Not Doing So Good

This blog dropped down to single digit average per day hits. Something that is generally understood for most dance Web and Blog sites. My goal is around 33 average hits per day which tell me plainly that I not just beating my gums. Of course this has been happening when we have had only one unified opinion. The diversity makes for much more interest in the reader/dancers.

"If one of our dreams should fall apart into a million pieces, we should

not be afraid to pick up one of the pieces and start again."

Information Contributors and Guest Author have many honest and different opinions, which make SOS ;superfluous. And that is what we have at the moment in most of our blogs.having a single voice. We must spread it around and it will take communication and time.

"Three Coins In The Fountain" by the Four Aces

Meanwhile, throughout the US, the Latin Influence in music and social dance is increasing. The  Whites have only the Waltz and Fox Trot to call their own, along with a half dozen others from minor groups. The Blacks have at least a half dozen good ones. The fifty or so remaining are strictly Latin and all based on the original Native music and dance. Most of it from what had been in the Americas for centuries before the first illegal immigrants arrived.

Dance to express not to impress

Dance like nobody is watching

Dance is music made visible

Dance is silent poetry

Happy New Year Everyone.

Still Solid

This blog is doing very well in the average hits for the last two months. All the blogs have gone into a two month basis, November and December. Great in November and then the drop in December due to lack of blogging. Then too, there is an abundance of social media and we all understand how our reader/dancers can access this wealth of information with as little as a click of a mouse.

"When dancers dream alone it usually remains only a dream, but when

many dancers dream together it is the beginning of a new reality."

During my lost time of four weeks, I have had time to read and noticed that traditional media methods are struggling and that high-quality journalism has been hard to find, even in this age of abundance. However, our reader/dancers now have a choice, which was something that was strictly limited before.

"Morning Dew" by Melveen :Leed

Some are finding out that in blogging they can furnish original information and also talk back with their opinions and that is something that is going to take some getting use to.This is happening in this century and it never happened before.

"I'll Remember You"  by Don Ho

The dance community on Oahu is slowly beginning to realize what they can do. They will recognize all the different factions and respect them all.  It will take a while. The cliques were able contributors of negative information and much lying influence at one time but now are on the wane. We will soon have the real meat and potatoes of what we want in our dancing and fortunately we will have choices. of how to get it.

Happy New Year Everybody!

Mexican Singers

Three of the top Mexican Singers.

If you are familiar with the songs "Me Bajas," "Me Subes" and "Basta Ya," as well as the albums called Una Noche En Madrid and La Historia Continua 3, then you already know one of the best Mexican singers is Marco Antonio Solis. Born: Dec 29, 1959 in Ario, Mexico and now age 56,
Recognized as one of the greats as a musician,  singer, composer and record producer in Mexico, and worldwide famous for his works, Solís has 5 Latin Grammy Awards. He began performing at age 6 as part of Los Hermanitos Solís, with cousin, Joel Solís.

In the mid-1970s he formed the band  "Los Bukis and their first song was Falso Amor ("False love".) Its style became popular in Latin America, Marco Antonio wrote the songs and the album sold one million records in one year earning the album "diamond" status. 

"Contigo A La Distancia" por Luis Miguel

Dolores de la Colina Flores, born 26 December 1948, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Now 67 years old she was a popular singer and songwriter from the 70's based in Mexico. In 1974, she was discovered while in Puerto Rico by Tico/Alegre's Joe Cain and signed to the label.

"La Media Luz"

Por Julio Iglesias

During the 1970’s she became one of the most famous singer/composers in Latin America. Among her most notable songs are "Perdon" and "Tu Nombre Me Lo Callo." She also wrote songs for Manoella Torres, Daniela Romo, Sophy, and several other musicians.

Lolita de la Colina has received numerous awards throughout her successful career. It also highlights that she has received awards on television and the Heraldos of Mexico, as well as multiple awards from the ACRIM and Acca as its renowned author and composer. Lolita de la Colina has conquered a place of honor in the world of Spanish-speaking dedicated songwriters. In 2014, she was inducted in to the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

"Ahora Que Soy Libre" por Manoella Torres

Manuel Jorge de Elías (born June 5, 1939) is a Mexican composer and conductor. He initially studied under his father, composer Alfonso de Elías. He was the founder of the Music Institute at the University of Veracruz, which was established in 1975. In 1988, he founded the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra. He directed the Las Rosas Conservatory in Morelian in 1990-91. In 1992 he was awarded the National Prize for Arts and Sciences of Mexico.

