The Palladium at the Ala Wai. This world renown dance facility was built in 1990 and is funded and operated by the City and County of Honolulu, Parks and Recreation department. The Palladium has the largest dance floor here in the islands with 11,000 square feet for the full ballroom. There are formal ballroom dance socials almost every Friday and Saturday night for a minimum cover charge, also on Mondays through Thursdays from 12 noon till 2 pm the ballroom is open for dances. Most of the various non-profit dance groups will sponsor a weekly dance here for their members as well as for the general public. For those formal ballroom dancers looking for a place to dance, see http://dancefeveroahu.com/. Although there are dancers that will do the American social ballroom dance style, most dancers at the Palladium will dance in the International style.
The dance floor is made of eucalyptus hardwood. Rubber soles are not allowed as that would scuff or leave marks on the dance floor. No food or drinks are allowed inside. There is ample free parking at this facility and music is provided by a DJ. Dance music as well as dance classes taught at the Palladium ranges from foxtrot, tango, waltz, rumba, samba, bolero, night club 2 step, jive, hustle, quick step, cha cha, mambo, merengue, east and west coast swing, etc. Sometimes every month or so there is also a West Coast Swing dance event held there (SEE BELOW), usually on a Sunday afternoon or night.
Protocol - For first timers at the Palladium, if you wish to sit down, the standard protocol after entering is to get your own folding chair which is stored off to the side in the storage room (or hanging on portable chair racks) and return it when you leave for the evening. Sometimes seats are already set up and if it is not reserved then it is okay to sit there, but please help by returning your chair to the storage room or portable chair racks when you leave. Please no eating or drinking once you enter the ballroom.
The biggest place to dance in town. Sunday Swing Dancing at the Grand Palladium. On certain Sundays of the month there is a popular dance event sponsored by Swing Dance Club of Hawaii, a non-profit community based dance organization that is run by volunteers and is open to the general public (cover charge applies). Half of the ballroom is used for this event so at some 5,500 square feet of dancing floor area that is still more than enough room to dance on. DJ Bert Burgess is masterful and the music is very contemporary, it is most definitely not the strict tempo 'ballroomsey' type of music that you normally hear at the other formal dances at the Palladium. There is usually a dance class that is included with the cover charge. Attendance ranges from 35 to 50 dancers on any given Sunday. Dance styles include West Coast Swing, Hustle, Nightclub 2 step, Cha Cha, Salsa, Country 2 step, Waltz, Foxtrot. For the dance schedule and more information, see http://swingdanceclubhawaii.org/Dance_Schedule_and_Events.html. This is a non-alcohol event.
Club venues in town to dance the West Coast Swing. For those dancers that prefer a club type atmosphere for their swing dancing, there are several places here in town where blues are played (which is perfect for WCSwing dancing). Kevin Coleman and the Flat Five Blues band have their regular Wed night gigs at Onstage in Kapahulu and JP Smoketrain has his blues jam every Tuesday night at The Studio in Hawaiian Brians.
Club venues in town to dance the West Coast Swing. For those dancers that prefer a club type atmosphere for their swing dancing, there are several places here in town where blues are played (which is perfect for WCSwing dancing). Kevin Coleman and the Flat Five Blues band have their regular Wed night gigs at Onstage in Kapahulu and JP Smoketrain has his blues jam every Tuesday night at The Studio in Hawaiian Brians.
HONOLULU DANCE GUIDE EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH WEST COAST SWING COMPETITION SWING DANCERS RENE ARREOLA and JENNIFER FILZEN - TIPS FOR THE SOCIAL DANCERS.
Rene and Jennifer of the West Coast Swing Dance Company of Carmel, California (http://www.wcsdanceco.com/) were in town recently and both of them were kind enough to share some of their nuggets of wisdom with the readers of Honolulu Dance Guide. Their advice to the social swing dancers follows:
1. Learn the basics and keep learning, as learning never stops and the dance continues to evolve. Any kind of dancing takes lifelong learning (both Rene and Jenifer continue to take lessons from champion level dancers).
2. Most importantly, Have Fun!
TIPS FOR LEADERS:
1. Keep your leads clean and easy. You are there to help to build the follower’s confidence and make your follow’s dance experience enjoyable. Put away those awkward or complicated moves that no one can follow.
2. Connect with your partners. Learn to adjust your leads to the level and ability of your partner. Ask yourself: Did I provide her with an enjoyable dance? Did I put a smile on her face?
