So You Think You Can Dance The Filipino Tango

Curiosity got the most of me this week. Got the word that Dance Aliamanu was gonna teach the Filipino Tango at their main hangout...Aliamanu Elementary School. Heard so much about this dance in Pepe's blogs that I had to see first hand what this dance was all about. And like a bad cat, I got Lani to join me in this venture for a new experience. The drive from Hawaii Kai was long but traffic was moving very good for a Tuesday week night. Some how it seemed a lot longer now than when we use to travel the same route many years back when we were teaching dancing at neighboring Aliamanu Middle School for HBDA. Anyway, when we arrived at the school, Richard Nieto and Elsie McGrew were teaching the Rumba to a nice crowd of beginning level dancers. They covered three patterns on this first lesson night. Richard's wife Cora was handling the music. (Photo; Elsie, Richard, and Cora)


During the short recess, Lani and I got to meet Andy and Monica Pascua who were going to teach the Filipino Tango. Of course, Andy and Monica are no strangers to us since we both were former dance instructors for HBDA.

Okay, getting to the meat of it. Filipino Tango is not anything like your International style or American style Tango patterns. Tonight, Andy and Monica taught several patterns which were at first difficult but with continuous practice we were dancing the first block of patterns to the moderate tempo Tango music. I gotta say that Andy and Monica were very patient and kept on demonstrating this first block till we got it. As he put it to the students..we're there to learn. Okay, my description of the dance for this first lesson. The dance hold is the same as the American style Tango. It has many hand changes like the Salsa, there are some movements like in the Rumba and other Latin dances, and the ladies spot turns and underarm turns adds a great deal of spice to the dance. Just from tonight's lesson, I can see some elements of a showcase type dancing in the Filipino Tango. Very showy and may become a big hit in social dancing. More on the Filipino Tango come next week. (Photo: Monica and Andy)

The 4th Week of October That Was

I know! I know! I've been laying low for a while! Hope you all enjoyed reading the terrific blogs by Geoffrey, Calvin, Maile, June, and da Specter.
Okay, Students of Dance, I haven't been idle, though. On Monday my Cha Cha and Swing Jitterbug class resumed after a 3 week stretch of breaks. Lani and I did an extensive review of all the patterns taught prior on both dances. Wasn't too bad in getting the students back to the level they left three weeks ago. Got to squeeze in the SIDE PASS and CUDDLE in the Swing, and the CHA CHA CHASE before calling it a night.


Come Tuesday, Lani and I headed for Dance Aliamanu to pick up some tickets for their 1st Anniversary & Charity Ball from Maurice. The American Ballroom Line Dance was in session with Kevin and Margaret Yee instructing. Good number of students. Got to meet and chat with Maurice's main squeeze Gilda. Friendly and gracious lady. The second class Argentina Tango with instructors Robert and Vanelle Hirayasu started after a short break. Simple patterns but a good introduction to this style of Tango and the intricate patterns to follow.


Wednesday was a big day for Lani and me. Rummage Sale at the Kokohead Seniors Club in the morning and teaching Foxtrot and Tango in the evening. The Rummage Sale got off to a good start with nearly every member bringing in a lot of "white elephants". Only thing they were mostly girly things...no guy stuffs. Lani had this wild idea to spice up the "Sale". She asked me to be like a "gigolo". You know...dance with the ladies for 50 cents a song. And dance I did with several ladies...Swing, Cha Cha, Tango, Waltz, and Rumba. Low budget but it was fun. All proceeds went to the Seniors Club along with whatever the Rummage Sale brought in.


Evening came and it was time to head to Kaiser CSA for our Foxtrot and Tango class. Lani suggested that we teach the new steps first and then go back to reviewing the ones we taught previously. The students were all in favor of it. So we got to introduce the RIGHT TURNS pattern in the Foxtrot. Then reviewed all the previous patterns in sequence. We did the same for the Tango by teaching the LA PUERTA (photo: starting count 5 & 6) and then going back to reviewing the previous Tango patterns. It was humid but the students kept plugging along on both dances. Lani and I think they liked the new format.
That's a wrap for this week. Keep on dancing!

A Taste of Dance Honolulu

Aloha Students of Dance,
The Fall Recess is finally over and Lani and I are back on the dance circuit. Yesterday was a holiday for most Federal workers but the CSA was closed because of Teacher Institute Day for the DOE. So there was no Monday night dance class for us Special Interest Teachers, too. But we'll be back tomorrow (Wednesday) night at Kaiser CSA for our Social Foxtrot and Tango classes.

