Palladium March 2010 Schedule

A bit early posting the March schedule but better early than late. Besides my dance students at Ali'iolani CSA and Kaiser CSA were eager to test their new found skills on the floor at the Palladium. So here it is and many thanks to KI for posting it each month on his Website for me to copy and post on my Blogsite.
Don't forget the Waikiki Community Center Spring Dance this Friday at the Palladium and the IBDI Anniversay Ball at the Pacific Beach Hotel this Saturday. You can get more info by scrolling back to the older blogs on this site. Also this Saturday, the Pan Pacific Dance Club is hosting a dance at the Palladium 6-10PM. Then on Sunday, the Swing Dance Club will have their dance at 6:30-9:30 PM at the Palladium. If you're into Line Dancing on Sunday, just scoot over next door to the Square Wheelers dance. (Left click on graphic to zoom in)

2010 Valentine Ball

The City and County of Honolulu 2010 Valentine Ball was held at the Palladium last night and from what I could see, most of the 501.c dance clubs were well represented. This was an affair to be entertained and to enjoy social dancing on a night that the mythology Cupid is suppose to create a romantic bond with your main squeeze. There was a Cupid all dressed up in costume with wings and bow and arrow. It was none other than Tad Fukumoto who was also the DJ for the evening and guest performer.


MC for the event was Gladys Lee, a well known dancer in the community who handled the program with style and punctuality going according to the schedule. At her side was Steven Santiago who enlightened the audience with the workings of the Parks and Recreation programs and who also assisted in distributing the door prizes donated by the First Hawaiian Bank. Before the Dance Exhibitions, there was a Dance Mixer (aka Ice Breaker) coodinated by Rose Char, another catchy name in the dancing community.

There were five dance exhibitions...all in the International styles. Now the Palladium is not the best place to hold dance exhibitions or competitive dancing. Some how it doesn't have the same atmosphere as the ballrooms in the hotels. I gotta say that I agree with Geoffrey on this point. But for hosting social dancing, there is no better place than the Palladium.


Up first was "Cupid" Tad Fukumoto who danced a cartoon type International Jive with Sara Oyama. It took them a few minutes to get started but as both are seniors you gotta give them some leeway. I mentioned cartoon style Jive but Tad and Sara tried their very best to entertain the audience. Hopefully when they perform again, they will dance in the middle of the dance floor so everyone can see the performance. Tad and Sara's performance brought laughter and loud applause and I gotta say that they did entertain.


Jackson Cho and Shu Wang were next to dance the International Waltz. I recognized Jackson by his black shoes with white stripes. He recently performed the Quick Step with Jun Choong at Al Franz Showcase. Shu has been a long time showcase performer and she still has the grit to continue in this field. Both danced smoothly in the Waltz.


Richard and Lynn Nakamura (Mr. and Mrs. Quick Step). This couple has been in so many showcases for different dance clubs that it amazes me each time of their quickness and high energy in their movements. The Quick Step is always a crowd pleaser and Richard and Lynn sure did please the crowd.


Sidney Chiu and Patricia Paliracio. I've seen Patricia dance socially since my days with IBDC (IBDI) but never in showcases. She has blossomed into a good showcase dancer. Sidney danced with such good control that their performance was enjoyable to watch.


Rarely do you see a husband and wife perform in showcases (except of recent maybe Calvin & Debra Ota, Richard & Lynn, and Paul & Marie Laderta). Closing the Dance Exhibition part of the program were Dr. Michael and Trudy Uechi who entertained the audience with their rendition of the International Foxtrot and Waltz Medley. It was a good combination and very well performed.

All the exhibition dancers were awarded with gifts at the end of the program.
Herbet Omizo was honored for Ticket Sales assisted by Ed Dunn. Then Door Prizes were given out to the lucky ticket holders which (ahem) I was one of the fortunate ones.

Latin Festival Coming in March

Whenever I hear "Latin Festival", I visualize couples dancing the romantic rumba bolero, the sizzling samba, the energetic cha cha, the mesmerizing mambo salsa, and even the fun loving merengue. Well here's your chance to do some "cachi cachi" or as Charo calls it "cuchi cuchi" on the dance floor. Hawaii Gardenia Circle is hosting "Latin Festival" on Friday March 12. (See poster submitted by Guest Author Gayle Kawahakui). Got a full month to polish up your Latin movements before the big event at the Palladium. Here's a tip to get you looking great dancing at the "Latin Festival"....."el sentimiento es mas importante que las figuras".