3 For leaders and follows: Practice moving and walking your basics by yourself (i.e. side passes for example). This will give you a sense of independent movement. The amount of connection during West Coast Swing changes throughout the dance. For example there is a strong connection at the start of a pattern, then the connection lightens, and a strong connection rebuilds, stretching much like a rubber band. For example in the side pass the "1" is a stronger connection, after that on counts 2, 3 and 4 the connection lightens, and the strong connection is reestablished on the anchor step, or the 5 and 6 count, if she does a six count side pass.
TIPS FOR FOLLOWS:
2. Connect with your partners. Learn to adjust your leads to the level and ability of your partner. Ask yourself: Did I provide her with an enjoyable dance? Did I put a smile on her face?
3 For leaders and follows: Practice moving and walking your basics by yourself (i.e. side passes for example). This will give you a sense of independent movement. The amount of connection during West Coast Swing changes throughout the dance. For example there is a strong connection at the start of a pattern, then the connection lightens, and a strong connection rebuilds, stretching much like a rubber band. For example in the side pass the "1" is a stronger connection, after that on counts 2, 3 and 4 the connection lightens, and the strong connection is reestablished on the anchor step, or the 5 and 6 count, if she does a six count side pass.
TIPS FOR FOLLOWS:
1. Having a good frame is very important. The follower’s frame is much like a steering wheel, and you can’t steer easily if the wheel is like a wet noodle.
2. Break the monotony, learn to play by developing vitality in your dance, for example. instead of always doing a standard six count side pass, have fun and play with it, take eight or ten counts, pause, body roll, pulse, etc. that is your time to embellish and play. Leaders enjoy seeing that from their follows.
3. However, too much play and not following your leader can overdo it, and that is called "hijacking". Your best bet is to have a good mix of basics and playful adornments.
FOOTWORK - ARTICULATE AND ROLL THROUGH THE FOOT: Learn to roll through your feet when you walk (no flat feet). The walk is not a march, nor is it a slide that is flat footed. There should not be any bounce* in your steps, for example when a hula lady opens her hands and gently rolls her fingers outwards this is an example of undulation of the hand that is articulated. When you walk outside on the street for example you roll through your feet, somehow when people begin dancing they forget that. In dancing, you get that smooth quality of movement when you roll through the feet.
*EDITORS COMMENT: Unlike the Jive or East coast swing where there is a distinct bounce in the steps, in the WCSwing the dancers appear to be 'smoothly gliding' instead of bouncing up and down.
SMOOTHNESS: One will develop that over time but it takes dedication, devotion and hard work. For example some moves that look good for competition may not be ‘natural’ moves that are comfortable, these moves take many hours of dedicated practice. If you roll through the foot, work on your own balance, keep your upper body calm, but focus on the movement coming from below the hips, you will get smoother."
POSTURE, FRAME, LEADS, ANCHOR STEP, ETC: The goal is to become one with the music and to have fun. Although posture and frame are looked at during exhibitions, for social dancing, other than perhaps not slouching over with your shoulders, it is more of a individual comfort issue. Because West Coast Swing is a street or club dance, do whatever is comfortable for you that works. If you have a good frame, clean leads that a follow can clearly understand, and a solid anchor step with a good stretch in the connection*, you’ll have a good time dancing West Coast Swing with most anyone.
*NOTE: There should be both compression and stretch in the dance. You'll find compression happening during a sugar push or a tuck turn. A solid anchor means that you're stretching away during the last triple step and not coming forward before the 1, that's when you'll find the best stretch.
CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE: Although the West Coast Swing requires structure and knowledge of the basics, once you have attained that knowledge infuse what you have learned with who you are to create your own style. Mix and match, play with it. Learn to syncopate through pauses, rushes, body rolls, etc. as these all help to give more flavor to the dance.
HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR DANCE EXCITING: Rather than just dance to basic swing figures, or just do improv, its always more exciting for both partners if you can mix them together in your dance. "When we dance socially we do throw in some playful moves that match the music, and then we come back together and do some standard basics, it’s this mix or fusion that keeps the dance interesting and exciting for us, and as a result our dances are never the same. West Coast Swing today is an ever-evolving style of dance."
