ACADEMY DANCE NEWS - Latin and Ballroom Dancing on Maui

CORPORATE BOARD of DIRECTORS
Julie Claire Holmes, Brian O’Connor &
Rita O’Connor
DANCING THROUGH THE DECADES
By Jack Condy, 92 years old
It’s hard to believe, but the
first professional dance lesson I ever
took was here on Maui in 2005. I started
dancing when I was about 8 years old
with my Mother in Brooklyn, NY in 1921.
The first dance I ever learned was an
Irish Wheel, which was originally called a
‘Stack of Barley’. I would stop to the
count of eight with the music <strong>and</strong> then go
back eight steps. You then did a box
turn <strong>and</strong> started it all over again,
repeating it throughout the song. It
wasn’t a difficult dance, <strong>and</strong> I picked it
up fairly quickly. My mother commented
on just how quickly I had gotten it.
the rest. But to this day - only 80 plus
years later, the Foxtrot is my still my
very favorite.
As I grew older during the late
‘20's we used to go to the Basketball
games on Fridays <strong>and</strong> Sundays, after
which they always had dancing for a
couple of hours. At the time, double
breasted suits were all the rage. <strong>Dancing</strong>
was very popular, particularly while
Prohibition was in effect. When
Prohibition ended we switched direction
<strong>and</strong> spent more of our time dancing in the
road houses. During the Depression,
though, dancing was the most enjoyable
<strong>and</strong> most economical past time.
During the 30's, before I got
married in ‘36, we would go to night
spots. My wife <strong>and</strong> I danced a great deal
together. We seemed to be able to follow
each other naturally <strong>and</strong> luckily for us,
the dance trends as well.
One evening at one of the dance
halls we were approached by someone
who wanted to know if we‘d like to
become professional dancers. Because of
the situation of the times we had to
refuse. But we continued to dance, this
time at the Fire Department, which was
where most of the dances were held.
However, it wasn’t too much
later that our first baby arrived <strong>and</strong> it
wasn’t too much longer after that I left
for the War. During this period I learned
how to Polka.
While I was in the Army I was
able to dance in some of the most
beautiful dance halls in Europe, <strong>and</strong> that’s
where I learned to do the Viennese
Waltz. It was also about this time that
the Jitterbug became popular. When I
finally got home from Europe we ended
up doing most of our dancing at the
American Legion.
Here it is, all these years later,
<strong>and</strong> now I live on Maui. I like watching
Hula at the MACC <strong>and</strong> I don't know what
I'd do with my time if I wasn't part of
the Aloha <strong>Ballroom</strong> Dance Academy. At
the young age of 92 I'm attempting to
learn the latest steps (for me at least)
like the Cha Cha, Mambo <strong>and</strong> Salsa.
I enjoy dancing as much as I
ever did, but due to my shortness of
breath <strong>and</strong> the fast moving steps, I can't
always keep up with everyone. After my
wife passed away I had joined a Bowling
Team only to find out a few years later
that I'd rather hold a soft woman in my
arms than a 12 pound bowling ball in my
h<strong>and</strong>.
Thanks to Rita <strong>and</strong> Brian <strong>and</strong> all
my new friends in the Dance Academy
that keep me going AND keep me dancing.
<strong>ACADEMY</strong> MISSION STATEMENT
Aloha <strong>Ballroom</strong> Dance Academy is an
educational, nonprofit 501-c3 corporation
whose purpose is to educate the public
about <strong>Ballroom</strong> & <strong>Latin</strong> dancing through
professionally instructed group classes
<strong>and</strong> public performances.
MVVP <strong>DANCE</strong> REFLECTIONS
By Gary & Geneva Thornton
Academy Student, Jack Condy
Photo by Dan Cunningham
A few years later we moved to
Floral Park, Long Isl<strong>and</strong>, NY where I was
able to start attending the ‘block parties’
that were held occasionally during the
summer. My sister, Ethel, who was 6
years older, taught me the dances that
were popular during the time. The first
one I recall was the Foxtrot, then I
progressed to the Black Bottom, the
Charleston, the Peabody, the Waltz <strong>and</strong>
It was also during the beginning
of WWII that I learned how to roller
skate <strong>and</strong> eventually learned how to
dance <strong>and</strong> roller skate at the same time,
which included the Waltz <strong>and</strong> a Conga
line. This was a great exercise in balance.
The Conga line required me to kick each
foot forward alternately as I was skating
backwards. Luckily I never was injured.
Now if you were able to do that with no
mistakes the prize was free admission to
the skating rink the following week.
4
Academy Students & Dance Lovers, Gary &
Geneva Thornton.
Photo by Rita O’Connor
March 25 th 6 pm, the night of
the Aloha <strong>Ballroom</strong> Dance Academy’s
“Most Valuable Volunteers Party.” The
guests began arriving at the home of
Brian & Rita O’Connor. The red carpet
was unfurled. The cameras flashed! We
were ushered into the stylish front room
by our hosts Brian & Rita. Brian as always