He has produced 175 scores. Many of his works make use of serialism and images or graphics in the scores. His Mictlán-Tlatelolco was dedicated to the victims of the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. He conducted the premiere of Alex Panamá's guitar concerto, Destellos de una Vida.

Manuel De Elias.The man who worked hard to establish the Musical Institute at the University of Veracruz is also  noted as one of the best Mexican singers. He is well known for his musical works such as "Vitral 1 Chamber Orchestra," "Divertimento for Drum-kit," "Sonate 1 for Piano" and a lot more.

Dancer's Law No. 27B: If an idea can survive a dance club's

bureaucratic review and implemented, it wasn't worth doing.

We Dance

By Philip Arakawa, Pearl City

Most of us regard ourselves as dancers and live with the enjoyment of moving to music. And yes, we admire the great exhibition and competition dancers. But we understand, and of course they do too, we are a different kind of dancer. And we must not make the mistake of thinking we are all same kind of dancers. As most of us good people are, we shall not look down on anyone.

“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”

We begin to know that the one step is nice and easy. Been done for ages. In Merengue it just has a little different hip motion. And not much difference from the two step. The three step is like the polka or waltz is also easy to come by, just follow the music beat. But they are still walking dance steps. And when we realize that there are over six hundred steps and patterns in the Waltz alone. Wow! Most of us are having a ball with less than thirty.

There is also a way to dance the foxtrot, just one, two, three, four. What we have been doing is moving to our kind of music and our way.  Others must do it their way and even insist that their way is the "correct" way. But if your partner can go along, fine. Fortunately, the women in Hawaii are fortune teller. They can tell very one whatever your fat head wishes in performing the movement.

"Burning Love" by Elvis Presley 

"I Remember You" by Don Ho

So the whole thing comes down to what we do as social dancers. If you are not doing it, "toe, toe, heel, toe" or is it the other way around? No one worries about it. You are dancing and not getting any bad habits according to "those in the know".  You are dancing so it feels good, not someone's instructions on what you should to feel good. Then you discover the slow, quick, quick or the quick, quick slow.

Now there is one of the greatest movements to the proper music ever invented. In the Mexican civilizations with professional dancers, that was the preferred movement 2000 years ago. And it has remained a preferred movement even to this day. Look in to it - your dancing life can be beautiful.

X - you are here. If you are not here, please ignore this message.

Mariachis

Musicologists and folklorists have argued for years over the origin of the word - Mariachi. And in Hawaii we will just try to get a little closer to it. The explanation that appears most frequently - especially on record jackets and in travel brochures - is that it is a variation of the French word mariage, meaning wedding or marriage, and comes from the time in the nineteenth century when Maximillian, an Austrian, was Emperor of Mexico.

"Perhaps we should remember that it is not only us who are
seeking truth, but truth may be seeking us.

According to this myth the Mariachi was named by the French after the celebration with which it was most commonly associated. But this explanation, always regarded as highly doubtful by linguists, was totally discredited recently when a use of the word was found that predated the time when the French arrived in Mexico.

Currently, however, the best scholarly opinion is that the word mariachi has native roots. One theory is that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians. But whatever its true source - and the truth may never be discovered with absolute certainty - the word today has one meaning that is crystal clear: Mariachi means one of the most exciting and enchanting musical ensembles found anywhere in the world.

This beautiful music has been used mostly for listening pleasure. But in Mexico they are evolving into playing more danceable tunes and getting bigger crowds of dancers. They use the most simple of movements, the even step, the rock step and the chassé. And of course, the cross body lead is very common.

Bloggger's Law No. 8C: Most errors in blogs are not noticed

until a few days after the blog has been published.

Social Dancing

By Gerald Ching, Kahala

Social dancing is where good technique is important. However most social dancers have few moves to learn. The fancy dancers are the ones that require the fancy techniques. There are over six hundred steps and patterns in Salsa. Most people do very well and enjoy their dance with less than fifty.

“The truth is not for all dancers, but only for those who seek it.”

