Losing Ground

It is pretty close but Oahu - West now ahead of Central Valley in hits, by a hair. And OW, with only Tim as information contributor and myself writing. One more steady information contributor or guest author the hits will go through the ceiling. Meanwhile with Central Valley we just have to be patient.

"Dance like there's nobody watching, - Love like you'll never be hurt.

Sing like there's nobody listening, - And live like it's heaven on earth."

The dancers are beginning to know dancing and there is where we are going to come out ahead. There is a small difference between entirely freestyle (improvisational) dance and an absolute street dance. While freestyle dance is random and a personal dance invented by a single person (even if it's based on someone else's dance style), a full street dance is a collection of the various similar dance moves and styles collected into one practice and regarded as the same dance.

Just needs a teacher as Guest Author, hits will go through the roof.
 

Dot's in Wahiawa is a good example and it will be more in the coming months when more different type dancers mingle. Coupled with some of the members of Wahaiwa Ballroom Dance Club, the amalgamation of all the regular dances will occur. We must provide for our own people first.

It will happen and with the full knowledge of everyone it will overflow into Mililani and the North Shore. And further, when the music moves a little more into the Latin, the joints in the Central Valley will remain open until midnight. Yes, I have been wrong before.

"I Can Dream, Can't  I?" by the Andrews Sisters

We are also still patiently waiting to get some news from Mililani. I can feel it, the action is going to be there. A night club, a monthly dance at a community center, a new dance club? It has been asking for it, for a long long time. When it comes the entire Central Valley will be rolling!

Hit The Wall

All three of the bottom blogs have hit the wall. Actually I prefer to call it a plateau. They are all in the low forties and all in the West. Everybody wants to deal with downtown because country "just doesn't have it." Or whateveh!

"It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. So you gotta mingle with the downtown people."

However, Central Valley dropped from the fifties (when reinstated) to the low forties now. Oahu-West has been climbing steadily due to the Ace Reporter, Tim Cubero Jr. of Kapolei Chapter HBDA. His blogging together with photos has sent Oahu-West from the high thirties into the forties right ahead of Moaanlua Corridor. Moanalua has very little going for it at the moment.

Hopefully we will soon get enough people in the West aware that we can dance too. And we can dance our own way, in our own locations with our own acceptable social cultural methods. "I coulda been home in 20 minutes." The action in Mililani will tell the tale in the next few months together with whomever we can get as information contributor and perhaps later as Guest Author. A perfect one would be one that is a resident of Mililani.

"All Or Nothing At All" by Frank Sinatra

The key for all three blogs is the information contributor. If we can get the information to print, the readers will be there. But first the info, then the readers. Not the other way around. And right now we need an instructor of American Style of dance giving us a few pertinent views on dancing in the West.

Much club and party dances in the West from Ewa Beach to the North Shore have been street dances. The majority of these street dances are their own dance styles and they are vastly diverse and there are many different music genres each of which have individually prominent vernacular dance styles.

But we cannot avoid the amalgamation of the existing dance styles in the West with the styles now being dance by the social dance groups. For Central Valley the crucial point coming is the Mililani sector. Then it will be rolling.

Latin American Hip Motion. #2

Excerpt from Dancing USA, 2002
by Jeff Allen

Most of us would agree that Latin music is infectious enough to conjure up wonderful images of social and physical prowness for both sexes. But when it comes to Latin dancing, many shy away - largely because of the misunderstandings that physical illusion creates.

"Just as we don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how all those poets out there are

going to monetize their poetry, the same is true for most bloggers."

The novice or beginner does not know from their grass roots experience that Latin dancing did NOT come vis-a-vis wiggling the hips but rather from the image of the knees. We as "social dancers" may have advanced much farther by now in the art and enjoyment of Latin American dancing.

The next time you have an opportunity to see a film of a young Elvis on stage watch carefully. All that pelvis and hip gyrations come from the very simple bending and straightening of the knees. If Elvis had really started his movements by wiggling his hips, as a gesture to create excitement and provoked the images that sent girl's imaginations into overload. I am afraid I wouldn't have Elvis Presley to use as a visual analogy.

