10 Year Old Wins Dance Essay Contest

10 YEAR OLD WINS DANCE ESSAY CONTEST! was submitted by Rita O'Conner. The Valley Isle has gotta be proud that one of their young native sons has won this contest and found the passion for ballroom dancing..


Maui, HAWAII –Private Image Dance Studio sponsored a "Love Of Dance" essay contest (with three different topic options) to keiki & adults of Maui. Judges (from the mainland) chose Maui youth Sol Singer, age 10, as the winner of this year's contest! Sol received a gift certificate for a private dance lesson with Dance Professional Rita O'Connor, NDCA. Sol has been involved with the Ballroom & Latin Dance Program of South Maui Parks & Recreation Community Classes for less than a year!

Here is his winning entry:
"I love to dance. It is fun. Merengue is my favorite because I can do all these creative, complex moves with a simple step. East-coast Swing has some nice moves too. I look forward to learning new steps and hot dances at class. As I hear that music, that rhythm - I am overcome with the urge to dance. My feet start to heat-up with anticipation as I eagerly make my way to the dance floor. 5-6-7-8 DANCE! I am instantly filled with happiness. Everyone should learn to dance, especially my mom and dad who I love dearly. If I win the essay contest, I choose to gift the private lesson to my parents. In this way, I can share my passion for Ballroom Dancing with them."

ILIMA Ballroom Dance Club 27th Anniversary Ball

Got all duked up for the Ilima Ballroom Dance Club 27th Anniversary Ball at the Palladium last night. Got my ticket and got my girl Lani to the Ballroom a little after 5PM. A lot of parking space available but there were busy people at work upstairs in the kitchen as they prepared the evening snack of turkey (or was it chicken?)sandwich, fresh lettuce salad topped with dressing, and a good serving of sliced peaches. Diane Wong, President of Ilima Dance Club was there pitching in with the kitchen crew. There were the early dancers in the foyer chomping down their meal as they waited to enter the Ballroom. JoAnn and Betty at the reception table greeted us with a smile.


Dance music was already playing and a few dancers getting warmed up for the evening of dancing and the Showcase. Lani and I have been to a few dances hosted by clubs that teach only the International style. So we had expected, like the other clubs, to be only International style tempo. But not so with Dr. Wong's selection of dance music....slow tempo Waltz but the Foxtrot, Jive, Tango, West Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Mambo, Rumba, etc. were in tempo with the International and American style. There was also Merengue which is rare. Thanks, Dr. Wong! And also thanks to the Setup Crew (Club members and Ronald Kim & Robert Lai).

Now to the main event. EmCee for the event was Roger Izumigawa, a well known celebrity in the dance community, who kept the audience in tuned with the Dance Exhibition part of the program. Club President Diane Wong gave a Welcome message. Then Roger acknowledged the Presidents of Aiea Ballroom Dance Assn. (Deanie Bates), Aloha Dance Club (Gladys Lee), Friends of Ala Wai Dance Academy (Warren Mitsunaga), Gardenia Dance Assn.(Ivan John), International Ballroom Dance Inc. (Chris Jay), USA Dance Honolulu Chapter (Glenn Okazaki), and Pan Pacific Ballroom Dance of Hawaii (Rudy Luat) who attended as Ilima's guests. Also acknowledgement went to Herbert Omizo & Annie Furguson and the many individuals that helped with the ticket sales.


The Dance Exhibition started with Kay Yahiku & Warick Sargent dancing the International Foxtrot. There were some lifting in the dance as Warick twirled Kay about shoulder height that wooed the audience.

Nice moves by Hami Draper & Tom Sutton as they danced their interpretation of the International Cha Cha. We hope to see more of this couple in other showcases.


Aileen & David Hashimoto soon followed with the International Tango. Lani and I thought that David had full control of the dance as he masterly lead Aileen in the dance of passion.

Now every dance showcase has a THRILLER or two. But I gotta hand it to Charlotte & Edwin Bugarin for their performance of the International Cha Cha. They were there to entertain and please the audience with their terrific expertise in showcase dancing. In fact they were the only dancers who performed in the middle of the large dance floor so everyone could see and enjoy their performance. That's akamai Exhibition Dancing!

As a finale, there was an International SURPRISE Dance. It started as a skit with three guys arguing (Nancy Luckie impersonated as a guy) with no audio. Almost like watching the first black and white movie of the early 1900's. A lot of animation going on by Don Smith as Ivan John (dressed like a drag queen) enters the scene. A little confusing of what's going on at first but as the story unveils, Ivan John teaches the three guys (sorry I didn't get the name of the third guy but I'm guessing it was David Mayman) how to dance the International Tango. Maybe that's what the argument among the three guys were about. Anyway, Ivan got to dance with the three guys. No more arguments...just entertainment that got the audience a belly full of laughter. (I couldn't get a good photo of the group of Ivan John, Nancy Luckie and Friends but you can view Ivan John all decked up sitting on my friend Calvin Ota's lap in one of the photos).


