2012 Workshop
Aloha Winter Workshop 2012
February 17-19, 2012 Honolulu, Hawaii
Aloha nui loa from the RSCDS Hawaii Branch! We are pleased to announce our HAWAIIAN WEEKEND OF SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING. We invite you to join us in Honolulu for an event-filled weekend of dance lessons and social dancing, including a ceilidh and LIVE MUSIC. Our theme this year is "Rainbow Islands," and you are sure to learn much about these beautiful islands!
The fun begins on Friday evening, February 17th, 2012, with a social dance. The weekend also includes dance classes on Saturday and Sunday, a dinner and dance on Saturday evening, and a "hang-loose" ceilidh Sunday evening. There will be live music for most events at the Aloha Winter Weekend.
Guest Instructor: Eileen Hsu. Although “ethnically challenged” from a Scottish perspective, Eileen Hsu started Scottish Country Dancing in the San Francisco area over 20 years ago when a Japanese-American dancer friend suggested it. It didn’t take long to get hooked. When she moved back to Seattle in 1998, she decided to earn her SCD teaching credentials to ensure there’d always be some local classes and dances to attend. Presently, Eileen feeds her SCD habit by teaching in the Seattle area, occasionally playing fiddle for classes, and attending SCD workshops and summer schools whenever she can. She has been honored to teach workshops in both the U.S. and Canada.
She enjoys the precision, sense of rhythm, and poise required to dance well, and strives to instill that attention to detail in her students—all while having fun, of course!
“You know how you see a particular dancer, and you think, ‘Oh, I want to be in your set,’ or ‘Oh, you’re so fun to dance with’?” she asks. “Part of that quality is, of course, the person’s own sociability and personality. But part of that quality can be learned--through those details that make this form of dancing truly a team sport.”
In her non-SCD life, Eileen is trying to combine her eclectic background in marketing, communications, and training in the high-tech and medical device industries into a new career opportunity. She holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Technical Communication from the University of Washington and an MBA from University of California at Berkeley. She is also a certificated Six Sigma Black Belt and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a and Strathspey Society Band From left to right: David, Heather, Patti, Bruce
The Band: The Humuhumunukunukuapua'a and Strathspey Society Band: Bruce, Patti & David were at a Scottish Dance Week on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, when they started to play together. Finding like-minded fiddler Heather was easy. Adopting the state fish of Hawaii as their mascot, the Humus were born. "As far as we know, we are the world's best Hawaiian-themed Scottish music band." They also play for Ceilidh dancing, English dance, Contra and even play acoustic folk-rock songs for weddings & parties. This band has honored the Hawaii Branch by playing at the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Aloha Weekend Workshops in Honolulu, and are a heck of a lot of fun to dance to!
Venues: Classes on Saturday and Sunday, as well as the semi-formal "ball" on Saturday, will be held in the beautiful, spacious Palladium Ballroom of the Ala Wai Golf Clubhouse, about 1/2 mile from the Queen Kapiolani Hotel.
Fees: The price for the complete event is US$150 for RSCDS members, and US$170 for non-members. This fee includes "pupus" at the Friday night social dance, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, the Saturday evening dinner, Sunday breakfast, and dinner at the Sunday evening ceilidh. You or your non-dancing guest may also attend select events for prorated prices (see the registration form).
We recommend the Queen Kaiolani Hotel, located at the "zoo" end of Waikiki, and within walking distance of classes. For further information on places to stay while attending the weekend, contact Bruce McEwan, telephone 808-538-7707, or Melissa Lindsay, telephone 808-256-3347.
Dance Programs:
Friday Social
Happy Meeting (32J)
Catch the Wind (32R)
Seann Truibhas Willichan (32S)
Joie de Vivre (32J)
General Stuart’s reel (32R)
Interval
Blue Bonnets (32J)
Cherrybank Gardens (32S)
Davy Nick Nack (32R)
Follow Me Home (32J)
Birks of Invermay (32S)
Mairi’s Wedding (40R)
Saturday Ball
The Gay Gordons
The Duke of Atholl’s Reel (32J)
The Irish Rover (32R)
Sauchie Haugh (32S)
Shiftin’ Bobbins (32R)
Interval
Mrs. Stewart’s Jig (32J)
Teacher’s Choice Strathspey
Red House (40R)
Ladies’ Fancy (32J)
Wisp of Thistle (32S)
The Montgomeries’ Rant (32R)
Interval
Pelorus Jack (32J)
The Braes of Tulliemet (32S)
Teacher’s Choice Quicktime
Gypsy Glen (32S)
De’il Amang the Tailors (32R)
To view the dances instructions for the two evenings of social dancing, please click on the "cribnotes" link in the upper-right corner of this page.