"Nuttin' But a Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley

Is dancing the movement of the body to music or to the movement of the feet? Most will say the feet and it is not necessarily true. We move the feet to accomodate and support the next postion of the body. But it is the body that expresses the characteristics of the music.

With visual and practice time you will change where in your body you prioritize the development of the Cuban motion characteristics. "Where"  you will feel the movement develop in your muscles and joints is far more important than what you think it should "look like."

Once you have this, the Latin flavor in your choreography will become very apparent internally and externally. The results of being aware of your knees will definitely improve your timing. And with the proper music you will be dancing in another world among the stars.

Amazing

This blog with not much doing has been holding up in the mid forties in hits. But then so has Moanalua Corridor and not much doing there either. The one coming up very good is Oahu - West and it is all due to Kapolei Chapter HBDA. But Kapolei is convinced that we help each other and it is not a one way street.

"Blogs are already moving upmarket and improving. The term "Professional Blogger"

is no longer an oxymoron. Some in the traditional media realize this – ESPN,

for example, recently purchased the popular basketball blog TrueHoop.com

to complement its other online news offerings."

Central Valley hinges on getting a good information contributor from the Mililani Section and one from Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club. That would send the hits up through the roof and establish their place in the sun.There will be enough doing there to be of interest to the reader/dancers.  From there it can just naturally spread to Waipio and to the North Shore.

From our experience a blog must attain an average of 34 hits per day which is the equivalent of 1000 hits per 30 day month to be viable. But to really be considered seriously it must get to 67 average hits per day which is equivalent to 2000 hits per month.

"Let It Be" by the Beatles

Central Valley, Moanalua Corridor and Oahu - West are all over 34 average hits per day. One of them will hit the magic 67 by next month. I do not know which one it will be, it will all depend on the information contributors. Now I know how that happens.

All we can do is offer the platform, and those that do not wish to use it will let us know. If they ignore us, THEY WILL HAVE LET US KNOW, and we will respect their wishes. But we will go all out for those that accept our help and they will make the ultimate decisions. Times, they are a changing and we gotta go along with them.

In the Central Valley we have some good street dances and folk dances that have been developing for decades. These are distinguished by when the terms were introduced for, the term 'street dance' as a compound noun has been believed to have existed since beginning of the early 20th century, where as Afro-American vernacular dance was becoming popular in the western world, it is not taken seriously into consideration on Oahu.

Clogging, a descendant of folk dances such as Jigging is thought to be the partial originator of traditional tap dance, rocking and some forms of mid-era ballet. It exists on Oahu but it is very sparse along with a lot of other mainland favorites. We are stuck with what we enjoy and do best. The social dance based on the American style of dance with all the variations pertaining to the island of Oahu.

Predicted here at the beginning of the year:

Has the ballroom lost its sheen? "Dancing With the Stars" Season 14 kicked off on Monday with 18.5 million viewers tuning in, but was down from the previous two seasons.

According to ABC, the "DWTS" premiere scored a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demo. When compared to the Season 12 premiere, the show was down 34 percent and 13 percent from the Season 13 premiere. Season 13 debuted to roughly 19 million viewers and a 4.0 rating in the demographic. Season 12 had 22.7 million viewers with a 5.3 rating in the demo.

Pub's Side Note: The spectator division is definitely going elsewhere. Apparently most dancers on Oahu are not aware of this yet. I can be reached by phone but I am hard of hearing and it may be difficult. However, easy by email.

Central Valley is In

Central Valley blog has racked up more hits than Moanalua Corridor or Oahu - West. So it is pretty clear, the counters rule. What the hell do I know?

"The Internet destroyed most of the barriers to publication. The cost of being a publisher

dropped to almost zero with two interesting immediate results: anybody can publish,

and more importantly, you can publish whatever you want."

Now I will have to start flowering up the blog a little better, and work to get a steady information contributor that could possible work into a Guest Author. For the entire social dance enchilada we have good prospects. We just have to find out which ones "are" and which ones "are not." And we must respect the wishes of those that "are not."

I have transferred Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club back to this blog and if we get some news from them now and then it will help to run up the hits. Coming up is the big dinner/dance at Halemano Plantation on April 14th and with a couple different write ups with photos would be perfect. Would run up the hits through the roof. And the reader/dancers will not be just from the Central Valley section.

Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt is up and running in the Mililani area. Dance Clubs, Night Clubs, Community Centers, District Parks and home parties. Many of them just rumours, but if anyone has any news, send it in for the reader/dancers of this blog. The information contributors can make this blog into a powerhouse of social dance information all the way to the North Shore.

"Wrong Way" by Sublime

Then we have Richard and Dot's in Wahiawa. The place has has been really rolling in the last few
months even though Richard has been blogging in other blogs. They tend to dance night club, often considered urban folk dance but mixed in very nicely with ordinary social dance.

Since many concepts of urbanization have existed for a long time back in history, the point of which folk dance is to be considered a more historical street dance is often broad and unknown. Fortunately we don't have to worry too much about that. We just get out and "Madam, may I have this dance?"

Pub's Side Note: Fortunately all of our reader/dancers can plainly see what has evolved all by itself. Wahiawa is very central to Central Valley. Ha!

Evolving For The Better

The stats for the bottom three are there. Central Valley in front, then Moanalua Corridor, then Oahu - West. That seems to be how they are shaping up. I will make my decision right after St. Paddy's Day.

"And it occurred to me that there is no such thing as blogging. There is no

such thing as a blogger. Blogging is just writing — not even good writing

using a particularly efficient type of publishing technology." 

The key move for Central Valley is a steady information contributor from Waipio, to the North Shore. Just a person that gets around that section for any kind of social recreational dancing. Home parties, community centers, district parks, night clubs, as long is it is our kind of dancing.

Dancing has always been a social and fun way to bring people together as well as create beautiful displays of movement and lifting (De odder group.) Today, in the West, we continue the dance craze, even if no longer called ballroom. More then ever, we bring it to new levels like history has never seen before. Fads may creep into nightclubbing a little, but not in our steady kine dancing.

"All Or Nothing At All" by Frank Sinatra

There is growing action in the Mililani area. We just can't put it in order yet, but we will. Then we can help those that will allow us. We will respect the wishes of the others.

The west is also doing very well in the LAGS department.

Latest And Greatest Syndrome has been a very important factor holding back the development of good social dancing on this Island, the weakness is in the collusion between the student and many beginning teachers.

The students want to do the fancy steps they saw at the Hawaii Star Ball or Dancing with the Stars and that took years of study and practice to develop. Some instructors try to impress upon the student the value of working the good basics first. With over 600 documented steps and patterns in every dance, there are plenty of good solid basic movements to learn first. The real joy is in moving to the music.

But then the instructors want to show the student what g-r-e-a-t teachers they are and are willing to impress the student with that fancy step. The net result is obvious. No rhythm, little timing makes for pretty sloppy dancing. But what the hell, we are all still learning.

The Puzzle

The puzzle, Central Valley blog remains the puzzle. Of course it is still early in the month but the hits are holding steady in the mid forties. This only means that if we get one steady information contributor or Guest Author from Whitmore Village or Mililani, we got it made in the shade.

"The casual conversational tone of a blog is what makes it particularly dangerous."

There is already some dance action in Whitmore Village, and also in Mililani but it seems they wish to keep it a private affair and we concur that they have the absolute right. So we have to seek and find those that are willing to go public. If they don't have a Web site, then they can surely use our help.

Then the North Shore has been long overdue. Doris tried to teach some kind of dancing when she lived in Waialua but went back to the Mainland some years back. And I believe they have some kind of line dancing in Haleiwa. This blog may eventually trip on some of these and that will get it going good. The prospects are beginning to look better. Not conclusive, just better.

Generally, most people just want to have some fun. And moving to music with some resemblance of regularity is very enjoyable. Very basic movements that a man finds easy to lead and a woman finds easy to follow. Each dancer dances a different half of the dance but that is the pleasure of it all when it comes together just right. That is also why fads find it hard to get into Cultural Dance.

"Sh-Boom, (Life Could Be A Dream)" by the Chordettes

The club dancing melds very nicely with the American Style of dance in the West. Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, cafeterias, and nightclubs. Most are not interested in getting into any type of International competitions with any kind of exactness.

These dances generally evolve out of urban and suburban spaces in some form of underground culture/region as in West Oahu. They are a part of the vernacular culture of that geographical area. This is as if they were folk dances, although since the advent of the internet, the dances seem to be shared among people with the same musical interest island wide. Fifty years ago the Double Blues were danced throughout the Islands.

