time and a couple photos with the reader/dancers of this blog which should be the same friends, neighbors and fellow dancers. We receive many flyers of advertising information but they will not share the good fun they had with the same reader/dancers.

No information and no photos. They have their own reasons and we must respect, among them is the custom of advertising in ordinary media in the last century. You can see the blog in Town Dancer by Calvin Ota and realize that some bloggers can get the hits going into the stratosphere. People are reading their contributions.

And I have had several people that have even suggested "You should do this and ..... etc." Someone has authorized them to defined my job description. Well, let me tell all of you, no one knows anything about dance blogging including me. We are all just finding out by doing. We do need more people to try to share a little information and perhaps a couple photos of you and your fellow dancers enjoying yourselves in last nights shindig. That is very interesting to your fellow dancers.

Who knows, some of you may learn to like the sharing and the joy you give to others by doing so. Then you can surely phase over into a Guest Author and open, write, post photos and close it all without saying "boo" to anyone. And the hits will go through the ceiling. And you will have become a blogger.

"Three Coins In The Fountain" by the Four Aces

Pub's Side Note: 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.

Swing Dancing in the West

Jason Abucay, Haleiwa

In Hawaii, the Cultural dancers refer to the term "Swing dancing" as generically to one or all of the following swing era dances: Lindy Hop, Lindy Charleston, Shag, Balboa and Blues. This group is often extended to include West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Hand Dancing, Jive, Rock and Roll, Modern Jive, and other dances developing in the 1940s and later.

"You can hurt me with the truth, but don't comfort me with a lie."

 

A strong tradition of social and competitive boogie woogie and acrobatic rock'n'roll in Europe add these dances to their local swing dance cultures all over the world. In Singapore and other scenes, Latin dances such as salsa and Tango are often taught and danced within the "Swing scene", and for many scenes tap dancing and a range of other jazz dances are considered key, as are hip hop and other contemporary African American street dances. The variations continue, dictated by local dance community interests.

 

"I Can See For Miles" by The Who

Many swing dancers today argue that it is important to dance many styles of partner dance to improve technique, but also to reflect the historical relationship between these dances in the swing era of the 1920s and 1930s. In the Savoy Ballroom, for example, bands would often play waltzes, Latin songs and so on, as well as swinging jazz. Dancers were often familiar with a wide range of popular and traditional dances.

The Swing Dancers on this island have a way to go in defining themselves. For now they are mostly a nice gang of compatible people and they enjoy dancing with each other. One of them will some day write their opinion of swing in their club that will be of much value to our reader/dancers. For now we will include a little swing dancing in our social dance menu.

"Mr. Sandman" by the Chordettes

Pub's Side Note: Be sure not to miss Calvin's blog in Town Dancer. Covers the competition dancing in L.A. very nicely for The Hawaii Team, write ups and plenty photos. Gonna break all records for hits.

Contact

Well, finally got in contact with my Granddaughter, Tracey in California. She moved to a new house in La Habra. My great grandson Jacob doing just fine in school and terrific in sports. I will have to get some photos in here of them. Unfortunately most of my relatives still take the old kind, have them developed and then sent by snail mail.

"One truth out of context can prove very dangerous."

I just got a new scanner to take care of these photos but it is much easier if they sent them by email. From there it is an easy process to use in my blogs or wherever on my computers. So I am looking forward to have more photos of the family in this blog.

This blog just never made it as Nanakuli Ridge. The possible readers just
didn't know what I was doing. Had to extend the parameters.

Made contact with my neice, Yvonne and I cannot believe how old she is. Just celebrated her birthday a week ago. I sent a check and she writes about the party and all the fun they are having which, of course, is very gratifying for my heart. Perhaps I may get some photos in the email, that I can covert easily into this blog. So we all learn.

Meanwhile this blog and the NxNW Oahu blog remain at the bottom of the totem pole in hits. Nobody knows much about these blogs and it is going take time. The only links they have now is to our other blogs so that is a hardship, but they will prevail. They should be getting good hits in a few months.

"I Feel Fine" by the Beatles

Fortunately, I am meeting more people that have good speakers on their computers. With some good speakers (or good earphones) you can play music that may sound better than your high class stereos.  I can give them some of my music, You Tubes. I can see the singers in the show.

