Dance Styles in West Oahu.

By Robert Pagdilao, Kalihi:

Dancing is changing for the better in West Oahu and we should review our dance environment on this island. - All couple style dancing went into decline in the 50s & early 60s as dancing apart overtook the general American culture. To stay alive, the studios on the Mainland imported English dancers, who brought with them their impressive competition dance structures, Blackpool traditions and societies dedicated to ballroom dancing.

In Hawaii there were a few that arrived with excellent qualifications in the English style. And they introduced it to a very receptive audience. While town dancers in Honolulu had been influenced by the genius of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, who easily blended open dance styles with ballroom, the English kept their ballroom dancing closed, structured and more disciplined.

"How High The Moon" by Les Paul and Mary Ford

Their idea of Latin dancing was also more structured and did not have the more authentic influence enjoyed by Americans, but it was different and brought an interesting new twist to things. There was some controversy over the styles and the rhythms used, some would call it artificial and unnatural.

Of course the American style of Rumba had also been screwed up with the introduction of the square basic by both Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire. Among the complaints for International was the forcing of the 4-1, 2, 3 in a dance where the music had no corresponding clave, a Cuban motion that is not Cuban and the rigidity of the attitudes.

"Mambo Tropical" By Los Chicos

It played a big part in the disintegration of ballroom dancing on Oahu. The introduction of the "correct" way to ballroom dance plus the addendum of the term "Junk Dancer " applied to those that did not dance the "correct" way. Most of the dance clubs lost almost half of their memberships during the 90s.

Some went completely under while some are still holding on by the skin of their teeth. There are still big changes in the wind. Most will be in and by the West by new blood and a marked preference for social dance. Then it is a toss up between the North Shore and the East Shore. Should be interesting to see. Suburbia is rising and socially, they have always been considered a different cultural class. We should accept that.