April 2011 Schedule of Events @The Palladium

(Left click on poster to zoom in)

After wrapping their brains around the American Social Rumba and Swing Jitterbug the past five weeks, our students have started on the American Social Foxtrot and Salsa tonight at Ali'iolani CSA. We have some returning students but most are brand new to social dancing. Eleven of our students and three of their friends came to the Ilima Ballroom Dance Club 28th Anniversady Dance at the Palladium last Saturday and they were very much impressed with the caliber of dancers and the dance exhibitions. Tonight at the class during the break, they asked about dancing at the Palladium for this week end. So I've posted the April schedule for their benefit and also for the benefit of dancers who are reading this blog. A big MAHALO to Ki who makes each month's Palladium schedule available on his Website. So if you see him at the Palladium or at shopping malls, giv'um da SHAKA sign to show your appreciation. COOL!

Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy

They say, "Maui No Ka Oe!" And lucky you live on Maui, you lucky dancers. Thanks to Professional Ballroom Dance Teacher Rita O'Connor there is a surge in young people taking up Ballroom and Latin Dancing on the Valley Isle. There's a dance program coming up in April for you young adults and never-too-old-to-learn seniors but first take a gander at what's in store for this Wednesday (3/30).

Maui, HAWAII – The Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy, a charitable 501 (c)(3) non-profit featuring Maui’s ONLY Professionally-Instructed Ballroom & Latin Dance classes, hosts their FREE GUEST NIGHT on Wednesday, March 30th to introduce Latin & Ballroom dancing to adults on Maui! This evening will feature a FREE Newcomer Level Dance Class as well as a social dance party and everyone interested in learning to dance is welcome to join this Guinness World Record-Holding class; Cha-Cha & Tango classes will be taught that night, too!! Maui's only trained Latin & Ballroom Dance Professional Rita O’Connor, N.D.C.A., will instruct students April - June in the Foxtrot, Hustle, Cha-Cha & Rumba Wednesday evenings at the Kihei Community Center from 6:30 – 9:00 pm. The total 3-month course is $50 per person; Special Discount if registered by April 6th is only $40 per person! Classes begin April 13th – students can join anytime! Open registration throughout the course. No partner necessary! Singles and couples welcome! Teens through adults! Beginners through advanced dancers take the floor! Kama'aina & visitors welcome! The Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy (“Academy”) is also the state of Hawaii’s largest Latin & Ballroom group dance class.


(Photo of Aloha Ballroom Dance Academy Students courtesy of Rita O'Connor. Left click on photo to zoom in)

Here's what's happening starting in April.

Maui’s ONLY Professionally-Instructed Ballroom & Latin Dance classes, hosts their Registration Night on Wednesday, April 6th to kick off their new dance series for April - June featuring Rumba, Hustle, Foxtrot & Cha-Cha! This evening will feature a pupu potluck as well as social dance and free dance lesson! Everyone interested in learning to dance is welcome to join this Guinness World Record breaking class! Dance professional, Rita O’Connor, N.D.C.A., will instruct every Wednesday evening in Kihei from 6:30 – 9:00 pm. The total cost for the 3-month course is $50 per person with a 20% OFF Special Discount if registered by April 6th (only $40 per person - less than $1.50 per class)! Open registration throughout the course. No partner necessary! Singles and couples welcome! Teens through adults! Beginners through intermediate dancers take the floor! Classes begin April 13th – students can join anytime!

Visit www.AlohaBallroom.com or call 879-0055 for more information.

Wednesday Ballrooom Dance Party

Just when I thought I had my thumb on the pulse of midweek dancing, another venue pops up. Lani and I had the pleasure of meeting Professional Dance Teacher Sharon Liu as we were calling it a night after the Ilima Ballroom Dance Club 28th Anniversary Dance at the Palladium. Thanks to Deanie Bates and Bert who introduced Lani and me to her. Anyway, if you find Divino Ritmo's Mardi Gras at the Cupola this Tuesday evening very exciting and fun and you want to continue the tempo and fun trip to Wednesday evening, here's a hot tip. Sharon Liu is hosting a Ballroom Dance Party at the Honolulu Club from 5:30 to 9:30PM. For more info you can e-mail her at sharon_liu@hotmail.com or better yet call her at (808) 489-8200.