"Pushing Too Hard" By The Seeds

You didn't know that? Fortunately most social dancers enjoy and get plenty of practice in the doing. Good social dancers focus on partnership, leading/following, moving well on the dance floor with good basics and improvisation, because anything can happen on the social dance floor.

"Incense and Peppermints" By the Strawberry Alarm Clock

Social dancing can be uncontrolled dancing in an uncontrolled environment with unpredictable results. Some social dancers are fairly technical, in learning and executing the patterns with ease and using basic  technique. Others take the non-technical approach, where they're usually not too concerned with posture, balance, or timing but are intent on "just dancing."

Dancers Law No. 17G: We can make it foolproof, but we cannot make it damnfoolproof.

And how many times have you seen a couple make a mistake on the dance floor, stop and double over with laughter. Why? Because they are having fun and that is the name of the game. That is social dancing and we must communicate the difference so more people will understand.

The Tangos

I use the plural because there are so many tangos all over the world. Argentine Tango leads all the rest, but if you have ten different tangos in Argentina alone, there must be a few more throughout the world. Having so many just dilutes the available aficionados. The basic moves is all that we really need to enjoy moving to the music.

" We can assert our right to make a few mistakes. If people can't
accept our imperfections, that's their cross to bear."

Next is the American Tango and originally came from the original Milonga.of the late 1890s. It was a good ballroom dance that branched away from its original Argentine roots. It has allowed European, American, Hollywood, and competitive influences into the style and execution of the dance. But it has become the social tango dance of the people and it is still evolving. It has had a heavy influence in the US, of course, but also in the parts of the world where the US has had a large social influence, including Europe.

The International was fast coming up in the world, because it wast meant to be seen. It involves a very elite group and arguably the best Tango dancers in the world. Simply because they are taught to dance Tango correctly according to their rules which stands to reason since they are going to be judged according to those rules. Once they know that they are dancing correctly they can phase over into dance exhibitions very easily and are very good at it.

And every region in the world has their own versions of tango. The most famous and lately evolving is the Finnish Tango. Now spreading through Scandinavia and the Baltics and even Russia. There has now been a name change to the Nordic Tango.

"La Media Luz" por Julio Iglesias

The most famous in Hawaii is the Philippine Tango which may be in process of amalgamation with the American Tango.They could easily be made into one. Who knows?

"Mi Buenos Aires Querido" por Placido Domingo

I'm not against religion, because I think it serves a good purpose in our society and it can be helpful to many groups of people. I do think we all have a spirit, and I think there's a lot more to life and human consciousness than science can explain. But I prefer looking to science for answers because they can be tested and they can be vigorously logical. I will go into a sleep soon enough, as all of us have done and will do. Everyone accepts that I will never wake up from that sleep and I do too.

Dance Law, No 43C
Everything depends - Nothing is always - Everything is sometimes.

Health Trip To Town.

I had to get out of this apartment. I am getting ":stir crazy." I planned on going to town and dropping in on Makua Alii and Don Quijote. And I missed the bus, had to wait for the next. But the next was not bad and I had a good seat. Got to Ala Moana Center about seven PM. Took a nice walk to Makua Alii, (about 20 minites) and the class was just ending. Now starts the social dancing. I took some photos and gave out "two storage disks." I also had a dance and left at 8, first getting some ice cubes for the mix in my flask.

 This place is going to get rolling again soon.

  

 “The truth, of course, is that a billion falsehoods told a billion times by a billion people are still false.”

Then dropped by Don Quijote and bought a new flask. Got to Ala Moana about five minutes before the last C bus leaves. Nice ride and I was home before ten pm feeling better about the whole thing. I give out my promotional discs simply as storage. This does not require "burning" into the disk using special programs for it is all digital. (computer.) You can transfer, copy or delete any thing that is stored on the disk and it can be used over and over again.

 "You Are So Beautiful" by Carol Kai

You can store, text, music and videos as long as it is digital. I the hearing apparatus has a big function. Cheap, tinny speaker on most computer will give you cheap, tinny music. Earphones are pretty good but only for one person. Thirty dollar speaker connects to the computer will give you a very nice sound. I have given away my CD player and all my CDs. I have given away my DVD player and all my DVDs. I have everything I want on the Internet and I can download most of it when I want it.

"Please, God, I want patience, and I want it now!" 

