Mahalo from Richard & Lynn Nakamura

Hi Everyone,
We want to thank you for all your support of Dance Magic 808, especially to those of you who were able to attend the Kauai Ballroom Dance Club's picnic and Anniversary Ball this past weekend. We know not everyone could make it to Kauai but we know that you were all there in spirit and giving us your support.


At the picnic we had such onolicious food and games that were so much fun that everyone had a good time and a lot of laughs.

Saturday night at Kauai Ballroom Dance Club's 7th Anniversary Ball was an evening to remember at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. This was the first time the Anniversary Ball was held there and it was the first time the Hanapepe Chapter handled this affair. They did a really good job. The Lihue Chapter handled the ball in previous years and they too did a wonderful job.

Dance Magic 808 was well represented at the picnic and at the ball. We had 36 people from Oahu who were instructors, students and friends of Dance Magic 808. At the picnic, the Dance Magic 808 purple shirts looked awesome and everyone who wore them looked great. We had a lot of compliments about our shirts.



Our Dance Magic 808 group dancers (Noli & Wowie Boado, Ed & Candy Matsuda, Larry Arinaga & Candace Yap, and Richard & Lynn Nakamura) did a really good quickstep performance. They all looked really elegant and sophisticated in their beautiful gowns and tuxedos/coats.

We did our solo International Foxtrot and Tango medley. The audience really liked our Dance Magic 808 performances as well as the Hanapepe & Lihue Chapter group routines.

For over 10 years we have been friends with the Kauai people and have supported them by attending and performing every year since they formed their Kauai Ballroom Dance Club. The Kauai people are very gracious, honest, hardworking, and good hearted people and we are so very fortunate to have them as our friends.

We hope next year we'll be able to have an even bigger group attend their anniversary ball.

Thank you all for your support.
Richard & Lynn Nakamura
www.dancemagic808.wordpress.com
phone: 808-372-2256 (Lynn)

Kauai Ballroom Dance Club Picnic

My apologies to Alton Miyamoto for not recognizing him as the conductor of the "Know Your Partner" contest. Thanks to Gracie Takabayashi for sending me the correction. But no huhu, we goin' hear more about Roy Tamashiro later. So this is an updated blog with names of the couple that won the "Know Your Partner" contest.....

The long awaited day finally arrived and Lani and I were on HAL flight to Kauai for the Kauai Ballroom Dance Club 7th Anniversary Ball. It was a late afternoon flight but the plane was packed to capacity with tourists, people returning back home to Kauai, and a whole bunch of dancers from IBDI and Dance Magic 808 and maybe some non-member dancers who just like to travel to go dancing. I get the feeling that Lani and I could be included in that last category, too. Took just about 30 minutes of flight time to get to the Garden Island and no sooner after we landed, we were off to meet our ride (by our friend and travel agent Roy Hamasaki and wife Sandy) to the Marriott Courtyard in Wailua. I guess Lani and I were too excited about this trip that we almost forgot to claim our one luggage. Good thing we had to pass the Claim Luggage area before departing the airport....would've been a disaster if we left without our luggage and went to the picnic and the dance with the same clothes we arrived with. AUWE! Got to the Marriott with enough time to check in and then scoot off to the picnic at Poipu Beach Park. Took about a 45-minute ride but the scenery along the way was fabulous. It's been nearly 20 years since Lani and I visited Kauai and I gotta say there's been a lot of changes since then.

The picnic was well planned by the KBDC and hosted by the Hanapepe Chapter. Onolicious home-cooked buffet and a few over-the-counter pastries for dessert but mostly home-baked. It was an atmosphere of of home-style and family-style get together. This is where we met for the first time the "Big Whips" of the Lihue Chapter and the Hanapepe Chapter. "Big Whips" sounds too bossy for the Officers of those dance clubs. They were a friendly bunch and "Friendly Hosts" would be a more appropriate description. And then there was Gracie Takabayashi, a fan of my blogs and a shutterbug like me but I gotta confess that she is moreso than me. Her camera worked overtime at the picnic as well as at the "Ball" which is a sign of a good photographer.
After the ono buffet dinner, it was time for small speeches like welcome kine by Dan Works, President of the Hanapepe Chapter.


