Da Gals of Can Can Dancing
I was digging into my photo archives yesterday and surprisingly came across a photo of Eugene Ichinose's Can Can Girls. (Eugene was the Founder and Dance Director of HBDA, and the choreographer of the Can Can routine). Okay that was many many moons ago but those gals are still in today's dance scene. Some of them are seen dancing at the Palladium and they are still in grade A shape. So it must be true about the wise saying "Dancing Is Good For You. It'll Keep You Healthy and Young!" Now I don't know where I first heard that phrase or even read it. All I know about it is that my main squeeze Lani keep telling me that. Anyway, I saw some of those Can Can gals at the Palladium when Lani and I were there not too long ago. The scene in this photo was at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Ballroom where nearly all of HBDA big events were held before the Palladium was built. These gals did really good that night and the countless hours of practice really paid off. Practice sessions were held at the old Ala Wai Clubhouse on the corner of Kapiolani Blvd. and McCully Street. It wasn't the best place for dancing feet but it was maybe the only public place to hold dances outside of the hotels. Gotta appreciate the dance floor at the Palladium 'cause the old Ala Wai Clubhouse floor was all cement and some areas were uneven. It didn't have airconditioning and the only relief during those muggy nights was the light breeze from Manoa. Mr. Ichinose was strict during those practice hours and some members in the dance club thought he was hard core. But I saw the other side of him during all those days of practice while I was taping a training video of the gals. I found him to be a gentle person and easy to talk to. Although there were more girls during the rehearsal (see photo of nearly all the Can Can Girls in my "That's Dancing" blog), only eight gals performed in the Can Can routine at the HBDA 35th Anniversary Ball, and they all performed in the tradition of true Can Can showmanship....the tumbling, the high kicks, the chorus line, the crisscrossing, the tush tease, etc....they were all there and performed with expertise. That was the WOW factor that brought favorable applause, whistles, excitement, and entertainment to the HBDA showcases of yesteryear. Okay, dat's all the musing for now. But keep on dancing. Dancing Is Good For You. It'll Keep You Healthy and Young!
(left click on photo to zoom in) View video of the Can Can performance on Frank Sierra Jr. FaceBook.