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WORDS OF WISDOM FROM MICHAEL KIEHM: "Learn more than one dance because they all relate to each other one way or another. You can learn great concepts of connection through latin, you can learn great leg control, feet control through ballroom. You learn really cool like moves and feelings through salsa....if you only working on swing you're picking up only what you see in front of you for that lesson and sometimes its great, sometimes its not, but learn a little bit of everything..." All Dance Champion and owner of Starlight Dance in San Diego - Michael Kiehm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mYGRPLAQPM
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Spaghetti Arms
DANCE FRAME VERSUS SPAGHETTI ARMS by Michele http://www.ras-this.com/dance-frame-vs-spaghetti-arms/ "Spaghetti Arms! aka Dance Frame, or lack there of it. This has to be one of the most important, yet difficult skill for a new dancer to master. And much to the disagreement of many, BOTH partners must have Frame. I often hear a leader complain that a follower has no frame and therefore he is unable to “lead” her. Which of course, is an accurate statement. However, I have danced with these “leaders” just to realize that they do not have “frame” either.
What they are referring to as their “frame”, is merely a lead, as in turn NOW! There is no constant tension or framework during the dance and the follower just receives “frame” when the leader is trying to initiate a pattern, turn or change of direction. So leaders, remember that frame must be “quiet” and “continuous” throughout a dance.
On the other hand ladies, it is our responsibility to offer a stable frame. One that is a constant, toned resistance, equal to that of our partner. It is typical when we first begin dancing to have Spaghetti Arms. Limp and loose. We then tend to go to the opposite extreme, a stiff and rigid frame. When you are a brand new dancer, there is just so much to remember, just try and take a deep breath and realize that you are dependent on “feeling” where and what a leader is telling your arms to do. Your arms move your body as one, not independently. Leaders, this goes for you, too.
I suggest that you find someone that you are familiar and friendly with. Someone that is able to laugh and experiment. Start by both of you having very weak limp spaghetti arms. You will feel the lack of connection immediately. You will realize that neither one of you will be able to communicate through your frame. Two people without frame will find it very difficult to move around the dance floor and execute any style of dance.
Next, one of you should be the noodle, the other, a stiff, strong, rigid frame. As you will notice, this does not work well either. The strong person will likely be shoving the other person off balance and the person with no frame will stumble around not knowing where he/she should be, or how to get there. Take turns being both extreme. You will begin to adjust and find a happy medium. One that works for both of you. You will understand and feel what it is like to dance with Mr. or Mrs. Vermicelli and you will NOT want to be that person! It is an absolute chore to dance with someone with no frame. Your arms become weak and tired, just from trying to hold up the others arms, during a dance. It is not fun and is well worth the practice to find and maintain your frame. Once you find your frame, you will be able to adjust to most any dancer.
You can practice this equal and opposite resistance with anyone, they do not have to be a dancer. I found that I was able to even get my 15 year old son, who would rather cut off his feet than dance, to match my resistance and create a stable frame. I was able to move his body through his frame and he was able to move mine. For him it came naturally, for me, it did not!
So, a few tips. Stand opposite of each other. Hold each others hands and create an oval. Take turns “moving” each other. Observe what you are doing and how the other persons’ body reacts. Do not allow your elbows to collapse and keep them in front of you. Learn to allow your frame to move your body.
I believe that we all vacillate from one extreme to the other, before finally feeling or understanding what Dance Frame really is.
Good Luck and keep fine tuning your Dance Frame, the more adept you become, the more fun dancing will be!"
MORE ON DANCE FRAME: Frame is the body position maintained by dancers during partner dancing that provides connection between the dance partners, making leading and following possible. A frame is a stable structural combination of both bodies maintained through the dancers' arms and/or legs, and allows the leader to transmit body movement to the follower, and for the follower to suggest ideas to the leader. Connection occurs in both open and closed dance positions (also called "open frame" and "closed frame"). It is essential in all dances, but especially so in modern ballroom dance. Specifically, frame refers to the position of the upper body of the dancers relative to the rest of the dancer's body and the body of the dancer's partner. While not the same as rigidity, it requires internal muscle tension to ensure that the connection between partners is not lost. The required frame varies according to the dance—in street Latin style dances such as salsa, arms are held more loosely, while in swing dances, outward directed pressure is used to maintain the position. http://www.danceokc.com. Your frame should not be a rigid frame, rather your arms are connected to your body through your lats which are activated. Do not use arms to lead, instead use your body and frame to lead. The body (shoulder, body, hip) move together in one direction (no "contra" like cuban motions within one's body).