Mardi Gras Tuesday @The Cupola

Night Club Social Dancing at the Cupola on the last Tuesday of each month is still thriving. This time with a Mardi Gras theme hosted by Divino Ritmo Dance Studio. Check out the announcement sent to Lani and me from our good friend Marie Laderta......

Hi Frank & Lani!

Here is the announcement about Mardi Gras Tuesday at the Cupola next week!
Lucas & Yanna want me to extend a special invitation to you and your students! We would love to have them come and so honored! The more the merrier!
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Mardi Gras at the CUPOLA


Hey hey, Tuesday, March 29th, 7-10pm is Divino Ritmo's social dance and celebration of Mardi Gras at the Cupola! Cupola is on the 2nd floor of the Honolulu Design Center, corner of Piikoi & Kapiolani, at 1250 Kapiolani Blvd.

Admission is FREE and it's open to the public, with pupus and drinks available for purchase all evening!

The Mardi Gras has its origin from the French Catholic who celebrated with great fanfare prior to the fasting season, typically with dancing, singing, parades, costumes, and opulent masks. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" referring to the practice of eating foods rich in fat in prepartion for the religious obligation of fasting during Lent. It is basically the "FEAST before the FAST."

So, come feast with Lucas & Yanna at the Cupola in true Divino Ritmo style...

"Down at the Cupola
Where the blues will flow
It takes a cool cat
Like Lucas to show
How a mean mambo will go
Yanna's there with the mambo beat

The Mardi Gras, mambo, mambo, mambo
Party Gras, pambo, mambo, mambo
Mardi Gras, mambo-ooh
Down at Cupola

Cupola
Where the dancers all meet
There's a Mardi Gras mambo
With a beat
Join Divino Ritmo's gang
And truck on down Where the mambo's swing..."

(Sung to the tune of the "Mardi Gras Mambo," by the Hawketts,
YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fBDVNn1pU)

For more info, contact:
Lucas: divinoritmo@aol.com, ph: (917) 568-3173;
Yanna: Yannajs@gmail.com, ph: (732) 499-0407.

New Dance Classes @Fort Shafter Hale Ikena

Aloha Students of Dance,
My good friends, Richard & Lynn Nakamura, and Andy & Monica Pascua, will be teaching International and American style Ballroom and Latin dances at Fort Shafter Hale Ikena starting on Tuesday, March 29th. The dance classes are open to all military personnel & their families, and also to all civilians. Line Dancing will be taught by another good friend, Elsie McGrew. For more info about the dance classes, please read the accompanying e-mail and poster sent to me by Richard & Lynn Nakamura..........

(left click on poster to zoom in)

Hi All,

Please let us know if you would like to attend our classes at Ft. Shafter at Hale Ikena. The classes will be held in an air-conditioned banquet room with a dance floor. The cost is $6 for 6 classes (1 session) and the monies will go to DFMWR. The facility is a MWR (morale, welfare, recreational) for the military.

Soldiers, their spouses, retired military, civilians, guests, and our friends are invited to attend the classes. Monies will be collected by Hale Ikena. We just need a headcount and which classes you would like to take.

We are limiting the number of students in a class to 30 but may add a little more, it depends on the room size.

Please let us know right away if you would like to attend the classes and which classes you would like to take. You can just take one class session.

We will have free line dancing from about 6:15pm for about 20 - 30 minutes which will be taught by Elsie McGrew.

Classes are Tuesdays and Thursday nights since those are the nights we are available. On Tuesday nights, Andy & Monica Pasuca will also be teaching.

Hale Ikena is already taking dance class reservations and are willing to block off space for our students but I need to let them know right away so that they'll know how many spaces they have left to fill.

We look forward to seeing some of you in at least one of our classes.

Mahalo,
Richard & Lynn
cell 372-2256 (Lynn)

USA Dance 18th Anniversary Ball

Maybe a bit early to post April's event and maybe not. But it should give our dancing community some time to think about Kokua for Japan Disaster Relief. Thanks to my friend Debra Ota for sending this poster concerning the USA Dance 18th Anniversary and for a worthy cause. If you plan to support this effort, you can contact Debra for tickets at e-mail: debra@lyslaw.com or cellphone: 224-9033.

A Special Dance Lecture/Presentation by TALIAT TARSINOV

Just got this HOT SCOOP from good friend Marie Laderta. Something brewing this coming Friday the 25th for all dancers. Here's the spill from Marie........