All was not a lost Monday though. Lani and I cruised down to DANCE HONOLULU, an offshoot of DANCE ALIAMANU, last night. Actually, our trip was to pick up the tickets for the Dance Aliamanu 1st Anniversary & Charity Ball. As we walked into the Washington Middle School cafeteria, Lynn and Richard (Mr. and Mrs. Quickstep) greeted us. It was good to see and chat with them again. Also, it was nice to see dance teacher Gayle Kawahakui there too. Had a small chat with her. Got to meet Maurice Morita, the main man who organized Dance Aliamanu, Dance Kaneohe, and Dance Honolulu with the help of his faithful followers...akamai kind of guy.
Also got to reacquaint with former HBDA dance instructors, Richard and Cora, who we befriended when Lani and I were teaching for HBDA.


The class was in session with the NightClub Two Step, taught by Cullen and Cheryl Chong. You can spark that they are good dance teachers because the students were having fun learning to dance the Two Step. I had a nice talk with Lynn about Cullen and Cheryl. She had high praises of their ability to teach dancing. I hope to hear more about them for future blogs.



As Lani and I were leaving, Lynn and Richard introduced to us Miss Hawaii 2002 Kehaulani Christian who will be performing in the Celebrities/VIPs Showcase at the Anniversary Ball. (see photo with Lynn and Richard). By the way, Richard and Lynn are teaching Mambo this session.

October 2009 Events @The Palladium

More happenings goin' on at the Palladium this month. Sorry for the delay in posting this sched but no hu-hu, there's still a lot of dancing goin' on till the end of October.
(Left click mouse on graphic to zoom in. Right click mouse to print).

A Worthy Cause by Dance Aliamanu

Aloha Students of Dance,
I received the following e-mail from Lynn Nakamura announcing the Dance Aliamanu 1st Anniversary & Charity Ball. From the info I got from her, it's going to be a BLAST with guest VIPs and a lot of general dancing. Anyway read on and decide real quick if you plan to attend this event. You can contact Lynn at her cell phone number or Gayle at gaylekawahakui@aol.com for tickets.
Frank



Hi All,
If you are available on Friday, January 15, 2010, please come and support this event. A portion of the ticket price will be donated to the schools where we hold our dance classes.
If you or your friends want to attend this function, please let me know right away to reserve the tickets.
It'll be a really fun event and for those who like to dance, there will be a lot of time for dancing. See the attachment.


We'll have celebrities/vips like Melveen Leed, Aureana Tseu - Miss Hawaii USA 2009, Liana Green-Wright (Mrs. Hawaii 2009), Kim Anderson - Pookela Award Winner and Lead in West Side Story, Michele Choy - Narcissus Pageant & Coronation Coordinator, and a couple of vip men (maybe). We're still working on the men.
Please pass this information on to friends and family. I believe we've already sold over 200 tickets and our maximum is 400 tickets. We just started selling the tickets 2 weeks ago and plan to have all tickets sold before the end of November. Tickets are on a first come basis, so don't miss out, give me call asap if you want to reserve your tickets.
Mahalo,
Lynn
cell 372-2256

(Left click mouse on graphic to zoom in)

Getting Old Is Like Riding A Bicycle.......

Aloha Students of Dance.
This past Wednesday, Lani shared her knowledge of Tai Chi and Yoga physical exercises with the Seniors at the Kokohead Seniors Club. She started with the importance of proper breathing..inhaling all the way down to the abdomen and exhaling by numbers. Then came the Yoga stretching exercises involving the head, neck, arms, body, legs, and feet. Most of the Seniors followed the exercises standing while a few followed sitting in their chairs.



After the Tai Chi and Yoga physical execises, Lani taught the Seniors the Macarena line dance. It was an invigorating morning for the Seniors and they showed their appreciation for the two physical activities. Hopefully they will continue to keep on "peddling so they don't fall". Growing old is one thing and getting old is another.

Flicker Flashback To The Year 1996

Aloha Students of Dance. I hope you didn't hop on the space shuttle back to 2009 yet. Okay by now you gotta know that I'm a Trekkie, with all this space travel talk. Yeah! it use to be "All I really need to know I learned from watching Star Trek."

