ACADEMY DANCE NEWS - Latin and Ballroom Dancing on Maui

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Hans Bonny surrounds Marty-Jean Bender <strong>and</strong> Sunya Echternach with the “Aloha” of the Holiday Spirit at the Academy’s Holiday Ball! The festive evening began with Teri Mister <strong>and</strong> Julie Katz greeting <strong>and</strong> meeting everyone at the door. Each person in attendance had an assigned table. Teri <strong>and</strong> Julie gave them directions to their respective tables. Jennifer Goss made the arrangements for The Academy to use the Fairmont Kea Lani <strong>Ballroom</strong>. The <strong>Ballroom</strong> lights were dimmed to a romantic level. As you entered the <strong>Ballroom</strong> your attention was drawn to the beautiful centerpieces that had been lovingly prepared by Cheri Ridings. The centerpieces were grapevine wreaths gaily decorated with Christmas ornaments <strong>and</strong> ribbons. A hurricane lamp with an electric c<strong>and</strong>le had been placed in the center of each grapevine wreath. The Academy Officers, Al Yniguez, President, Shelley Ting, Vice President, Les Grimes, Vice President Maintenance, Teri Mister, Treasurer, Julie Katz, Secretary, plus Rita <strong>and</strong> Brian O’Connor, Cheri <strong>and</strong> Charlie Ridings <strong>and</strong> Jim Bailey came at 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the dance to decorate each table with the centerpiece. H<strong>and</strong>some Men & Lovely Ladies adorn the tables at the Academy’s elegant Holiday Ball! Back row: Francis Taomoto, Art Sumabat, Richard Inouye, John Tattsuke; Front row: Etsuko Taomoto, Flossie Sumabat, Carol Yamamura, Janet Yokoyama, Alice Inouye. Photo by James Furumizo In addition, a colorfully wrapped Academy angel ornament was placed on the table for each attendee. The Academy’s Officers, who also fall into the “angel” category, individually wrapped The Academy angel ornaments. As you were seated at your table, your eyes were drawn to the round table on the opposite wall. The table had twelve beautifully decorated gift boxes stacked upon each other to represent the 12 days of Christmas. The boxes were tied together with a gold metallic bow that was artfully draped from the top gift box. This was the table that was used to collect the wrapped presents for the children at the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center Wailuku <strong>and</strong> for the children at the Na Hale O Wainee Resource Center in Lahaina. Each attendee brought one or more wrapped gifts for the children. The “Spirit of Aloha” was generously exhibited by The Academy students <strong>and</strong> guests who contributed more than 140 wrapped gifts <strong>and</strong> $200 in gift certificates. The beautiful 60 by 40 foot parquet dance floor whispered an invitation to dance to the <strong>Ballroom</strong> dance music that was playing as you entered the <strong>Ballroom</strong>. The dance floor was an amalgamation of dance floors from the Gr<strong>and</strong> Wailea <strong>and</strong> the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotels & Resorts. From 5:30 p.m. until 6:35 p.m. you had a chance to dance, to meet your dinner partners for the evening, to socialize at the other tables <strong>and</strong> to check out the glitz <strong>and</strong> glamour of each attendee’s attire that evening. To be sure, glitz <strong>and</strong> glamour was in attendance. The women were visions of loveliness. The women’s attire ranged from traditional <strong>Ballroom</strong> gowns in a veritable rainbow of colors to mid-calf length gowns with scalloped necklines to very modern gowns with plunging necklines <strong>and</strong> irregular hems. The women had a vast assortment of accouterments that included sparkling earrings, beautiful necklaces <strong>and</strong> hairdos that would make Vidal envious. Charlie Ridings presented the invocation at 6:45 p.m. The invocation included a special request to remember <strong>and</strong> to keep safe the men <strong>and</strong> women 8 fighting for our country in far flung locations but especially in Iraq. Dinner began promptly at 6:45 p.m. The Fairmont Kea Lani, as usual <strong>and</strong> with a special mahalo to Jennifer Goss, served a sumptuous Holiday feast of salmon, teriyaki beef <strong>and</strong> chicken plus vegetable <strong>and</strong> rice side dishes. The dinner was complemented with an array of desserts to tempt even the most dem<strong>and</strong>ing palate. At precisely 8:00 p.m., Rita <strong>and</strong> Brian O’Connor made series of announcements regarding The Academy <strong>and</strong> how its mission statement is about “giving back” to the Maui community. However, the one announcement that continued the “giving” tone of the Holiday season <strong>and</strong> the “giving” tone of the evening was the presentation of a check for $250 from The Academy to the Ka Hale A Ke Ola <strong>and</strong> Na Hale O Wainee Homeless Resource Centers. Charlie Ridings, the Executive Director of the resource center, was there to receive the check. He expressed a heartfelt thank you for the children of the Homeless Resource Centers. Homeless Resource Director & Academy Student, Charlie Ridings accepts donated gifts <strong>and</strong> monetary contributions from Rita O’Connor on behalf of the Academy. Photo by Brian O’Connor Beginning at 6:00 p.m. <strong>and</strong> continuing every 30 minutes for the balance of the evening, door prizes were awarded to the attendees. The door prizes were donated by Private Image Dance Studio (Rita <strong>and</strong> Brian O’Connor), by Boutique Owner Helen Hattori, by BellyRoll Dance Company (Beka Merrifield), by Crystal Fantasies (Charles & Annie Yane) <strong>and</strong> by Topaz Jewelers (Nancy <strong>and</strong> David Fairclough) whose largesse continues unabated. A warm mahalo to all the donors.