Starting the Spring2010Session and Mr. & Mrs. Valentine

Monday night and our first Spring 2010 Session started at Ali'iolani CSA with the Foxtrot and West Coast Swing. We had some returnees and some young people enrolled for this class. It was a good balance of experience and freshness. I think Lani and I got this class started pretty good in the Foxtrot but the students had much more fun learning the West Coast Swing. (Left click on photos to zoom in)



This morning (Tuesday), Lani, Tiare, and I headed for the Seniors Valentine Dance at the Blaisdel Center. Our dance student and friend Harry and his wife Maryann were representing the Koko Head Seniors Club as Mr. and Mrs. Valentine. There were 39 senior citizens organizations participating in this event and the exhibition hall was filled with a field of red shirts and dresses. The Royal Hawaiian Band played some sweet music for dancing. Other times, piped in music played on to fill in. Even had the mayor belt out a couple of tunes for our pleasure to hear and dance. Country line dancing dominated the front and back of the dance floor with the Electric Slide, the Macarena, the Mambo, the Chicken Dance, and the Shuffle. Social dancing was sandwiched in between but there was ample room for dancing. This year, Kapolei Middle School provide the ballrooom dancers to entertain the Seniors. It was a delight to see such young boys and girls dance with confidence as they took a senior as a partner on the dance floor. The Waltz, the Foxtrot, the Jitterbug, the Hustle, the Rumba (Bolero), the Cha Cha, the Mambo, the Samba, and the Merengue. It was all there to savor.







Tonight, at Koko Head Elementary School, our Dance Hawaii Kai class held our fourth Tuesday on the Waltz and the Rumba. Lani and I taught a new Waltz syllabus and then reviewed the other previous six patterns to form into a combination for the students to dance in the LOD. Took a bit of going over but worked really well at the end of the first hour. We did the same for the Rumba...teaching a new syllabus and then reviewing the previous four patterns to form a combination for the students to dance. Worked out really well too for our students.

Valentine Dance @StarStruck Studio

StarStruck Studio, the only privately owned dance studio in Hawaii Kai is hosting a Valentine Dance on Friday, Feb. 12 at the studio located at 805 Ahukini St. The event is open to the public. So if you want to do some dancing on that weekend but not in the mood for driving all the way to the Palladium, then StarStruck is a good alternative. The studio has wooden floors so it's comfortable for Ballroom, Latin, and Swing dancing. Your hosts are professional dance teachers John and Alicia Aros, who I met sometime back and found them very friendly and have the gift of teaching. The Valentine Dance starts at 8PM. For more info log in to www.StarStruck-Studio.com.

More Dancing In February with Featured Performances

Beating on the HOT trail after the Dance Aliamanu 1st Anniversary & Charity Ball, and Al Franz Showcase at the Pacific Beach Hotel last month comes more dancing with featured performances in February.


Starting off with WAM on February 6. Check it out with Jill Tengan, Ballroom Dance Advisor at Moanalua High School. Jill is also an active dance instructor for Dance Aliamanu.


Then there's the Waikiki Community Center Annual Spring Dance on February 26. Gayle Kawahakui who is also an active dance instructor for Dance Aliamanu is spearheading this event. Give her a call if you need more info or tickets.


Our friends at International Ballroom Dance, Inc. is hosting their 2010 Inaugural Ball on February 27. It's gonna fall on a Saturday at the Pacific Beach Hotel, so I gotta warn you to get there early. Nevah can tell if the Waikiki guys gonna have another Sunset On The Beach or some big event that gonna cause the hotel parking structure to be all filled up.

On a passing note, here's one worth mentioning 'cause it's sponsored by the City & County of Honolulu....The Parks & Recreation Valentine Dance on February 13 at the Palladium. Get this...starts at about 5:30 and ends at 10PM in Ballroom 1 & 2. Don't know the admission but that's a whole four and a half hours of dancing if you got the legs and stamina for it. Main thing...have fun!
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February 2010 Palladium Schedule

Thanks to KI at Dance Fever Oahu for providing this schedule for all to see. Again guys and gals, if you know and see KI, please thank him with the Shaking Shaka sign.
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