Mexican Singers

Yuri. A famous singer, actress and TV host, Yuri is definitely one of the 10 best Mexican singers that has been in the entertainment business for over thirty years. One of her most noted works is her album "Llena de Dulzura," that was very successful upon its release.
 

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;

the point is to discover them."

She was very successful through out Latin America from the beginning and her new handsome husband was an amateur but he became her manager and he learned fast and help make her into a household name, all over. Unfortunately he was good looking and exposed to many beautiful women in his travels and he finally admitted his weakness. Their separation became very tragic for both but specially for Yuri.

"Acopaniame" by Yuri and Mijares

She had affairs with many handsome men and she always called it off, she did not want to be fooled again. After three years she got religion and in her church she met her present husband eleven years younger than her and they have been married over 20 years. She sometimes uses him as a model in her song videos and he comes across as a nice guy. The best one is in "El Trieste."

"Hasta Que Te Conoci" by Juan Gabriel

Juan Gabriel. A singer and songwriter, and one of the first gay men accepted by a dominant Macho Mexican Society. It was very difficult when he first started. He was alone on the stage and subject to many cat calls from the men in the audience. He soon found out that he would get less, when the small band was with him on the stage.

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Now, he has an entire symphony orchestra on stage with him and also an entire chorus group. Perhaps a few fun digs but no more nasty cat calls. Juan Gabriel is now a recipient of several awards for his compositions.

"Hasta Que Te Conoci"

By Juan Gabriel

Some of his famous albums include Inocente de Ti, El Alma Joven, En El Palacio de Bellas Artes and a lot more. His music is known worldwide, and October 5th was declared by the 1996 mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley as "The Day of Juan Gabriel."

On the Internet: Brushing alone won't prevent cavities.
What about us that always brush by ourselves?

What's a blog?

There are so many different kinds of blogs that after two decades, I am not sure. Mine have not clearly defined themselves because we do not have enough Information Contributors to do it. And I want them to do it. At its heart, dance blogging is about sharing your dance knowledge with the dancing world. Choosing a topic and there are many, that you can be passionate about makes the process of getting into a blog so much easier.

"The greatest good you can do for another person is not just
to share your riches but to reveal to them their own."

We can all learn from others. I am not ashamed to admit that I have made a ton of mistakes but I have learned a lot. We can all benefit from the two decades of my experience so that you don’t repeat these same mistakes. The internet is exploding with growth right now and more people than ever are online. This explosion in growth means more potential readers for our blogs.

"My Little Grass Shack" by Melveen Leed

"Aloha Ku`u Home Kane`ohe" by Loyal Garner 

The counters are not the greatest invention of mankind but they do help and by averaging I can get a good idea which is the better blog. The top blog Town Dancer is losing more hits that the others, but with one more Guest Author it should hold steady as number one. They have always been on my agenda to go independent. The junk blogs will remain mine. And I publish the results every Saturday in The Dance Blogs. They fluctuate quite a bit but usually settle down by the tenth of the month.

We must also must communicate to some people that are not aware. We are not an "instead of" whatever you have for public relations. We are "in addition to" whatever you have. An additional fact is that we do not charge anyone for communicating to the readers. We are not advertising. Our blogs are not a money making proposition.

In Nanakuli: What is despair?   "It's da tire you keep in the da trunk of da car."

Rumba

Son means sound in Spanish and when the Spanish arrived in the Caribbean, they applied that name to all the music and dance of something that resembled the Fast Rumba of the time. And it was danced in different fashions in different islands by the native Indians.

 "Knowledge is knowing facts. Wisdom is knowing what
to do with the facts that you do know."

When describing the music and dance and not having a name, the sailors would say, "por ese rumbo." In that neighborhood, similar or "li dat." It was applied to the Beguine, the Calypso, the Montuno and many others. All having a rock step and a slow step for four counts. It was sailors traveling all over the Caribbean in the 1500s and 1600s that standardized them into a dance called La Rumba.

Besame Mucho" by Jorge Negrete

A century later, the Spanish bolero arrived and it was slower and there was an amalgamation of the Rumba and the Bolero into the Son. The old fast Rumba was relegated back to the sticks and the Son was the  dance exported to the US and Europe as the Rumba. Eventually the old Rumba,  still back in the sticks, would be revived and modified with a fast jazz beat into the Mambo of the 20th century.

"We got some very nice ladies in our senior apartments. One of the ladies

is 70 and doesn't need glasses. Drinks straight out of the bottle."