So it turned out to be any evening of fine dancing and an entertaining showcase by the Exhibition Dancers. This photo pictures some of the dancers that were happy to be at the Ball. Hopefully, someone will remember to turn up all the lights in the ballroom when there is a Dance Exhibition. After all, the beautiful costumes and the expressions on the dancers' faces and eyes are 50 percent of the performance.
(Left click on photo to zoom in).

St. Paddy Dance Party @Star-Struck Studio

"BRRRRRR! Baby, It's Cold Outside". It was a cold and breezy night last night. You know....da kine night bettah to stay in a warm and cozy home with a hot cup of java. But Lani and I were invited to the St.Paddy's Dance Party at the Star-Struck Studio. Couldn't disappoint the hosts John and Alicia Aros after saying that we'd be there. Lani and I got to the studio before eight. Salsa music was playing but only a handful of John and Alicia's students were there. We were greeted by John and later by Alicia as she entered the mini ballroom. Their two lovely children with their nanny were there also to enjoy the festivity.

As more students trickled into the studio, John and Alicia got the party started by demonstrating the Foxtrot and then had everyone on the dance floor to dance the Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick steps. The party got warmed up when more students came in. There were light refreshments and puu puus at the bar. For the adventurous dancers, there were Napa Valley nectars and the brews from hops.
It was a dance party so John and Alicia availed themselves to dancing with their students the Foxtrot, Waltz, Swing, Cha Cha. Tango, and the Hustle. And the students enjoyed that. I got to enjoy dancing with Alicia, too...the East Coast Swing and the Merengue. Had a few dances with one of their students, also. It was an enjoyable night for Lani and me as we danced the Waltz, Cha Cha, Swing, Rumba, and a bit of Tango before the music ended.

We met and talked to nearly everyone at the party. Most if not all were new to ballroom dancing but they were a friendly bunch just like the hosts John and Alicia.
The night had turned from "BRRR! Baby It's Cold Outside to Heat Wave" and was well worth braving the cold and breezy weather.
Star-Struck Studio hosts student parties at least twice a month and are listed on their Website www.starstruck-studio.com

Latin Festival 2010

WOWEE! What an entertaining event it was at the Latin Festival this past Friday. Lani and I brought some of our dance students to the Big Dance. It was the first time for all of them to dance at the Palladium. We could see in their eyes the excitement of seeing so many dancers on a large scale floor. The Exhibition Dancing and the Mock Competition thrilled them moreso. Did they get to social dance? YES they did! But I think I'm getting a little ahead on this blog. Lani and I got to the Palladium a little before 5PM but we weren't the only ones. There were other dancers waiting in the foyer while the showcase performers and competition dancers were practicing their routine inside the ballroom. Bento was served while we waited to enter the ballroom. Light but not bad for 8 bucks including admission...rice, chicken katsu, hot dog, a piece of daikon, and a mini Okinawan doughnut. Coffee, juice, and water was enough to quench the thirst. I gotta thank the kitchen crew for doing such a good job in distributing the bento and serving those delicious cookies as refreshment from Old Aala Bakery. (Sorry I didn't get a photo of them).


As we entered the ballroom, we were greeted by Ivan John (President), David Mayman (Vice President), Rose Loui (Treasurer), Gayle Kawahakui and Nancy Luckie (Directors) at the Reception Table.



Before I go any further, let me introduce to you some of the members of Hawaii Gardenia Circle that made this event an enjoyable one...the EmCee, the Event Organizer, and the DeeJay.
General Dancing continued from 5:30 to 7:45. Then there was a Horse Shoe Dance before the Exhibition Dancing part of the program. I gotta note here that some of the big names in professional ballroom dancing attended this affair..Geoffrey Fells (Lani and I had a small chat with him. Hope his right leg heals real soon), Christopher Bayot, and Albert Franz.


Richard and Lynn Nakamura opened the Exhibition Dancing with the International Quick Step. These two dancers from Dance Aliamanu always amaze Lani and me with their energy and quickness in their footwork. Running on high octane and they are always a crowd pleaser.


The Night Club Two Step followed immediately by Joshua Manzano and Jill Tengan from Dance Aliamanu. They are the youngest dance instructors for the club and are going places. Very nice showcase moves and technique and very enjoyable to watch.


Concluding this part of the Exhibition Dancing were Dr. Michael and Trudy Uechi who danced an impeccable International Waltz and Foxtrot Medley. Very disciplined posture and footwork as they flowed smoothly throughout the entire ballroom floor.

More General Dancing followed before the Mock Competition. The Mock Competiton consisted of the Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Mambo, Jive, and Paso Doble.


