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| Musicman Bert with Aiea Dance Club President Deanie Bates |
Lani and I were invited to this anniversary dance as guests of Gayle Kawahakui. Mucho aprecio, bella dama. We were greeted at the Reception Table with familiar and friendly faces and by our gracious host.
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| David Mayman and Helene Tombelaine |
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| Beverly Goo, Diane Nishimura and Bob Nishimura |
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| Gayle Kawahakui and EmCee Roger Izumigawa |
General Dancing was in full swing till EmCee Roger Izumigawa started the program with a welcome message and introducing the presidents of the various dance organizations who were in attendance. Incidentally, mucho aprecio to Roger, too, who shared his notes with the names of the dance exhibition performers. There were 25 performers from Arthur Murray Dance Center and 6 performers from three different dance organizations. (Too many names for me to remember or write down in this fast moving dance world). Auwe! But the show must go on and opening the show were dancers from the Arthur Murray Dance Center performing a Jazz routine. Nicely done solo movements and captivating couple connection. The dancers were Jacob Himoto, Lance Sabado, Rosemary Virgoni, and Rikita Turner'
General dancing resumed to give the dance performers time to change costumes. Enough time for my main squeeze and me to get on the dance floor and do the cha cha cha and swing.
Opening the 2nd part of the program was a parade of "Grand Ball" dancers led by Calvin and Debra Ota.
The "Grand Ball" showcase exhibited smooth dancing that ranged from the Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot Waltz, and Tango. The performances were fast moving for my trusty small still camera. But hopefully the dancers are recognizable. Nearly all the dancers had their very own style and technique and they were magnificent in their performances.
The dancers from Arthur Murray Dance Center were: INSTRUCTORS Jacob Himoto, Lance Sabado, Crystal Toni, Chris Solchaga, Jo Zobjeck, Rikita Turner, and Rosemary Virgoni; Dancers were Maile Atkinson, Malia Johnson, Athena Su, Tamie Kerns, Ashley Nakamura, Rei Bosley, Lisa Valderueda, Damien Morales, Naomi Hirayasu, Sean McManus, Nathan Aragon, Jia Liu, Kevin Chen, Christian Grado, Daniel Kinoshita, Evelyn Vento, Jay Tsuchillard, and Connie Tsuchillard.
Here's just a few of the Arthur Murray dancers that I was able to capture on camera. My sincere apology to the others.
Dance performers from other dance organizations were Calvin and Debra Ota, Alan Kim and Lisa Hawkins, and Ivan John and Spring Liang (photo below). All three couples performed with finess, control, and passion of the dance as though they were in stiff competition. They danced a superb performance in this showcase. A bit of a note, Calvin and Debra Ota will be competing in the Hawaii Star Ball this month. Much luck to both of you.
General dancing resumed while refreshments were served out in the lanai. Gotta give kudos to the youngsters who served the bento at the kitchen counter. You could put a finger on their looks and niceness as belonging to Gayle Kawahakui's clan. Ditto for the refreshments servers on the lanai, too.
Again, many thanks to Gayle for inviting Lani and me as her guests. It was an enjoyable evening for both of us.
Hasta la vista for now!
