Lani and I got to the Palladium a bit early and waited in the foyer as the competitors were practicing their moves. It was a good time to chat with dancers from other dance clubs....small talk but interesting to know what's going on in our dancing community.
The fabulous music of DeeJay Gary Kawasaki filled the ballroom enticing dancers to come on and get dancing on the floor. On a closer look, it was Ravi Narayan pinchhitting for Gary at least for a while.
The lovelies at the reception were very cordial in greeting everyone entering the ballroom. Even the guys were greeting guys with a friendly handshake. It looked like everyone had the smile and happy fever which is a good thing for an event this large. Admission was $7 Presale or $9 at the door. Not bad for a High Class Competition show considering it comes with refreshments.
Prelude to the Mock Comp was the traditional HorseShoe IceBreaker Dance. EmCee Roger Izumigawa opened the program. Recognition of other Ballroom Dance Clubs and also to Herbert Omizo and Annie Ferguson for most tickets sold. Introduction of USA Dance Hawaii Prez Glen Okazaki followed with a welcome to all. A flick of the switch and the lights went on brighter than before and Glen gave a short history of how the change in illumination took place. In a nut shell, special thanks to Glen and USA Dance for spearheading the call to Acting Mayor Cadwell on the lighting problem at the Ballroom. That met with a huge applause of appreciation.
It was show time in the Latin Comp which featured dances in the Samba, Cha Cha, Rumba, and Jive. 9 couples competed in the Samba, 11 couples in the Cha Cha and Rumba, and 10 couples in the Jive. The two youngest couples, Prita Narayan & Ari Dalbert, and Ikaika Villanueva & Keilana Kese competed in the Latin division. So did first time competitors Gordon Wong & Clary Mitchell-Smith.
THE COMPETITORS AND THE DANCES
The Standard Comp featured dances in the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quick Step. 13 couples competed in the Waltz, 11 couples in the Tango, 3 couples in the Viennese Waltz, 13 couples in the Foxtrot, and 11 couples in the Quick Step. First time competitors were Candy & Ed Matsuda, Gordon Wong & Clary Mitchell-Smith, and a couple from Japan Yoshiko Fujioka & Taichi Ito. The only couple to compete in all 9 (Latin and Standard) dances was Richard and Lynn Nakamura. Missing in the photo
lineup are Yoshiko Fujioka and Taichi Ito who competed in the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Quick Step.
There was no individual winner for this Mock Competition and no judges like Dancing With The Stars reality show. It was a successful and super attempt to showcase our own STARS in the islands...a preview of what's in store for the upcoming Hawaii Star Ball. Cheering for favorite dancers was encouraged throughout the competition. All of them danced like champions and you could see the strength in their individual technniques that put them well in a class of their own.
(My thanks to my main squeeze Lani who helped me put this blog together and proof read it, and to Debra Ota who help me with organizing the photos, and added some noteworthy information.)