The Parade of Latin Festival competition dancers opened the program in style with introduction of the dancers by the EmCee.

Participating in the mock competition were Robert Schiff, Rosy Schiff, Patrick Stanley, Geraine Luna, Lyn Sodaria, Gene Peles, Karin Peles, Tom Collins, Hana Yin, Daniel Ng, Stephanie Yueg, Calvin Ota, Debra Ota, Joshua Manzano, Jill Tengan, Edwin Bugarin, Charlotte Bugain, Renna Villanueva, Gordon Wong, Sergio Villanueva, Jana Makasobe, Stacie Jo Stanley, and Rosy Thomas.


The Latin mock competition was the best I've seen at the Palladium. It was HOT! HOT! HOT! as the dancers sizzled with every dance. The costumes the contestants wore were striking and added color to the dances. Since Latin dancing is a spot dance and doesn't do much travelling (except maybe the Samba), Lani and I could only see the dancers at our end of the ballroom. Did the dancers dance with passion in the Rumba? Was there a fierce matador in the Paso Doble? Were the dancers enjoying the dance? Did they dance to entertain the audence? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! We were fortunate to have some of Hawaii's most talented dancers display their ultimate skills in the Ballroom and Latin dancing for one evening. Hopefully these talented dancers will be invited to next year's Latin Festival. This was an evening of fine dancing and extraordinary entertainment organized by Hawaii Gardenia Circle. Bravo!


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Hawaii Gardenia Circle's Latin Festival

Aloha Students of Dance. The Latin Festival hosted by Hawaii Gardenia Circle is a couple of Fridays away. It promises to be a ....... well let me have Marie Laderta give you a picture of what's gonna happen at this fun filled event.......

A Note From Marie Laderta:

Promising to be another fun-filled event on Friday, March 12th at the Palladium, the new leadership of Hawaii's Gardenia Circle has worked with new enthusiasm to provide us with a social dance which not only promises to entertain, but also provides a good opportunity for local dancers to practice their dancing in a simulated competition environment, all without the stress of a real competition! So, whether you end up participating in the mock competition or not, whether you just want to go there for some general dancing and fellowship, or just to support the mock competitors, it is expected that you should come away from it having some fun.

Join new Board members, President Ivan John, VP David Mayman, Secretary Don Smith,
Treasurer Rose Louie, Directors Nancy Luckie, Gayle Kawahakui & Reggie Gascon for an
energizing evening! As a prelude to the mock Latin competition, solo performances which include International Standard as well as American Smooth will also grace the floors of the majestic Palladium.

If you buy your ticket now it is only $8 (with bento!), or if you wait to get it at the door it is still a reasonable $10. Save the date: Friday, March 12, 2010. For tickets, please call Gayle at 223-8052.

IBDI Inaugural Ball 2010

I guess many of those who bought tickets to this past Saturday IBDI Inaugural Ball at the Pacific Beach Hotel were in suspense whether the Tsunami was going to hit Waikiki or not. Well Lani and I waited till 3PM for the alert to fade away which it finally did. We headed to the Pacific Beach Hotel early...got there about 5PM. A little early. No one was at the Reception Table, so we went moseying down to the shops to kill some time. Found a shop selling things at reduced price because it was going out of business and Lani wanted to try out her bargaining skills that she acquired on our trips to China. Yep! she got what she wanted at the price she bargained with the proprietor.


By the time we got to the Ballroom on the 7th floor, the lobby was filled with dancers. The "front line" reception table friendly workers were already busy collecting tickets and directing the dancers to their assigned tables. It was nice to see Dana Morey who with her late husband were students of Lani and me. Our first stop in the Ballroom was to wish our friends Calvin and Debra Ota the very best in the Paso Doble exhibition.


There were many dancers in attendance who Lani and I knew from way back when we were teaching for IBDC (now IBDI). General dancing was in full swing to the enticing music from the collections of Henry Lee with the assistance of Jane......not only International tempo music but a good number of American tempo also. General dancing went on for about an hour before the first wave of dancers were ushered to the buffet line. Emcee for the evening was Kay Yahiku who handled the podium with humor and a big voice. Renna Villanueva gave the invocation....then it was dinner time. (No need to hash over the buffet menu 'cause anyone who has attended functions at the PBH knows the entries are ono ono).



After dinner, the IBDI new officers for 2010 were introduced, and then installed by Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Peter Carlisle. Here's the line up: President: Christopher Jay, 1st VP: Grace Nohara, 2nd VP: Steven Sambrano, Secretary: Marsha Ninomiya, and Treasurer: Paul Araki. Board of Diectors: Shirley Igarashi, Arnold Lee, Edward Matsuda, Dana Morey, Anna Omizo, and Fred Tsuda. A President's Message by Christopher Jay followed and then a VIP dance and a SnowBall (aka Ice Breaker) before the Exhibition Dance. Somewhere sandwiched in between was the calling of lucky numbers for door prizes and the winner of the table centerpiece.


