In
January of 1996, Bill and I were invited to attend a practice
session of
The Country Dancers of Hawaii. We had seen the group perform many
times
when we attended special functions with a country-western theme,
We were more than a little intimidated since we were very basic
dancers
and these people did so many different dances, both couples and
line dances!
We
debated the idea, then went to observe. We learned that the group
had two
2-hour practice sessions each week, with extra practices added as
needed for
special events. A 6-week/12-practice probation period was
required of all
prospective members, during which 4 dances must be learned. We
agreed to try,
then learned that "4 dances" meant 4 choreographed
dance routines,
consisting of
about 12 different couples and line dances,
none of which we had ever done before!
In March,
we were voted in by the membership, and began one of the most
rewarding parts
of living in Hawaii for us. This group became our extended family.
We worked hard,
but we also had a lot of fun. We shared our joys and sorrows,
complained to
and about each other, and supported each other in many ways. From
our involvement in
The Country Dancers of Hawaii, we have established friendships
that will last a lifetime.
Halloween
fell on Wednesday in 1997, so we held our Pearlridge Mall dance
class in costume!
The little kids loved me, but were terrified of Bill!
Our
retirement from The Country Dancers of Hawaii was very difficult!
The photo above was from the actual "ceremony" during
our Wednesday evening
dance class at Pearlridge Mall Uptown, but we participated in one
last performance at the
75th anniversary of the Hawaii Theater on the Friday night before
we left Hawaii.
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