In golf you don't take the club back using only your arms, instead your whole upper body works as one integrated unit to take the club back (arms are connected to your body), this is called a 'one piece' takeaway, in dancing the concept is similar they call it having a 'frame.' Imagine extending out both arms parallel to the ground with a big plastic beach ball in between. Now gently squeeze the ball with your hands, your lats and pecs are now activated. With the ball between your hands turn your upper body slightly to the left, then turn slightly to the right, that is an example of dancing with frame. I remember one of my dance teachers saying, "Imagine a beach ball between you and your partner when you dance, now try to maintain that shape with your arms while dancing in the closed position." For more on frame techniques, see http://www.ctkr.com/articles/wcs_advance-Cantrell.pdf. For a detailed description of "frame matching" used in blues and swing dancing see http://www.joeandnelle.com/assets/frame_matching_and_pted_by_joe_demers.pdf
SWING 'RHYTHM' POSTURE: "Ballet is the foundation of dance. The discipline of which requires exact performance of posture. The fundamentals of competitive ballroom have their roots in ballet, as a result some dance instructors and schools depict that the strong rigid posture as the only way to dance to anything. But in the social dance your posture can be more relaxed, less rigid. If it makes you stiff or feels un-natural then don't do it. With the social dance focus is more about style and interpretation, moving to the comfort and ease of each other. Individual expression and creativity are the hallmark expression of having a good time. Isn't the objective of social dancing to be comfortable and enjoy the comfort of our own style of dance?" Ed Nix, Owner of NIX Performing Arts Center in Aiea, Hawaii (former competitive American Style Ballroom dancer). For Swing rhythm posture, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlR_CibNm8 by Dave Tomko.
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FOR CONNECTION IN THE WC SWING: http://westcoastswingstyle.com/2011/04/the-west-coast-connection/.
MOVE YOUR CORE OR 'CENTER POINT OF BALANCE' FIRST, YOUR FOOT WILL FOLLOW: http://blip.tv/skippyblair/move-your-center-first-693881. "Foot follows frame."
A DISCUSSION OF HIP MOVEMENT IN THE WCSWING: "In general, WCS doesn't incorporate hip action, like the latin dances. Of course, you cannot step without some amount of sway in your hips, so you will always see something. Just not the pronounced roll from hip to hip with the weight change. The signature look is tension and compression, forward and backward movements. However, there aren't any hard and fast rules, and if you want to, you can add it. Especially if the music calls for it - I often do WCS to some latin music like rumba and cha-cha. The rhythm and tempo are right, so I just add the hip action to honor the style." Contributed by Milam (NOTE: Milam is an accomplished WCSwing dancer and an instructor here in Honolulu).
A demonstration of rolling the hips on the sugar push for added styling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rikZceLaM0. Watch this swing dance with Tessa Cunningham (once ranked #1 in Canada and #5 in the world) and her partner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ZxiPKmacg.
As stated above you do see hip action when she dances, perhaps not as pronounced as in the Latin dances, or the hula, but it is definitely there as part of her styling. Lastly, with his take on the hip action, this by nationally known instructor Michael Kiehm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRTljGyZbvY, in a nutshell there is some hip action in the WCSwing its just not as articulated as in the salsa dances, unless you want to use it for styling purposes.
DRILLS ON HOW TO DEVELOP THAT SWING 'GLIDE' WHEN YOU WALK: This important video talks about how to roll through your feet, the proper use of your knees, and the use of the 'toe heel lead' which creates that gliding look you see from the advanced and competition level dancers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i25VYDN2q8
THE IMPORTANT ANCHOR-ing STEP, or PERIOD AT THE END: Every sentence ends with a period, similarly every west coast swing pattern ends with a period, this period is the anchor step (i.e. usually the 5 and 6 count, unless it is a basket or whip then the 7 and 8 count) and without an anchor the dance migrates to a different form entirely http://westcoastswingamerica.com/mvsevil.htm. "The second triple step is generally danced in place and is called the "anchor step;" its main purpose is to reestablish physical tension between the partners, generally achieved by [both dancers] leaning slightly back." http://www.atriumdance.com/DanceStyles/WestCoastSwing.php. The anchor itself moves you apart and sets up the characteristic elastic relationship in the arms, or tension, to begin the next figure, this is how you develop a solid anchor step and stretch the connection." For a further discussion about anchoring see http://www.skippyblair.com/articles/anchors.htm, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_Step#cite_note-swingworld.com-2. For video demonstration of what anchoring looks like, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL_trbKn1ag. For solo drills on developing the anchor step http://practice-wcs.com/wp/connection-is-not-a-lead/.
An explanation by Manny Viarrial (2001 U.S. Open Dance Champion) on how to create that solid anchor and stretch the connection, basically each partner must settle into their hip on count 6 in the Sugar Push, as follows:
SUGAR PUSH - (6 count pattern)
Leader step back on count 1, together on count 2, in place on counts 3& step with small step on count 4, step in place on counts 5&, step in place settling into the right hip on count 6.
