[ MAUKA MAKAI ]

COURTESY OF NANETTE NAPOLEON Nanette Napoleon, left, and her bon dance partner, Susan Tom, are all smiles during obon season.

Confessions of a
bon dance fanatic

Friendships, fun and food are
standard fare at annual events

OK, so I confess, I am a bon dance fanatic. There, I've said it. Do I know much about bon dancing? No.

Am I a good dancer? No.

Am I the right person to be writing an article about bon dancing? Well, yes and no.

Wrapping Up The Season The last bon dances of the season: Sept. 4: Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park, 6 p.m. Sept. 18: Autumn Okinawan Dance Matsuri, Hawaii Okinawa Center, 6 p.m.

You see, I've only been going to bon dances regularly for two years, this summer being my third consecutive year. And I've never taken dance lessons, so I'm hardly the one to be writing about the history and intricacies of this popular summer dance festival. But I am qualified to write about it from the perspective of a novice dancer. So keep that in mind as I describe to you my life on the bon dance "circuit."

First of all, the bon dance season starts in June and goes through August, with one or two late ones in September. There are dances every Friday and Saturday night somewhere on Oahu during that time. The dance schedule is always published in the newspapers a couple of weeks prior to the first dance. Like all the other bon dance regulars (of which there are several hundred), I diligently clip this schedule and highlight the ones I want to attend.

My goal is to attend dances on Oahu and maybe one on each of the neighbor islands. Statewide, there were 88 scheduled this year, 34 on Oahu. To date, I have participated in 21 of those on Oahu. I've been to some two or three times.

THERE ARE MANY reasons I like bon dancing so much. First of all, it is just plain fun. What makes it so much fun is that you really don't have to know how to perform any of the dances. It is perfectly all right to jump in without any experience and follow the more experienced dancers.

At all the dances that are held at Buddhist temples, there is a "host" dance troupe -- people who belong to and take lessons at that temple. Each group has its own unique kimono ensemble, which is quite beautiful. When they are dancing on their "home court," these groups have the privilege of dancing around the "yagura" (music tower) in the innermost circle. Everyone else dances in the outer circles. Usually, there are three circles going at the same time.

When I started dancing, I naturally had to start on the outermost circle, and this is the best position for watching the more experienced dancers. This year, I advanced (on my own accord) to the middle circle, roughly equivalent to an intermediate-level dancer.

I'm at the point at which I can remember about six or seven of the easier dances without following anyone and can more easily follow along with many more because I know most of the basic foot and hand gestures comprising most of the dances. I'm amazed that even though I've attended more than 30 dances over the last three seasons, I continue to see a new dance at almost every event. Each temple has its favorite traditional numbers and new ones created by the members. Most of the newer ones, such as the Pokemon and Electric Slide, are crowd favorites.

This year, at the Koboji Shingon Mission in Kalihi, the home group debuted a new dance that had a '60s rock 'n' roll beat and movements I really liked. There are even some dances that incorporate elements of mambo, salsa or country-western steps! These are crowd-pleasers, especially for teenagers carrying on this centuries-old tradition.

COURTESY OF NANETTE NAPOLEON Bon dancing is a family affair for four generations of the Murata family. They are, front row from left: Valerie Zukeran (holding onto daughter Tori) and her sons, Greg and Grant; and in the back row, from left, Valerie's husband, Guz; mother-in-law Arlene; Arlene's mother, Agnes Higa; and Alan Higa.

AT THE HALEIWA Jodo-Shu temple dance this year, a group of about eight teenagers caught my eye. The majority of bon dancers are well into their "mature" years, like me, but some dances draw many teenagers and parents with young children. The Haleiwa event seemed to have a lot of teens who injected their own hip-hop style to the dances. They are fun to watch, and although I sometimes try to emulate them, I usually can't keep up for long. But I have fun trying.

Another attendee, Clarence Ikeda, said: "When I was growing up on the plantation, bon dances were one of the few social events of the year for young people to get together and dance. The parents liked it because there were a lot of older people there to keep an eye out for the kids, so they didn't have to worry."

When I asked 17-year-old Wes Kobayashi why he like to attend the dance, he said, "It's all about the dance."

But in observing him and his pals, it may be more about the "chicks" than anything else.

When you're been on the bon dance circuit long enough, you begin to remember the "regulars" -- individuals or groups of family and friends who love moving from dance to dance every weekend.

At the Windward Mall dance in June, I met three generations of bon dancers. Agnes Higa, 87, is the matriarch of the family who mostly sits in the sidelines these days, although she was an avid dancer for most of her life. Her father was an Okinawan dance instructor on Kauai, and she started dancing when she was about 6 or 7. Her late husband, Masatada Higa, was a classical and folk dance instructor who founded the Masatada Higa Miyo Club. Following in grandma Higa's footsteps is her daughter, Arlene Zukeran, 63; Zukeran's son Guy and his wife, Valerie; and their three children, Grant, 8, Greg, 7, and Tori, 6.