Then the fun began with the Ballroom Dance Bingo game. Whoever devised the game must've gone through the Dictionary of Dance to get all the names used in ballroom dancing. The game was a brilliant idea and kudos to the person who came up with this akamai game. There were four winners for the Bingo game that received prizes.




More games followed. One in particular was "Find Your Partner". Everyone was given a name tag with names of characters from a movie or fairy tale and we had to find a matching partner. There were about 50 people at the picnic and it took a while finding the corresponding partner.

There were five couple winners in this game and just happened that Rhett (dat's me) and Scarlett (Napua) found each other and won a prize of packaged candies. Lani (Princess Leia) and Tomas (Hans Solo) just missed the count by a few seconds.

Glenda Tamashiro, Secretrary of the Hanapepe Chapter was the "Prize Lady" who gave out all the prizes to the lucky winners of all the games.


Alton Miyamoto conducted the "Know Your Partner" contest where couples would stand back to back and raise their hand if the answer pertaining to the question was mostly about them. The elimination went quickly but a young couple, Lynn Jackson and Taylor Campbell, who remained standing won the prize.
Goes to show that "they knew who buys more dance shoes" and "who remembers most of the dance steps", for example. Congrats to the attractive couple who knew each other very well.

There were so much food left over that it was time to dig up the "doggy bag". I know, I know! es not a nice word to use but you know what I mean. The pastries I managed to take was a welcomed midnight snack after our one-stop to McDonald's along the way back to the Marriott for a hot cup of coffee.

It was a big and tiring day for Lani and me but the excitement of the trip, the friendly people and games at the picnic took time for us to cool down to a slower pace. I didn't get to sleep until past 2AM Saturday morning. Then the phone rang at 7:30AM from Sandy..."you want to go eat breakfast?" Another day of sunshine and another story to tell but later........
(Left click on photo to zoom in).

Halloween Costume Contest @IBDI Monthly Dance

IBDI held its monthly dance this past Saturday at the Palladium. It was a combination of Business Meeting for the Election of Officers for the 2012 year, a Recognition for October Birthees, and an early Halloween Costume Contest plus Social Dancing. Quiet a large package for one night but enough time to bring some fun dancing for the number of dancers who came to dance and that's including some of my dance students. The election of officers went smoothly, and the recognition for the October birthday gals and guys received a lot of applauses.







This year's Halloween Costume Contest brought in some unusual characters including Superheroes, Fairy Tales personalities, scary ghouls, Hollywood celebrities, and an "Outer Space" pink gal and a pink Gummy. OOOOPS! He did look like a Gummy character but in pink, and again maybe not. So I leave it in the eyes of you readers to guess. Anyway, the "Outer Space" couple won the 1st prize and I'm guessing that I met that cute space gal somewhere. Hmmmm! I didn't get the chance to congratulate the lucky couple 'cause they were gone in a flash of light....like being beamed back to the spaceship??? Auwe! But you gotta applaud all of them who participated in the costume contest for bringing joy and entertainment to the dance.
General Dancing with music by DeeJay Henry Lee continued on with a short break with the Horseshoe Icebreaker Dance. That brought a whole lot of the seatwarmers on the dance floor. More general dancing continued during the snack break and I gotta say that the sandwich was one of the best I've eaten...simply onolicious.

Rocking & Rolling @The Nifty 50's& 60's Oldies Bash

The crowd and the nostalgia were fully present this past Friday at the 2011 NIFTY 50's & 60's Oldies Bash at the Pacific Beach Hotel Grand Ballroom. There were more than the expected 400 hard core dancers considering the three to four deep rows of tables that surrounded the dance floor. Lani and I were seated at Table #69 and there were more numbers following into the 70's and beyond with 10 guests to a table.
I got an e-mail from Sharon Uesugi that parking at the PB is gonna be at a premium with alternate parking at the Waikiki Banyan. Not taking a chance of not finding a parking spot, Lani and I got to the PB a little after 4PM. Fortunately, we got a space on the 4th floor and I gotta tell you that there were more cars after us.
The outside of the ballroom was fully decorated with 50's & 60's memorabilias including life-like posters of Marilyn Monroe and the King, Elvis Presily. A lot of the guy-helpers were dressed like the Fonz with the tidal wave hair-do.


