Aiea Ballroom Dance Association 57th Anniversary Ball

WOW! 57 years and still counting and still going strong, too. I won't go into the history of the Aiea Ballroom Dance Association but I gotta mention that it is the oldest non-profit dance organization in all of Hawaii Nei. What a treat it was last Saturday for those attending the Anniversary Ball. And there were more than 400 dancers. (How you figgah that, Frank?) Well let's do the math. Rudy Luat the Prez of Pan Pacific Ballroom Dance Society (dis guy gets around helping other dance clubs besides his own) ordered 400 bentos and they were all gone by 6:30P and still more dancers were coming thru the ballroom door. There were no showcase of exhibition dancing on the program. Prez Deanie Bates said, "it's a night to have fun and celebrate the Anniversary with more time for dancing." I believe that the 400 plus dancers were in full agreement with the idea of more dancing time cuz they sure looked a happy bunch.

Climbing up the stairway, I was greeted by Herbert Omizo (here's another guy who really gives a hand in supporting the dancing community). He's made a lot of contributions for door prizes and this time it was a table full of potted gardenia plants.

My presale tickets were waiting for me at the Reception Table. Happy people wearing a smile were busily checking in the guests and handing out tickets for the door prizes.

Lucky dancers who held presale tickets made a bee-line for the bento. It's no wonder cuz the onlicious bento was dished out by some happy people, too.

Prez Deanie Bates personally greeted everyone that came through the entrance of the ballroom with a hug and a few happy words.

I wasn't sure at first who the VIPs were that night but one thing is sure...if the VIP Table is manned by important people as John, Sue, and Harriet, the VIPs gotta be "persons of interest".

I'm glad DeeJay Bert Burgess dug deep into his awesome collection of good dance music and played them at the Anniversary Ball. The music was suited for everyone....both International style and American Rhythm. Dat's cool!

Dancers were just getting warmed-up as they trickled onto the dance floor. It didn't take long before the entire ballroom floor became filled with a sea of dancers.

EmCee for the evening event was the "small package" but dynamic Kay Yahiku. You know...da gal with the big voice and who can talk anyone into volunteering to start in the "Snowball" ice breaker dance. Dat's what she done to me and I was glad to oblige...and so did over a dozen couples gladly. With a short introduction of some important people, the calling of lucky ticket numbers for the door prizes followed.

Prez Deanie Bates gave the Welcome Message and introduced the Presidents, Representatives of the various dance clubs, and owners of professional dance studios who were present. Now they gotta be the VIPs.

Another bunch of VIPs were introduced. But this time they are the staff of dance instructors for the Aiea Ballroom Dance Association with Dance Director and DeeJay Bert Burgess. Then it was time to stretch the legs and get the seat-warmers and everyone else onto the dance floor. You know...the "Snowball" dance is getting to be much more fun now that the good ole Waltz is put on the back burner for a while and replaced with the good fun and energetic Cha Cha. It turned out to be a classic evening of fun dancing for everyone. (Left click on photo to zoom in)