Makua Alii

Had some things to do in town, so I thought I would drop into Makua Alii. I took a few caps for Sally, it was a nice walk and I got there about 6:30. Not many people there but they came in shortly after. I got a little conversation here and there and a few photos. Everyone was nice as per usual.

I left early to get the 8:00 pm bus and I had to walk all the way to Ala Moana Center which takes about 20 minutes, but good exercise for me. The freeway is blocked by the Rail and they have a run around into Pearl City. These bus drivers are very good and I still got home by 9:30.

They dance Samba in the US and Europe but why?

"A good question is never answered.  It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to 
be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of ideas."

Brazil is a country overflowing with music from every corner, and there is a deep connection between Brazilians and their music. A tricultural mix of the original huge native populations, a few Portuguese colonizers and much later the African slaves makes for an immensely diverse population. (Within 300 years, it had the largest number of African descendants outside of Africa.)

And while the indigenous music retained much of its traditional context throughout the colonial period (and even today), it gradually lost its central role in the development of Brazil’s popular music. The music, the native beat nor the dance were from Africa. The huge group of lately arrived African Brazilians were not picked for their dancing knowledge. But coming from so many different parts of Africa, they accepted and took over the Samba as their own.

"Girl From Ipanema" by Antonio Carlos Jobim

Then in the US and Europe, the Professionals took over and added several "basic" steps and screwed it all up. It was popular but with so many basic moves that it eventually overwhelmed all the beginners and even the intermediates. They found it easier to move into other dances with the "one" basic step.

Timba Dance

Another Fad Dance. Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on popular Cuban music along with salsa, American funk/R&B, and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban (Negro) folkloric music. The word Timba is part of a large family of words that made their way into Spanish from African speech.

"Never apologize for being correct or for being years ahead of your time.

If you are right and you know it, speak your mind."

Before it became the newest Cuban music and dance craze, Timba was a word with several different uses yet no particular definition, mostly heard within the Afro-Cuban (Negro) genre of rumba. A Timbero was a complimentary term for a musician, and Timba often referred to the collection of drums in a folklore ensemble now taken over almost completely by the Negro sector.

"Paniolo Country" by Melveen Leed

 In this century, Timba has referred to Cuba's intense and slightly more aggressive music and dance from the Negro section of dancers. And many say it will replace Salsa and Bachata. This is coming in right after Zouk and Zumba. Meanwhile thousands of us are going to be dancing Rumba, Cha Cha Cha and Samba.

"The reason animals are not good dancers is that they have two left feet."

We are getting there.

We are getting some help from our fellow dancers. And I try not to bother the ones that think we are making millions on their good looks, talent, fame and good fortune. They must understand that we are trying to do good in our dance world with the help of our fellow dancers.

"It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture.

It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult."

Some people are tight with their photos and we must respect that. But there are many that wouldn't mind seeing one of their photos in our dance blogs for the benefit of all the reader/dancers. Groups and first names would be good enough to start. This will come to pass, slowly but surely. Most people still are not even sure what social media in a blog is. Perhaps they are not even sure what a blog is. Be reassured, it is not a Web site. Currency is the difference.

"One More Time" by Gordon McCrae

Meanwhile, the expansion of ballroom dancing to West Oahu is happening, no matter who tries to stop it. From Makaka all the way to the North Shore. Platinum Horseshoe is probably the best public relations blog that they have in the West at the moment.  And since many in town do not pay much attention to others, many in the West are going to be included. So we can give them a boost. Kapolei will have a couple of new Business Parks and evolve into Second City.

"Green Eyes" by Jimmy Dorsey, with Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell.

There is only a flicker of hope at the moment for upper Moanalua Corridor, that is west of the stadium. The devastation from the Choo Choo is terrible. Of course, you also have two excellent dance studios in that section, even though they won't contribute information to us yet. Most of the dancing has been very very local and only for small groups, for whatever the reasons. Everything has to be away from the Choo Choo train.

"Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" by Ray Connif.

Days Of Whine & Noises

A lot of molehills become mountains when someone adds a little dirt — Much smoking kills live people
and cures dead swine — Most people realize that “Class” does not mean “Money.” — There is nothing
like a big shot in the family to reinforce your belief in heredity — Be bold in what you stand for
and careful in what you fall for.