“Froliche Weinnachten” “Merry Christmas” to all <strong>and</strong> to all a goodnight Nancy & David Fairclough donated gifts of jewelry added extra sparkle to the Academy 2004 Holiday Ball! Mahalo! Photo by James Furumizo In addition to the Volunteers who are mentioned throughout this article, we would also like to thank the following Volunteers for the time <strong>and</strong> talent that they donated to make this event successful: Dale Webster, Treasurer of the Academy Corporation, Perfecta Villanueva, Helena Hattori, Sunya Echternach, Rosie Alex<strong>and</strong>er, Terry Hans, Doug Megla, Francis Taomoto, Hans Bonny <strong>and</strong> the dedicated Fairmont Kea Lani staff. <strong>Dancing</strong> took center stage after the 8:00 p.m. announcements were completed. The expert teaching of Rita <strong>and</strong> Brian O’Connor was obvious to all in attendance as the dancers’ skills were repeatedly exhibited in a potpourri of Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Mambo, Cha-cha, <strong>and</strong> Rumba dances. The ladies floated in the arms of the men during the waltz <strong>and</strong> foxtrot. The strident cadence of the tango was lovely to behold. The pulsating rhythms of the <strong>Latin</strong> dances increased the heart rate of dancers <strong>and</strong> observers alike. Even a fairytale evening must to come to a close. As the clock approached 11:00 p.m., Rita announced that the Waltz would be the last dance. As the dancers completed their last turn around the dance floor, each person in attendance had been rewarded with fond memories of yet another beautiful presentation of the annual The Academy Holiday Ball. We look forward to the Holiday season <strong>and</strong> a New Year filled with peace <strong>and</strong> prosperity. But no matter what language you speak: “Joyeux Noel” “Buon Natale” “Feliz Natividad” “Christmas Alegre” “M.V.V.P” <strong>DANCE</strong> EVENT HELD JANUARY 29, 2005 The Academy honored the efforts of its student Volunteers <strong>and</strong> Officers who contributed substantial financial or outst<strong>and</strong>ing Volunteer-time to the success of The Academy during the fourth quarter of 2004 by hosting a Potluck <strong>Ballroom</strong> & <strong>Latin</strong> Dance Party on January 29, 2005! A special, super-sized MAHALO to everyone who helped make the Academy an overwhelming success! Academy Volunteers enjoying an evening of dance at the “M.V.V.P.” event held in their honor! Diana Baker & Gary Lite kick up their heels to an East Coast Swing. This particular MVVP event was especially elegant! Through the creative efforts of the Officers <strong>and</strong> especially VP Themed Parties, Shelley Ting, the adjacent Large Meeting Room at the Kihei Community Center was transformed into starlit dance hall. With tiny white lights draped around the room <strong>and</strong> a mirrored disco ball on the ceiling, the room was a-glitter with Academy Star Students <strong>and</strong> star light! Outside on the lanai, the Guests of Honor enjoyed an ono potluck with specialty dishes from the attendees under the star-studded South Maui skies of Kihei! 9 Annie Yane shares a dance with fellow MVVP Volunteer Gary Thorton! Meanwhile inside the dancers were heating up the dance floor! Rita & Brian enjoyed their evening dancing with as many of the attendees as possible, while still saving a few dances for each other! There was a special Foxtrot social mixer whereby all the women lined up along one of the walls (while the men photographed the gorgeous group of women) <strong>and</strong> all of the men waited in line <strong>and</strong> took turns dancing with a different lady every minute! The smiles on the dancers’ faces lit up the room more than the disco ball! Jack Flynn glides around the MVVP dance floor with a jubilant Barbara Singer! It is through the efforts of these Volunteer students & those who have volunteered in previous dance class quarters that the Academy’s vision is becoming a reality for the ohana of Maui to enjoy! This MVVP event honored those who have helped at Registration Evenings, themed-party events <strong>and</strong> assisting the Academy Officers & The O’Connor’s, in many varied facets of the Academy’s successful operations!
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ACADEMY DANCE NEWS - Latin and Ballroom Dancing on Maui

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