Hello Frank:
I hope you can help us out by posting this on your Blog:

This is a rare opportunity for Hawaii Dancers to benefit from a face-to-face lecture, question & answer session with one of the most sought-after choreographers and coaches in the dance world!

World renowned Adjudicator, Choreographer and Coach not only for amateurs, but also to Professional dancers, TALIAT TARSINOV is the Coach of many Dance Instructors and professionals in the U.S. and world-wide. He coaches all styles - International, American, as well as Theater Arts.

TALIAT, who now lives in New York but who formerly came from Russia, is involved in many dance competitions not only here in the US, but around the world. Just to name a few, he has been involved in the event-organizing and choreographing of professional performances at events such as the Philippine Star Ball, the highly acclaimed & respected "Tokyo Superstar" in Japan, and the annual Moscow competition.

Upon invitation from my instructors Lucas and Yanna, TALIAT will be here in Honolulu to share his expertise and knowledge of dance.

Whether you are a social dancer, competitive dancer, exhibition dancer, amateur or Pro, you will be sure to take away with you solid and helpful information from TALIAT's professional and personal insights about organizing, choreography and technique.

TALIAT's lecture will be held at 8pm on Friday, March 25th at Sugino's Studio on Kapiolani Blvd.

You don't have to go to Blackpool for this lecture - it is right in our back yard!!! Sign up now and pay at the door!

I forward to you below, the official Invitation from Lucas and Yanna regarding this opportunity:
-------------------

Divino Ritmo Dance - Lucas and Yanna proudly present Lecture/workshop by Mr. Taliat Tarsinov

Mr. Tarsinov is an Acclaimed Adjudicator and has had the distinction of representing the US in all major international competitions including the World Championships. As a Coach and Choreographer, he is highly sought after and widely used by all the top Professionals,including The United States Champions in each division respectfully. He is so versatile, that he brings this same expertise to the Pro-Am and Amateur divisions with great success as well. In 2007, and since, he has had the distinction of being one of the featured speakers at The Blackpool World Ballroom Congress.

Divino Ritmo Dance is honored to have him as our coach and proud to announce he has accepted our invitation to come to Honolulu the weekend of March 25th thru March 28th. We are offering a unique opportunity to hear, for the 1st time in Hawaii in person, one of his lectures on Friday March 25th, 8PM at Sugino Dance Academy. Cost is only $20 per person- payable by cash or check at door, light refreshments will be served.
Thank you for your support.

To reserve or for more info, please contact us.

Divino Ritmo Dance
Lucas Jaime 917-568 3173
Yanna Samkova 732-499 0407 or yannajs@gmail.com

Villa Roma Spring Break Event

Ilima Ballroom Dance Club 28th Anniversary

IBDI Inaugural Ball This Friday

Just a reminder if you're thinking of dancing at the Pacific Beach Hotel this Friday (3/4).

WASABI's Public Gig Schedule for March

Never a dull moment when you are in striking distance with Doreen and the WASABI 50's & 60's Oldies Band. When you're HOT, YOU'RE HOT! And these guys never rest. So if you've got the rage to burn the floor, check out the WASABI platter for the month of March.......


We're at Ige's this coming Friday, March 4th, so put on your dancing shoes, or prepare to be a "voyeur" if you don't dance. Music starts at 8:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m., so us old folks gotta make sure to take a nap so we can stay up after 9:00 . Come early to enjoy the good food & check out the drink specials. The Heineken girls have been coming out on Friday nites, so maybe they'll be there to play games & give out little prizes.

Next week Thursday, March 10, we'll be back at St. Louis Alumni from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Don't forget, "Da Kitchen" has reserved the parking stalls in the front and on the side for their customers, so don't park there unless you were planning on skipping out on us, picking up your food, and running!

We still don't know when we're going to be going to Pali Lanes. I'm still waiting to hear from the owners to confirm cause the room's been booked...Will keep you posted...

We're also playing at Mililani Rec 3 on Friday, March 18, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. for Mililani Town Association's "Oldies Night". If you belong to the Mililani Town Association, you can purchase tickets for a very nominal fee (something like $3) from the MTA Office, or if you're not a member, but would like to go, let me know & I can sponsor you. The price is slightly higher for non-members...MTA will send me the ticket info tmrw, so standby...

Smooches,
Doreen