Pub's Side Note: Change for the good is coming slowly. But if you have a group forming to dance and you don't have a Web site, look us up. Our hobby is helping and give you the best public relations possible.

Mardi Gras in Wahiawa

I decided a rerun from Oahu - West blog, seeing that there is nothing else.

Aloha Everyone! The WBDC Mardi Gras Dance on March 2nd, was another awesome and successful event!
As they say, "pictures say a thousand words!" Here are some of those pictures that say just that, on that very special night. (from Maili Yagi)

Gat da ono Kau Kau raddy

They come to dance and our social dancing always includes line dancing.

C'mon you guys join in,  the ladies are waiting!

The VIPs out in force

No truth to the rumor that next year have to rent the Blaisdell.

This is not Flicker so every photo counts.

Hope you enjoyed them! Maile for WBDC

Pub's Side Note: Terrific photos. But just as we need graphics or photos to flower up our text. We need text to flower up our photos. So "Rome was not built in a day." And the hits on this blog are going through the roof anyway. And what is this "Whitmore Village?"

Good and Bad News

Town Dancer and Oahu And Beyond are leading in our blogosphere, with the total hits on all the blogs now at over 400 average hits per day. (12000/month)  Regrettably, Central Valley and Moanalua Corridor blogs are both down, running in the mid forties.

"Blogging is an idiom and many are not yet aware. - Blogging is using the new medium for

what it is good for - connecting and interacting."

I am pulling back one level on all blogs, and let the information contributors and the reader/dancers decide as to which one will go first. The one that hits 29 will probably be unanimously elected for deletion. And I can then plan on letting it go slowly into oblivion and do what I can to salvage the remaining one.

I really do not understand how all this happens, but I go with the flow. I have counters on my blogs that tell me an awful lot. And I cannot waste anytime where it is not productive. I did not even get CV into Dance Fever Oahu, now we can just wait.

Meanwhile, I have to seek more information contributors to get at least one blog into independence this year. A good independent dance blog should have five or six Guest Authors to develop the blog into its own complete identity. It would become the most powerful voice in social dancing on this Island.

"The Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page

I am getting good advice and some help from around the Island. I will have more time to do that, now that I have trimmed a lot from my plate. We can mold each blog into its own. We seem to be geting more readers in the Waikele - Waipio area. And maybe Mililani too. If they get something going there, it sounds good for either Oahu - West or ?

Beginning to roll

The easy way to our blogosphere:
Find, get on and add "Dance Guide" blog to your favorites, (it is a recap of our blogsphere.) Then whenever you want to get into Dance Guide, all you have to do is click it on your favorites list.

"You don't have the power to make life fair, but you do have the power to make life joyful."

You then have access to whatever your want in the blog. To get on any other dance blog, all you need to do is click whichever you want on the side bar and you are in. Simple?

A blog is a similar to website but it is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom. The results are a much more current information source.

At the moment the primary area being covered by this blog is in Wahiawa with Dot's In Wahiawa and the Wahiawa Ballroom Dance Club. There could be ramifications going all the way to the North Shore and it most certainly will cover the Dance Pavilion to be built at the Patsy Mink Recreation Park. There are sparks in the Mililani Shopping Centers and there are rumors of a new Dance Mililani. We will give them all the publicity with the information made available to us.

"Be My Love" by Mario Lanza

Where the Internet is about availability of information, blogging is about making "information creation" available to anyone. Therefore the two or three new bloggers we will get from the new dance entities in Mililani and Waipio will be crucial to expanding the readership of this blog. The probability increases that we could get in excess of 100 average hits per day for this blog.

Our new bloggers will not have any real commitments. No annual or monthly meetings or dues. They should blog at least once per month, otherwise we carry their names just for the sport. They make the decision of the subject matter of their writing and they will get adequate feedback from their fellow dancers.

The neighbor islands are still ignoring us, but the Pacific Rim is beginning to take notice. The Philippines were not in the top ten at the beginning of last year. At the beginning of this year they were in seventh place. They are now in sixth place. How about that? A Guest Author from one of the Neighbor Islands and Wow!