About 9 o'clock, Calvin and Debra Ota opened the Exhibition program with the Paso Doble choreographed by Albert Franz. Calvin wore a black Latin outfit and Debra dressed as a Flamenco dancer. It was what Lani and I had expected to see as Calvin and Debra scorched the dance floor with the inspiring passion, power, and strength of a matador facing a raging bull with his cape. And Debra as the "cape" shared with the required high level technical ability. A touch of Flamenco dancing and styling and the dance well performed by two seasoned dancers made it a terrific and exciting performance to watch.


What was billed on the agenda as Latin Medley by Dance Appeal Troupe (comprised of 13dance performers) did not happen but there was fire...Latin Fire.. in the performance danced by Sergio and Renna Villanueva. Boy, they were hot to trot as they covered the entire length of the dance floor with a medley of ballroom and broadway dancing. The blond wig together with the silvery costume that Renna wore sure gave substance to their performance. Dynamite and very entertaining performance by Sergio and Renna.


The International Waltz by Thomas Nakamura and Stephanie Uechi concluded the Exhibition Dance part of the program. Lani and I have seen Thomas dance in exhibitions and socially but this night, he performed superbly and smooth as butter with a lot of control. And as for Stephanie, the beautiful lines she displayed in her dance shows a lot of strength in her movements. A top notch International Waltz performance by Thomas & Stephanie and very enjoyable to watch.

The Hustle by Lucas Jaime & Ellen Osler, and the International Tango by Steven Sambrano & Shirlene Yuen never materialized. Maybe we'll see the performances at next year's IBDI Inaugural Ball.

The program as a whole was well organized. It moved along smoothly which allowed more general dancing. The night was still young and general dancing continued till closing. (Left click on photos to zoom in).

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!
(Left click mouse on graphic to zoom in)

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.
(Left click mouse on graphic to zoom in)

Did Al Have The Magic Touch @The Al Franz Showcase?

I think Al did 'cause he pulled out a very successful showcase this past Saturday at the Pacific Beach Hotel. With all the happenings going on on Saturday..Preview of "Lost" at Sunset On The Beach at Waikiki, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Narcissus Coronation, and other weekend big events, he was able to garner the hotel's recommended amount of dancers to attend his Showcase.
Lani and I got there a bit early 'cause we knew that parking would be a premium with "Sunset On The Beach" fans gonna take up most of the spaces in the parking structure. True to my thinking, it happened. Okay, it's 5:15 and the doors to the ballroom won't be open till 6PM. Fortunately for us, the name Gayle Kawahakui who sold us the tickets has some pull to it. We were escorted in to our table while the showcase performers were ironing out some rough spots in their dance. Got to meet Calvin and Debra Ota as they waited their turn to use the floor. Also met some long time acquaintances from our spell with IBDC (now IBDI).

As 6PM approached, more dancers and spectators started to fill the ballroom while the specially selected music by Al Franz played. Didn't take long for everyone to get into the mood for dancing. Al's barkering may have helped too.


Okay these hard working guys and gals hardly get recognition for what they do to make the showcase a success, too. That's the Frontline people... the guys and gals who greet the ticket holders at the reception table, the MC's (well maybe they do get some applauses), and the music players who have no official name (so they said you can call us "High Intensity"). A well deserved name since they have been playing dancing music for Al for 13 years.
Buffet dinner at 7PM right on schedule take or add 15 minutes. Gonna skip the menu specifically selected by Al Franz. But I gotta mention even without the chicken, everything was ono, especially the salmon, the sashime, and miso butter fish.
There were several professional and non-professional dance instructors in the attendance but Al made known that the "Sherlock Holmes" (Geoffrey Fells)of professional competitive dancing was in the audience...so to watch out on the heel and toe placements.
It was Showtime featuring Albert Franz, His Students, and Guest Performers. There were two parts to this showcase with General Dancing during the intermission. The whole event moved like clockwork. There were no delays with waiting for the next performer to get on the floor or those long excessive bowing. As soon as one couple got off the dance floor, the next couple entered without any ballyhoo. I gotta mention that because Al was in nearly all the performances, a second MC took over and he was well seasoned...great voice and explicit but brief introduction of the performers.
Like the ono entries that Pacific Beach Hotel puts out, I'm not gonna dwell on who performed only that the Showcase was very entertaining, very well performed by the dancers, and the long hours of practice was evident in their performance. They all deserved the loud applauses and whistles that ehoed throughout the ballroom. So with all that said here are the 2010 Albert Franz Showcase performers.......
















(Left click mouse on photo to zoom in)