The gals were pretty nifty, too, with their poodle skirts and pigtail hair-do. The gals that greeted Lani and me didn't look like they were old enough to be products of half a century ago but they sure looked cute and nifty and played their role to a "T".
The ballroom was fully decorated that brought memories of the Rock & Roll era.....very colorful. And much credit for this well organized annual event should go to Chairperson Wendell Kwan, the Officers, and his excellent Committee members.


DeeJay for the event was Douglas T. Oshiro of Tapestry. His wife Lisa was also on hand to assist (sorry I didn't get a shot of her). None-the-less the tempo of the music was inviting for Lani and me. No one got on the dance floor at first but the tempo of the Cha Cha got to my dancing feet....then the Rumba, the Swing, and the NightClub Two Step. More dancers got on the floor and the beat went on and on non-stop.

Being a native son of Maui, Lani and I got to meet five nifty gals from Maui High School, a guy and a gal from Kaimuki HS, and two guys from Waimea HS in Kauai.

Lenny Ho who sat at our table with friend Yvonne entered the costume contest and won first prize for his 50's Fonzie look...black jacket, and tidal wave hair-do and all. They are from Kaimuki High School.

There was more than that meets the eye especially when the gals found a guy in the Ladies Restroom. Nah! it wasn't a guy.....only a gal with bulging muscles that burst out of her T-shirt sleeves and a painted moustache above her lips. Scary for the gals but Lani thought a shot of "her" would be an amusing touch for the blog. So it was time to have a little fun....of course Lani insisted that I be in the photo, too. Auwe! Boy! what sacrifices a husband has to do for his main squeeze.

And the beat went on as more dancers crowded the no-room-to-dance floor before the program started. The tempo was heated up with the Twist, the Monkey, the Mash Potato, the Continental, the Rock & Roll, etc. Tom Moffet's presence and voice sure added color to the hip music.


A well deserved break from the maddening crowd came when the Chairperson, Wendell Kwan opened the program with a "Welcome Speech". "He's da Man who has been spearheading "da Bash" every year.


EmCee was Champ, OC16 TV Personality. He was hilarious with the ground rules and the warnings for those who came with oxygen-breathing equipment or on wheelchairs. He kept the program really alive and moving....he was an all-around guy who sees all and knows all about seniors who goes to McDonalds and warning them not to steal the condiments. Whooo boy! Dis guy got eyes behind his head, too.

Okay, it was time to grind after all the energy spent on dancing. Invocation was said by Sharon Feetham.....short and sweet...I liked that.
More NightClub dancing.....Electric Slide, Boogie, Twist, Hand Jive, Salsa, Cha Cha, Swing, Bunny Hop, NightClub Two Step, etc.
An Elvis impersonator belted a romantic tune that made some of the ladies swoon and go ga-ga. And if breaking a sweat or dancing your A** Off for the night was your desire...THIS was it!


So far no Nifty 50's & 60's Oldies Bash is pau without a costume contest..ja like last year. I was happy to see that friends Deanie Bates of Aiea Dance Club, Lenny Ho, Yvonne Dias, Gayle Handa, and the "muscle gal" Melanie entered.
Contest judges were Carol Kai and Melveen Leed. There were more gals than guys in the contest but there were only three winners in each group that received prizes. But all was not lost...every ticket holder got a Nifty 50's & 60's Oldies Bash music CD. Including the take home fabulous centerpieces, everyone was a winner. We got the towering red polk dot balloon. I gotta say that Lani and I accomplished our desire to burn our A** Off and it now was time to hit the road for home.

Another thing...the event was closed to "walk in's"....only those guest who were registered and wearing name badges were allowed into the ballroom. So if you're eyeing up for next years "Bash" be sure to register early. Bettah yet..as soon as the poster or announcement is made public. Neva can tell when the total numbers goin' reach the closing point. Much kudos to Chairperson Wendell Kwan, the Officers, and the guys and gals of the 2011 Nifty 50's & 60's Oldies Bash Committee for a very well planned and entertaining event and most of all for bringing back the "Happy Days".

USA Dance Rocks @The Palladium

Wow! Thanks to Glenn Okazaki, Carl and Gayle we're getting some feedback on "wat's goin' on afta da fack". Okay, you guys and gals know what I mean. I bettah get dis on da hotwire pronto before my friend Calvin, so go on and read Glenn's e-mail ..........