But now it's Star Gate SG-1. But "Star Gater" doesn't sound as appealing as Trekkie. Just like the Palladium is a very good place to go ballroom dancing but for Exhibition or Competition Dancing, the old gal doesn't have that strong appeal quality. Just like the way Geoffrey Fells mentioned many a times in his blogs. So stick around for a while and imagine the times and thrills when HBDA hosted all the "Balls" at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Feel the excitement and the difference?

Anyway, I was scanning through my archive of videos and sparked the 37th Anniversary Ball that HBDA hosted at the Sheraton. I had forgotten that Lani and I were on the program showcasing the Bolero that Albert Franz choreographed for us. (Talk about Senior Moments. Auwe!).




There were a lot of group routines performed by various chapters and they were good ones for the level of dancers. There were big name performers who danced solo exhibitions. Ed and Matilda Felix were flawless dancing the International Waltz. Lester and Henrietta Muramoto dancing a beautiful upscaled smooth International Foxtrot.


And for the finale, Dance Director Ben and Faith Agbayani had the audience in a frenzy as they burned the floor with an entertaining Eastern Swing. Lani and I felt honored performing among polished dancers that brought entertainment and showmanship for the audience to enjoy that night.

Dancing In The Islands Part 2 Flashback

Okay, students of dance, hop on my time machine and we're headed for the early 1990s. Competition Dancing and Exhibition Dancing were telecasted only on KHET at the time. Previously, the other TV stations featured Arthur Murray Dancers and Harry Kanada's Dancers. But they were more of learning how to dance programs instead of competitive or exhibition.

Anyway, back in the early 90's, KHET decided to feature a followup on the first Dancing In The Islands. The TV station wanted to feature Professional Dancers, Pro-Am Dancers, and Amateur Dancers on the program. How the selection was made, I really don't know.


Lani and I had just completed a one week dance performance with 24 other couples at the University of Hawaii 25th Anniversary. Our names came up to be the Amateur Dancers. Carmelo Baysa and partner (sorry her name escapes me) were selected to be the Pro-Am Dancers, and Albert Franz and Cindy Mead were the Professional Dancers.







The late Big Band Leader Del Courtney and his Orchestra was a big boost to the show. So were our dance teachers Carmelo Baysa and Judy Allen of the University of Hawaii Department of Theater Arts. Albert Franz and Cindy Mead were an even bigger boost as they danced several smooth dances with elegance. (Three years later, Albert Franz choreographed the Bolero for Lani and me.)
Dancing In The Islands Part 2 aired on KHET as the TV station's Spectrum Series. It was an energizing point for Lani and me to continue to perform in other dance showcases.

Dance, Dance, Dance @The Senior Fair

Nice sunshine day this Saturday! And like most if not all seniors, Lani and I headed to the Seniors' Fair at the Honolulu Neal Blaisdell Center. Mind you, we're far from being makule but I looked forward to renewing my valuable Zippy's Senior Club Card at the fair. All card carrying members of Zippy's knows the value of this card. Right?!! Anyway, we got to the Blaisdell a little after eleven. Lani likes to browse around and check out each vendor's booth. Me, I like to hit the continuous entertainment on two stages first and then go browsing.




As we entered the Exhibition Hall, the Nanakuli Performing Arts students were on stage #1 singing and dancing. From the way they were performing, you'd think the musical production of FAME was on stage. Great musical score by the boys and girls of Nanakuli High School.


The Step*Taculars were next and Guest Author Salome was on the first number with three other girls and one guy, Bill Doherty. Colorful costumes as usual and entertaining performance.




Stage #2 is at the opposite end of the Hall and I was curious to see what's cooking. Hot Salsa music was cooking and friend Norma K was firing up the stage with a sensuous Rumba with Greg the Salsa Man. The show was billed as "Dancing With Norma K" and danced she did...the Cha Cha Cha and then the Salsa with Greg and Vince taking turns dancing with her. Later Norma invited the audience to a mini lesson on the Salsa. Greg conducted the lesson which was fun. I know 'cause I was the only guy participating with eight ladies. To Norma K, Greg, and Vince...great show!








Stage #1 was beginning to heat up again with the Morning Stars, another song and dance group who performed for and hour and a half. Terrific entertainment.

There were three solo singers and group dancers in costumes you normally see on Broadway stage shows and at the Mardi Gra.




