Introduction
When I first walked into the studio, my first impression was
OMG, this is too new and beautiful to allow anyone to dance in. Like buying a new car, you promise yourself
that you will wash it everyday and park it only in large lots that are far away
from jalopies that invite scratches and dents.
But sooner or later, you see the first scratch and get over it. Such is life and by the end of the Aloha
Dancesport Center (ADC) Opening celebration last night, there were scuffmarks
on the spanking new dance floor important from Denmark, and various other kinds
of debris that became trapped at the bottom of my dance shoes that I could not
identify. Still the place was in
relatively good shape at around midnight when I finally left tired and weary after
a full night’s celebration.
Venue
Pictures are worth more than chatter, but it’s worth a
little chatter to explain the capacity of the ADC. Firstly, this center was build from an empty
shell. The space was cleared and cleaned, and emptied; a bulldozer could not
have done a better job of preparing it for the new phase of construction. New walls and fresh paint, new mirrors, granite
counter tops, roomy and clean toilets….. 3 of them….one for women, one for men,
and a unisex bathroom that services the smaller of the ballrooms present in the
center. The choice of color of the paint was bright - light colored pastels,
with contrasting colors giving a warm, fresh and happy feeling to the
rooms. The choice of sound systems,
lighting fixtures, carefully selected pictures including thoughtful collages of
students, signs, a very obvious clock sitting centrally in the main ballroom
and many other detailed touches left no corners unturned, no features left
undone, and no other considerations to ruminate over in the near future. Even the outside foyer was freshly painted
as were the stairwells transforming the drab tired building into a new
beginning as only plastic surgery can do to move back the clock by at least a
few decades.
In the end, two large ballrooms, the largest of which was
situated at the front, and a smaller narrower one in the back perpendicular to
the larger front room (from the vantage point of Ward Ave giving the area an L
shaped configuration) makes this space, centrally located in Kakaako, the largest
and finest dance studio in Hawaii. And
somehow the anatomy of the space allowed for a separation of both rooms by a
pass through room that serves at least two purposes. First it allows for two events to occur
simultaneously – both areas have separate private entrances and both areas are
served by clean bathroom facilities.
Second, it buffers the potential noise drift from one area to the next
to allow for a certain amount of autonomy and lively interactions in one
ballroom without disturbing the activities of the other.
Building the Monster
Only Lucas and Yanna know the full details of the million
and one items that they have dealt with these last few months to complete this
enormous undertaking. The rest of us can only imagine the work involved: it was
certainty not for the faint of heart.
To be honest, my job was to prepare Yanna for the
worst. Having witnessed the empty
promises of contractors whose job it is to lie as much and as often as possible
while leaving the client dependent and miserable and in the end delaying the
completion and inflating the final cost of the project, I was prepared myself
for the worst. Thankfully I was mostly
wrong and they were able to put their mark on keeping tabs with most every
aspect of the project and to keep the wheels rolling. As a result, the most important aspects of
the ADC were completed on time. To be
sure, if you had seen the ADC one week before completion, you would have joined
me in my pessimistic outlook…no dance floor, no lightings, no sound
system…yikes, are we really having an opening party in one week??????
Grand Opening Party Preparation
Of course, Lucas and Yanna orchestrated the preparation of
the opening celebration. And only they
know how each of their loyal students contributed because they do not advertise
who does what for obvious reasons. So my observations and acknowledgements are
not meant to be all-inclusive but rather to just serve as examples. Paul is always building something to adorn
the ballroom, Uncle Wes is like an Eveready powered bunny running around in
every direction doing everything he can do to fill in the gaps. Marie is endlessly brokering behind the
scenes deals with politicians, church leaders, and others students to support
DRD. And Maria is in her element
orchestrating the production and distribution of large volumes of tasty food
for the masses of guests using her personal staff to make it happen. Again, there were many other students filling
other functions that I did not witness. However, what I do know is that Lucas
and Yanna were eternally grateful for every student’s contribution! I for one probably did the least, performing
chores that took just a few trips to Sam’s Club and Longs to accomplish.
The Big Event
I was truly on pins and needles but when the final moment
came, almost everything was ready, working and the night went amazing well. A blessing,
opening remarks from Lucas, dance performances from the keiki’s, and a
revolving introduction of short student performances that were aimed more at
introducing them to the audience rather than demonstrating dance skills,
highlighted the evening’s event. With
over 200 people filling the tables and chairs on the perimeter of the large
ballroom, remarkably, there was still enough room for general dancing. The food was served in the smaller ballroom
where people mingled and talked, and everything more or less worked like a
charm. I’m sure Yanna and Lucas
appreciated the support from the community, the attendance of other dance
teachers and amateur couples, and the generally gleeful atmosphere present at
this Divino Ritmo Dance sentinel event. In
the end, I believe everyone there was duly impressed with the beautiful studio,
and the splendor and grandeur of the evening festivities.
What I think most people didn’t see was the glow on Yanna
and Lucas’s faces, a glow that also extended to their long term and loyal
students. Many of us are old enough to
be at least Yanna’s parent and we were all filled with the joy and satisfaction
for a dream come true. We all knew the
plan……you relocate to Hawaii, teach ballroom dancing, earn enough to buy a
house, and then find a way to have your own studio. Ha ha…..sure, dream on. How many dreams come true? What were the odds, 100 to 1? This one DID come
true and the students, most of us having already passed the phase in life when dreams
like these are real, took part in the joy.
It was their success and it was our success.
Some Final Thoughts
The ADC is now the finest dance studio in Hawaii. This is the time for everyone interested in
ballroom dancing to ask themselves how they can participate, utilize, and enjoy
the center. Yanna and Lucas will fill
the studio with activities, new students, dance and non-dance related activities,
private and public parties and meetings, sports related exercise class and
non-sports related events, and soon it will fill up and not be available for
those who wait too long. Indeed, there
were a number of individuals wanting to come to the Grand Opening last night that
could not be accommodated. Don’t wait
too long: this is the time – early - to make your request.
Lucas and Yanna will appreciate but not be desperate for
your support. They have succeeded in
turning their dreams into reality. They
are here to stay. We - friends, students
and other supporters should appreciate their exceptional skills and
congratulate them for a job well done.
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