 

It is still fun

It is amazing that all the blogs increase hits slowly and then stop. They seem to hit a wall, also known as The Law of Diminishing Returns. But that means only if conditions remain the same. So I must change the conditions that will keep the hits rising. Of course there were changes in the number of blogs and types so there had to be readjustments and the entire blogosphere is still an ongoing process. The Guest Author is the simple answer at this point.

 

"Every truth should be accompanied by some corresponding act."

Meanwhile our best blogs are still Town Dancer and Oahu And Beyond. They have, in effect, split the hits of downtown Honolulu. But together they still have almost 50% of the average hits per day of all the dance blogs on this Island. Both are getting hits from the Neighbor islands and throughout the Pacific Basin.

This will increase just naturally and once either one of them gets a Guest Author they are on their way to independence. I am not going to live forever so I must provide for this.

"El Dia Que Me Quieras" por Carlos Gardel

Da Spin Doctor was doing just great in this blog and we just don't know what happened to him. The reader/dancers are gradually beginning to know each other and we must get a Guest Author from this group. This is what we have continually referred to as social media. We will evolve into a new type social dance group. The best blogs will go into independence, the "junk" blogs will remain mine until the end.

If Oahu West had another Jimbo Johnson, "They could be a contendah,"  For contributing information and photos, he was perfect but anyone from the area would be fine. For now Oahu West is just moving along. What is it? It is the point of view. Even on the same dance floor, your point of view from the opposite end is different from mine from my side.

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul." ~ Martha Graham

Of course, HBDA is beginning to kokua all around so that is looking good. I have been talking to some people there and it would be good publicity for them and a win-win situation for everyone. Come on folks, let's get some people on the bandwagon.

The new Dance Hawaii is beginning to open up connections with the night club scene and that should be good for everyone. Ige's in Pearl City and Red Café in town is good beginning. Some members would rather not and that can be understandable, leave'em be. We are here to help all the dancers that will allow us to help them. All others that do not wish to be part of our endeavors will be respected.

All of our possible reader/dancers are divided into three groups. Those that are with us, those that are willing to go along and those that oppose us. We must do everything we can for those the first two groups. We will ignore the third, which they will appreciate. It is really quite simple and everyone will be happy.

Blogger's Law #18b: There is no time like the present to postpone what you don't want to do.

 

 

Competition Dancing

By Ralph Richardson, Waikele
Review of the thesis on Competitive Ballroom Dancing as a Social Phenomenon:

the anthropological approach.

The following investigation develops a critique of Competitive Ballroom Dancing as a social phenomenon from an anthropological perspective and that of a non-dancer. In order to do this the thesis is concerned with interrelating dance with anthropology. The concepts of how people express themselves and communicate in society provides the study with the scope to explore certain issues.

"There are not that many facts in dancing, but plenty of interpretations."

The first aspect shows how a person would prepare to be a dancer in competition, this involves, among other things, learning to dance, finding a suitable partner and the overall appearance of the dancer. Secondly looking at competition, which involves sport and dance, judgement and perception of how the dancers and spectators view it.

The embodied content of the competitive dancer is seen as an important issue, since it can affect how the dancers dance and how the dance is perceived, despite the fact that competitive ballroom dancing is such a highly formal, structured and rule-governed form of dance. And there are many that can enjoy the game of dancing according to some one's rules.

"Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Ritual and performance theories integrating different tendencies are juxtaposed with what appears to happen in this form of dance. In addition various types of altered state of mind are examined, in view of comments made by dancers about how they feel when dancing even though most participants enjoy it.

Furthermore this thesis explores an understanding of how important this form of dancing is to its participants and how the activity can be a life-long pursuit whether as a dancer or subsequently as a spectator. It also illustrates the extent to which younger people enjoy an activity where there is great emphasis on being fit and how they have come to link it with sport.

For me, I will continue to prefer the popular dance which we do now and I am able to dance at social dance functions equally well as in the night club circuit. In the West we just need more places where we can dance and we will have more dancers.

"If you are not a thinking person, to what purpose are you a person at all?
 

Pub's Side Note: There are three rules for getting guaranteed hits in a blog. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.