At the Wahiawa Ryusenji temple, I met three friends who not only dance together regularly, but have their own custom-made group happi coats. Kaimi Dung, Leonard Rhodes and Patrick Suan of Waianae are all "good Catholic boys" who love bon dances. Their happi coats have a Hawaiian motif made from fabric designed by well-known 1950s and '60s designer Alfred Shaheen that makes them stand out in the crowd.

At the Kaneohe Higashi Hongwanji dance, I met a man whose kimono was to die for! Curtis Uno is an executive consultant and accomplished dancer who frequently travels to Japan, where he buys fabric and custom-made silk kimonos. The one I saw that night had a brilliant yellow background with a blue-swirl floral motif.

Uno was taught to dance by his mother. His grandfather was the founder of the Shujiro Saito Yaguragumi Dance Troupe in Ewa. For him, bon dancing is a family tradition that he feels must be perpetuated. "When I dance, I dance for my family," he said.

Another person who wears really cool kimonos is circuit regular Lynette Fujiyoshi, who still takes dance lessons but is not associated with any troupe. Every time I see her, she seems to have on a different kimono, so many that she doesn't know how many she owns, only guessing she has "a lot."

"One of the things I like most of bon dancing is that the people are all so nice," she said. "I've made some good friendships this way."

Fujiyoshi, from Palolo, has been dancing for 12 years, and has a very fluid, beautiful dance style I enjoy watching. But not all people who attend bon dances have such extensive experience. At the Moiliili Hongwanji Mission dance, I met a group of University of Hawaii summer students who were "first-timers."

"We were really shy to join in at first," said Jessica Morgon, 19. "But some ladies in kimonos kept telling us to come in, so we did. They are all very friendly and told us not to worry about making mistakes, just to have fun."

It's funny to watch these "newbies" as they stumble around the dance circle for the first time, especially the men, who, for the most part, seem to have trouble getting their bodies to flow.

At the Haleiwa dance, I talked with a man obviously "challenged" by the dancing but who nevertheless looked like he was having fun. John Casson of Waialua, who was there with his wife and teenage daughter, said it was only his third dance attempt. "The music is really nice, and it's a good family activity for us," he said.

People who are regulars on the circuit come to favor certain dance sites over others, often rating each place according to the following elements: food, sound system, dance area (some dance floors can be very uneven and difficult to dance on), variety of dances offered, crowd size, parking availability ... and did I mention food?

COURTESY OF NANETTE NAPOLEON Kaimi Dung, left, and Leonard Rhodes in their custom-made happi coats.

FOOD IS AN important part of the bon dance experience, especially since most of the dances start between 6 and 7 p.m., the dinner hour. All the sites have food booths with standard fare of Spam musubi, some kind of plate lunch and stir-fry noodles. Some serve barbecue beef or chicken sticks, and andagi (Okinawan donuts). I give sites extra points for having these items.

The best food site I've discovered so far is the Kokanji Temple in Manoa. The temple is set back from Oahu Avenue on a sloping hillside in the midst of a residential area. At the bottom of the hill, in a small amphitheater-shaped area, is a permanent bon dance complex, consisting of a large concrete dance area surrounded by permanent benches, covered food serving areas that can accommodate about 10 vendors who sell shave ice, bentos, plate lunches, andagi, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked goods, lumpia, cold drinks and the specialty of the house, barbecue teriyaki corn on the cob. Wow, are those ono!

They also sell scrip in three booths around the perimeter of the site, so the wait in the food lines is not nearly as long as at other spots. It is also one of the most beautiful dance sites, with an abundance of colorful hanging lanterns that bathe the area in a beautiful glow, and rock gardens along the sides. The temple itself is spectacular.

Two of my other favorite dance sites are the intimate and picturesque Tendai Mission of Hawaii in Manoa, and the Kailua Hongwanji dance, which has a good mix of songs and an animated, funny announcer who tells you what the next dance will be.

This year, I added to my collection of standard dancing "implements" a battery-operated light-up fan (which some people prefer over the traditional paper fan) and a pair of homemade "baci" (drumsticks). Last year, my second year on the circuit, I bought a happi coat (short) and a "yukata" (long summer cotton kimono). And I now have a collection of "tenugui" (dance towels) bearing the name and design of the various temples, available for a donation of $2 to $4. You don't use all of these items at every dance, but you must have them with you ... just in case.

So there you have it -- all I know about bon dancing. There are still a few dances left in the season, so get your dancing shoes (or slippers) on, and everybody bon-dance!