The show spiced up with Flamenco dancing and Hot Salsa. Bill Doherty spun his Cape Dance, too. Man, that guy gets around! The finale was a tribute to America in red, white, and blue. Excellent showcase of good singers and dance performance.

Power Lifting, Ballroom Dancing, and Focusing

"One reason men are so tense on the dance floor is because they're self-conscious," says Dan, an accomplished ballroom dancer and dance instructor.
Okay, I'll buy that if the men are at the Beginner or Bronze level....well not all men. I say that because men who practice dancing their new skills between dance classes develop a lot of confidence in themselves. There's no tension on their part. Believe me, guys, if you're tense, the girls can sense it and they can feel it. Yes they can. Anyway, Dan is not a Competition Dancer nor an Exhibition Dancer....just a plain grassroots social dancer like most dancers who are out there just to have fun partner dancing.


So guys, if your tension is caused by your perception that people are pointing the finger or laughing at you then lend an ear to Dan's cool advice, "To solve this problem, repeat this simple phrase to yourself: To h--- with everyone else. Don't worry about looking bad. Instead pay attention to only one person...your partner. I can tell you as a dance instructor that the more you focus on yourself and your partner, the better dancer you'll be. And the better you are, the less you'll care if other people are watching you". With that concern solved, you don't have to feel like a weenie when you hit the dance floor.
Oh! I forgot to mention that Dan is a Power Lifter, too...with muscles..big, big muscles. So it's wise to lend the other ear, too. Lifting may tighten muscles, Dan says, but dancing helps keep those muscles supple and limber. A strange combination...Power Lifting and Ballroom Dancing...but it goes well together according to Dan.

Where To A $1.11 Per Professionally Instructed Class?

Aloha Students of Dance,
Got this newsletter from Rita from Maui a few minutes ago. If you're planning to vacation October to December on the Valley Isle and want to excel to the next level in dancing without dishing out a lot of moola, then swing down to her dance studio and register for the kick off of this new dance series.
Frank


Maui, HAWAII – The Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit features Maui’s ONLY Professionally-Instructed Ballroom & Latin Dance classes, hosts their Registration Night on Wednesday, October 7th to kick off their new dance series for Oct-Dec; there will also be a potluck dinner and social dance that evening and everyone interested in learning to dance is welcome to join this Guinness World Record holding class! Dance Professional Rita O’Connor, N.D.C.A., will instruct students in Salsa, West Coast Swing & Waltz held every Wednesday at the Kihei Community Center from 6:30 – 9:00 pm; open registration throughout the quarter. The total 3-month course is $40 per person if registered by October 14th; that’s only $1.11 per professionally instructed class! Take 1, 2, or all 3 classes! Open registration throughout the course. No partner necessary! Singles and couples welcome! Teens through adults! Beginners through advanced dancers take the floor! Visit www.alohaballroom.com or call 879-0055 for more information.

The Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy (“Academy”) is also the state of Hawaii’s largest Latin & Ballroom group dance class. The Academy is a charitable, educational non-profit Latin & Ballroom dance organization which offers kama’aina and visitors professionally instructed weekly group classes in Latin & Ballroom dancing. Visit their website at: www.alohaballroom.com.


This new dance series highlights two of the hottest, hippest dances: Salsa & West Coast Swing - ideal for Maui's dance places and spaces - and the Waltz is a classic favorite, so sign up early to secure a space in the classes! “We are trying to make partnership dancing a fun and social event for both couples and singles,” says Brian. “It’s a wonderful way for couples to build upon their relationship and share a new activity together in a relaxing atmosphere. Similarly, singles or those without a dance partner for the evening can enjoy the company of others who want to learn to dance without feeling social pressure to have a steady partner in order to do ballroom dancing.” “Ballroom & Latin dancing has changed with the times,” explains dance professional Rita. “The success of “Dancing with the Stars” TV program has prompted a resurgence in Latin & Ballroom dancing. I enjoy featuring contemporary music selections as well as the traditional songs to make it easier for people to recognize a dance. Our students range from young adult to mature adult and crosses all cultural barriers!”