Hi Frank and Calvin,
Can you guys insert this into your blogs? It’s an email I got from our members who attended our last dance in September. They have nothing but great things to say about the dance.
Thanks,
GlennO

September 24’s USA Dance social at the palladium started off with a “bang” … and it never stopped! Really … the music was awesome, from the very first dance to the last … and we honestly did not want to go home. I remember Warwick telling us once that the music is your third partner … and boy, did we have a great third partner that night! It was definitely a night to remember. Thank you, DJ Gary Kawasaki … you “ROCK!”

It was also nice to see some of the contenders to the Hawaii Star Ball “strutting their stuff” that night, getting ready for the grueling week ahead. They all looked great!

And by the way, we just heard there’s another fun dance scheduled for this Friday, October 7 at the palladium. Please don’t miss out, okay? It’s guaranteed to please!

Carl and Gayle

The Good Life Expo

This years theme for the Hawaii Seniors Fair is catchy and very appropriate so. Friday was the opening day at the NBC Exhibition Hall and there were a multitude of seniors in attendance. So much so that if any of our aspiring politician could harness all of them to his camp, he or she could win the Governor's seat in a landslide. Lani and I started off to the NBC early enough but when we got to the entrance of the NBC parking lot the big sign was already up...LOT FULL. I guess I must've miscalculated that Seniors in Hawaii are early risers...very early risers fo' sure. Cruising around the blocks was not a successful option. Every inch of space on the street was kapu. So best thing to do was to go fill up da gas tank at Costco and then head back to the NBC. Still no luck and still LOT FULL. Must be something about parking near the graveyard on King Street across Straub 'cause there were parking spaces galore. It was a 10 minute walk to the NBC Exhibition Hall. Okay, no make fun. Us senior guys are slow walkers!


Performing on the Main Stage was 8 and I's Line Dancers all dresed in red T-shirts and jeans. Wow! those seniors (all ladies) put on a one hour show of continuous country line dancing that took a lot of stamina.


Then came on The Steptaculars, a performing dance team made up of Seniors from ages mid 70's to late 80's. Being an all-girl dance group, we'll never know how young (or old) they are fo'sure. But they performed with dexterity and put on a good show. Long time friend of Lani and me was on stage performing. Dat's Salome...long time member of the Steptaculars, Line Dance Teacher, Red Hat member, and an all-around dance performer.


Another friend and one of two guys to dance with the Steptaculars, Ron...a true hoofer and Tap Dance Teacher. He danced with full of energy and a senior at that.


As with all the performances that I've seen the Steptaculars were in, Bill was always there with his Flamenco and Cape Dance. Not as fast as he use to be during the early years but this costume-maker extraordinaire has always wowed the crowd with the Cape Dance.


It seemed like Lani and I were in the Exhibition Hall a long time checking out each booth for something of interest. We purchased a few things but time was clicking away on our parking meter. We got to our parked car with 9 minutes to spare. Lucky for us because the Meter Maid was already putting those nasty tickets on cars with an expired meter. But before we left the NBC grounds, there is the brown statue of the gal sitting on a bench at the corner of King St. and Ward Ave. that Lani has always admired. So it was a must that she took a snapshot of the girl-statue and me....as my main squeeze directed...."put your arms around her". And dat's a take fo'now.

Dance Magic 808 News Clip

Just in case you all wanted to get wired on to how the new dance club Dance Magic 808 made out during the 3rd session at Hale Ikena, here's a news clip just taken from the "coconut wireless". Okay, I mean Internet................

Hi All,
We would like to thank our 3rd session instructors for teaching you to dance and we would like to thank all of our students & volunteers for making the 3rd session as successful as all the other sessions.

This 3rd session on Tuesday night, Frank & Lani Sierra did a wonderful job teaching you the jazzy night-club merengue. We know you all enjoyed their class. The dance was very challenging since there were a lot of turns/spins but you all did well and looked great. Thank you Frank & Lani!!!

Andy & Monica Pascua also taught on Tuesday night. They taught the exciting mambo and they too had a lot of spins and turns. Everyone in this class too enjoyed the challenge of the dance steps and at the end of the class everyone was doing the mambo and looked great. Thank you Andy & Monica!!!