Follower walks forward on counts 1 2, on counts 3& you compress into leader and on count 4 you step back settling into the right hip, On counts 5& step in place and on count 6 step back settling into the left hip awaiting the lead to start again. See http://www.dancemanny.com/Mannys_Official_Site/West_Coast_Swing.html.
SMOOTHING OUT THE ANCHOR STEP, ETC. Straighten both legs helps and keeping more grounded will prevent the bouncing motion, see this video lesson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAuE-zrkn-Y
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COASTER STEP and an ANCHOR STEP. "In WCS it is very important for the follower not to move until the leader indicates. A common problem in West Coast Swing occurs when the follower does a down-the-track back-replace-forward (coaster-step) on 5&6 instead of back-replace-back (anchor-step). If the follower moves forward on the last count, the body-body connection is broken and leading becomes impossible. In some cases this may cause the follower to crash into the leader. Leaders, if someone does this to you, either accept the disconnected lead and try to pick up in the middle of the next pattern, or else maintain your arm where it is supposed to be and the lead reverses from a pull to a push. The lead reversal causes general confusion, but sometimes lets the follower know to stay back. And leaders - don't you step back on your anchor! If the leader steps back on his six (and I have seen this happen) he will be leading the follower forward on six and cause her to coaster." Read more: http://www.eijkhout.net/lead_follow/wcs_coaster.html
TIMING VS. RHYTHM - The difference between timing and rhythm and how to implement the concept into west coast swing basics through footwork, body isolations and connections. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNasz9lywLs
MAKE YOUR WEST COAST SWING COME ALIVE.
AN ARTICLE FROM http://practice-wcs.com/wp/patterns-vs-technique/ entitled "Pattern vs. Technique" follows: "Lots of dancers love learning patterns. It’s easy to see this on the leader side of the dance—there’s a reason some leaders are referred to as “pattern junkies”—but followers can also be addicted to their play patterns. However, truly excellent dancers learn that patterns are not really the important part of the dance. Instead, excellent dancers focus on technique. Why are they so interested in technique?
One answer is that doing the double-backflip patterns requires a lot of good technique. It’s simply not possible to do the move of the year in a social setting unless your technical skills are up to par. This is part of the answer, but it’s not the whole answer.
The real answer is that there is a level of dancing beyond patterns, in which the dancers are purely reacting to each other within the structure of WCS. This level of dancing is where the magical moments of improvisation and the jaw-dropping moves come from. This level of dancing is what gives birth to those late night dances that take you far beyond what you’ve been capable of before. And this level of dancing is only possible if your technique is absolutely solid.
When discussing his experience on So You Think You Can Dance, Benji Schwimmer describes how his solo dancers were almost totally off-script. Instead of doing the routine that he had rehearsed, he felt like there would be a better energy if he danced “live”. So, as he got ready to go out, he told the camera operator that he would be entering from a different place than in rehearsal and that the operator should just track him. He was completely free to dance whatever he felt in that instant, based on what he was feeling from the music, the audience, and himself.
…But, Benji emphasizes that this freedom to dance in the moment was only possible because he had trained more rigorously than his competitors. His technical foundation was so strong that he could go off script and still be absolutely confident that he would execute the moves, hit the right lines, etc. In other words, he had drilled his technique so deeply that his conscious mind didn’t have to worry about it, and he could spend all his active mental energy on connecting to that moment.
There is a role for patterns. At a basic level, patterns give you the vocabulary of the dance and help you grasp the framework of WCS. Well-chosen patterns can be used to highlight certain technical elements like connection, flashlighting, and foot positions. But for elite dancers, patterns are no more than a means: a means to practice the technique that makes the movement of west coast swing come alive. Once they have mastered the technique, they can take it out of that pattern and apply it in dozens of other moves. The truly amazing dancers specifically practice their basics for the sole purpose of integrating high-level technical elements into the core of their dance.
If you want to become a better dancer, you should be just as interested in technique as the top tier. Technique is what makes the dance come alive, and whether your technical skills are at a beginner level or an all-star, the quickest way to improve your dance is not to add new patterns but to improve the technique that makes your existing patterns shine."
NOTE: For another interesting article that discusses the various types of swing dance patterns and degree of success when used on the social dance floor (i.e. Social patterns, Workshop patterns, and Choreographed patterns), see http://practice-wcs.com/wp/types-of-patterns/
TEN GOLDEN TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SWING DANCING and HOW TO KEEP YOUR DANCE EXCITING: http://westcoastswingamerica.com/mhtips.htm