Ballroom & Latin Dance Professional, Rita and co-founder, Brian created the "Academy" to give back to the Maui community through the arts & cultural of partnership dancing and to promote quality ballroom dancing through professional instruction on Maui! Rita also has Keiki & Teen dance classes and has been professionally competing, performing and teaching Latin & Ballroom dancing in large and small group classes and private lessons for over 20 years and is an award-winning competitor in the International & American Style dances in Latin & Ballroom; she also instructed at 3 of New York City’s top tri-state area dance studios and coaches Maui’s top dancers!
(Photo: Salsa Performance by Noe Garcia Robles and Rita O'Connor)

First Night Rhythm Dancing @ Ali'iolani CSA

This past Monday was our first class teaching the Cha Cha and Swing Jitterbug at Ali'iolani CSA. Traffic was a bit heavy heading towards Kaimuki from East Honolulu but Lani and I got to our destination with 15 minutes to spare before start time. As the students trickled in, Lani checked their names on the student attendance roster while I got the audio equipment booted up. Most of the students were new faces..a few from Nick's Absolute Beginners Class...and a good number of returnees. After the orientation...DOE school rules on what is permissible, safety concerns, and "you cannot do" stuff, Lani and I covered the basic components of the Cha Cha. Three minutes of Cha Cha Aerobics followed just to get the students' footwork in rhythm with the music. I'm going to fastforward here 'cause all you dancers know the beginners drill. With the tempo on "Manzanillo", and "Place In My Heart" the students were dancing the Side Basics, Progressive Basics, Crossover Breaks, and Ladies Underarm Turns. Lani added some styling to the Cha Cha which the girls picked up, and of course my job was to teach the guys how to lead the girls into different patterns with Latin flavor. Not too bad for the first session.


The second hour turned out to be a scorcher. Went through the beginners drill after Lani and I danced a Jitterbug demo. As a starter, we taught the Close Basic, Throwout, One Hand Open Basic, and Whip To Basic, all single time patterns. I think the students began to sizzle when they started to dance the patterns with the jumping jive "Reet Petite" and "Trickle, Trickle". We didn't want any burnouts for the first session, so I slowed the tempo down to "Rock Around The Clock". It was enough of a cool down for the students which had them laughing with satisfaction as the last few minutes ticked away.

The Singer, The Hula Dancers, and The Lion

Kine da bit early for your weekly blog, eh Frank? No huhu, guys and gals! I didn't want to wait and then put you to sleep with long winded talks....just the facts..the way they use to say in "Dragnet". Got word from Maui that my nephew Darren was going to dance the hula at the Victoria Ward Warehouse stage on Sunday.

Sure 'nuff he was there (Darren far right in photo) with five lovely ladies and two other guy dancers, and Uluwehi Guerrero (the man with the golden voice) who sang all the Hawaiian tunes and a Japanese song, too. The hula dancers (the guys included) were from Halau Hula Kauluokala. Their hands and body movements were like the palm trees being swayed by the gentle flow of the wind. Okay you know what I mean.
Uluwehi told a short story about his experience in Japan while on tour with the hula troupe. Besides his extraordinary singing, it kept the audience glued to his every word. It was amusing as he told how he had composed the Japanese song that he was about to sing. It was showtime again and sing he did, strumming his rich tone ukulele as the lovely hula dancers in green danced with grace.

It was only a one hour show but it had class and certainly entertainment.

Night came but the sky was lighted with orange hue as Lani and I headed for the Kapiolani Lions Ballroom Dancers shindig at the Palladium. Small crowd but very friendly dancers. Okay, don't go looking for the Lion. This is it!
We were welcomed by Walter, Kay, and Ruby at the reception desk.

I couldn't resist taking a pix of those hard working friendly faces at the desk and the ladies who work the kitchen detail. (L-R) Richard Kazunaga, Ruby Kazunaga, Jean Young, Kimber Nelon, Bob Young, Kay Mita, and Walter Mita.

It was good to see Margie Liu and Peggy Freeman who were the DJ's for the evening.
Good tempo music for dancing although the volume could have gone a few decibal higher which it did before the snack break. Sweet and ono snacks were donated by Arthur and Joan Oda of the New Aala Bakery.

Exchanged dances with Susan and Richard who Lani and I sat next to.
It was a rare opportunity for the Kapiolani Lions Ballroom Dancers to host a dance at the Palladium. Hopefully they can persuade the Mayor to give them a spot at the Palladium maybe once a month. Anyway, if you're ever in Central Oahu, check out Richard and Ruby's dance classes at the Waiau Rec Center.