Thank you Elsie McGrew and Roxanne "Roxie" Kaino for teaching the line dances. We have one more class (tomorrow night) but wanted to thank you in advance. Thank you also to Lolita Nariyoshi and Cora Nieto for helping Elsie & Roxie with the class. As always, everyone enjoys the line dancing and you all made it a lot of fun.

If you are free tomorrow night, please come to our last class for Wed. night for the 3rd session which starts a 6:45pm. We have line dancing at 6:45pm - 7:30pm and Night Club 2-Step from 7:45pm - 8:30pm.

We have a few reminders, see below:

Tomorrow night, Sept. 21, is the last class for Wed. night for this 3rd session.

Thursday night, Sept. 22 is the 3rd class for this 3rd session.

Tuesday night, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 1 at the palladium - USA Dance is having two awesome workshops, please see email that was sent to you.

Saturday, Oct. 22, Kauai Ballroom Dance Club's 7th Anniversary at Grand Hyatt in Poipu, Kauai. Cost $50 per person

Friday, Oct. 28, Pan Pacific's 37th Anniversary Ball at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Cost $55 per person. We still need do complete the 3rd table.

Dance Magic 808 logo shirts - we are still taking orders and hopefully will have it ready for purchase by the end of September or the beginning of Oct. Cost $35 / $5 will be given to the club to cover expenses

Save the following dates:
Friday, May 18, 2012, IBDI & Dance Magic 808's Las Vegas Showcase in Las Vegas and Friday, July 6, 2012, Dance Magic 808's 1st Anniversary Ball.

Thank you all and see you tomorrow night.
Richard & Lynn
Dance Magic 808

USA Dance NightClub 2 Step with Lucas Jaime

Aloha Students of Dance. Gotta thank Glenn Okazaki for sharing this wonderful review of USA Dance NightClub 2 Step Workshop with Lucas Jaime and a big, big mahalo to Candy Matsuda who authored the review of the workshop.

..............................................

Hi Frank,

Please post this on your blog. I got this review from one of my board members, Candy Matsuda, who attended the workshop. (Sent by Glenn Okazaki)

USA Dance Honolulu held a Night Club Two-Step Workshop On August 20, 2011. It was a fantastic workshop taught by Lucas Jaime of Divino Ritmo Studio. If you were one of the many who attend this workshop you really got your money's worth. He started with the basic steps and moved easily into an advanced pattern for a full hour and one-half!!! He did not even stop for a break! It was well attended and we were content and at the same time exhausted by the many step patterns taught. Those who attended enjoyed the relaxed and easy manner that Lucas was able to convey his Night Club Two-Step patterns and technique. It was a real treat to have experienced this workshop taught by Lucas, and will be looking forward to his next one for USA Dance Honolulu.

USA Dance membership increased by nearly a dozen members that day, all taking advantage of USA Dances discounted fees for our workshops. It really pays to join USA Dance here in Honolulu, because of our give back to our 'ohana’ members. Our savvy members know the true value of our membership. They all know the upfront $25membership fee for being a member is next to nothing, compared to the great savings thru the year.

Candy Matsuda,
USA Dance Honolulu

Candonians of Hawaii Scholarship Fund Dance

It was the first time that Lani and I got a glimpse of Candonians of Hawaii last night at the Pacific Beach Hotel
As we entered the foyer of the GrandBallroom, we were greeted by acquaintances Sam and Remy Sonson who were at the Reception Table. (We met Sam and Remy when Lani and I were at the beginning stage of learning how to dance when HBDA was thriving in Hawaii Kai). A long time ago but friendly faces and personality don't change.
Also at the "Table" were Delia Wong and Van Torres. We didn't expect a welcome hug from Delia and we thought she knew us from way back...none-the-less it was a friendly one. We were also greeted by Dr. Ignacio Torres, President of the Candonians of Hawaii and the Chairman of the Scholarship Program. Just a small talk with him, one can tell he has a deep passion to keep the Candonians mission of helping the poor and under priveleged young Filipino boys and girls in attaining education and excellence in their chosen career, on the fast track.

The Ballroom floor had a sprinkle of dancers but as more people trickled in more dancers filled the floor that there were just enough wiggle room to dance. I gotta admit that those dancers were courteous of their surroundings....no bumping and no space invasion. That's gotta be akamai to the max. The Music DeeJays were the team of Eddie and Jon Agas of E & J Sounds who spinned a variety of good danceable tunes that kept the dance floor filled to capacity....a bundle of favorite ballroom, Latin,and swing, and a merengue.

Lani and I were invited guests of Paul and Marie Laderta, who several times have invited us as their guests to several venues including the Pacific Beach Hotel events. Maraming salamat, Paul and Marie. The table we got was perfect...just at the edge of the dance floor...a good view for a photo-blogger and a quick access to the dance floor. Not very often do Lani and I get to seat at the same table with well known celebrities but bumping elbows with Lucas Jaime & Yanna Samkova, Maria Handal & Connie Laderta, Fil & Elvie Padilla, and Wes and Sandy Numazu, has gotta be the coolest.


The Program started with two maganda Filipina EmCees, Mistresses of Ceremony Nadine Lagaso and Roselle Torres who welcomed everyone to this fundraiser event and kept the program running smoothly and timely. The National Anthems of the Philippines and the United States of America were sung by the Candonians Singers and ultimately joined by the audience. Invocation was said by Rev. Emmanuel Cruz and then it was grindz time for the spread of delicious entries that the Pacific Beach is known for.



The Entertainment part of the program featured two Line Dances by the Fabulous Dancers, and the Forever Young Dancers. Don't let the names fool you...they were seniors that danced with dexterity and rhythm.

General Dancing filled in between each exhibition dances throughout the program.

Part 1 featured Dance Exhibitions by Professionals with their student-partner.

Ms. Josie Banasan and Professional Leo Tomas danced a beautiful exhibit of the Waltz. Not showing the jitters of a new-comer to exhibition dancing, Josie danced with confidence and flowed with rhythm and precision. I liked Leo's choreography in this Waltz...it had an abundance of moves that is vacant in most International Style Waltz dance exhibitions. A dance very well performed.


The Cha Cha danced by Jannette Ranion and Professional Carmelo Baysa was another crowd pleaser. Lifts and Drops made this showcase Cha Cha appealing and exciting to watch. Carmelo was Lani's and my first Professional dance teacher when he first came to Hawaii from the Philippines to teach at a studio in Aina Haina. At that time he had a driving flair to cause excitement and put on a good dance show for the audience as well as for the student-performers. It was mighty good to see that he is still on the hot trail and still in sync with his style.


"ALEGRIA" performed by Marie Laderta with Professional Lucas Jaime, and Paul Laderta with Professional Yanna Samkova was sensational and continued to have a colorful bite in exhibition dancing. It was fresh, all fired up, footloose and fancy free.

There was a short intermission for Recognition of Graduates of the Scholarship Program. Candonians Prez Ignacio Torres gave an astounding history of the Candonians' mission, and with the help of the Scholarship Committee congatulated and gave certificates to the Graduates who excelled in High School and in College and there were many as far back in 2007. "The fundraising program started in 2001 for academically deserving high school graduates from poor families in the City of Candon, Ilocos Sur and surrounding towns. Its aim was to support these students through college towards completion of courses they choose".


Part 2 resumed soon after with the Foxtrot performed by Dance Instructors Ed and Matilda Felix. As with their previous exhibition of the Waltz at the Bantay Bata Fundraising Dance, this couple added some pleasing moves to their Foxtrot that also pleased the audience. It was refreshing and magnificently performed.


Ed and Charlotte Bugarin are well known in Dance Exihibition circles. They have thrilled audiences with their explosive moves in the Cha Cha and Samba in previous showcases. But tonight it was an exhibition to slow down the tempo to a romantic Rumba that sizzled with hot, hot moves that drains the imagination.


Billed earlier as an exhibition of the Waltz, it was changed to the Bolero which was a welcomed treat. Not very often is the Bolero performed in Exhibition Dances and because Bolero is one of my favorite dances, I couldn't turn a blind eye to it. I thought Simon and Aida danced superbly in their version of this slowest of the Latin dances.



The Entertainment part of the program concluded with Closing Remarks by Vice Prez Sam Sonson with encouragement to come together again next year and support the Candonians mission. For the rest of the evening, general dancing continued till 12 midnight.
(Left click on photo to zoom in)