{"id":99363,"date":"2024-05-15T09:06:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T19:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/?p=99363"},"modified":"2024-05-13T16:10:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T02:10:57","slug":"tony-meredith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekpro\/tony-meredith\/","title":{"rendered":"Care to Dance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Tony Meredith poses with student Cindi Parker. Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo<\/p><\/div>\n

Tony Meredith invites the community to check out his new Aloha Ballroom Co. studio on Kapi\u2018olani Boulevard.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ballroom dancing has taken Tony Meredith around the world \u2014 he\u2019s particularly fond of his time in Japan performing and teaching at Nippon Budokan Hall \u2014 and time-traveling through the decades, swaying and twirling to tunes from years long passed all the way up to modern-day hits. <\/p>\n

And now, the renowned professional ballroom dancer\/choreographer and U.S. Professional Latin Champion is bringing his talents and expertise back home to Hawai\u2018i with the opening of his new boutique studio, Aloha Ballroom Co. (alohaballroomcompany.com<\/a>), which pays homage to Meredith\u2019s Polynesian roots. (He was born in Samoa.) <\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in Hawai\u2018i, I never imagined I\u2019d be doing this,\u201d explains Meredith, who attended \u0100liamanu Middle School.<\/p>\n

He remembers dancing hula and Tahitian as a kid in a home constantly filled with music. It wasn\u2019t until moving to California that he was introduced to partner dancing \u2014 specifically the hustle, which was big at the time. From the hustle, he explored cha-cha and samba, and quickly discovered he loved the competitive aspect of duo dancing. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what drew me, the sport of ballroom dancing,\u201d Meredith recalls. \u201cThere was a chance at winning something.\u201d <\/p>\n

And win he did. Meredith represented the U.S. in 12 world championships, finally taking home top honors on his 13th try in 1993 in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore that, I had been dancing for 15 years and I was in second place for 12 years before winning the championship,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery year, I told myself, \u2018I\u2019m going to get it this year,\u2019 and when I finally did, I was like, \u2018Chee hu!\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

From there, Meredith continued dancing through life. He operated his own studio in New York for 15 years and served as dance director at Danceville U.S.A. in Columbus, Ohio. His acumen led to him becoming a sought-after instructor all over the world. But wherever he\u2019d go to dance and teach, he found he acquired a bit of knowledge as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot from one of my coaches in the Netherlands, and I had one of my best experiences in Cuba learning Latin dances,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery place has a difference essence about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Vienna he learned to formally stand, to dress properly in a tuxedo and ask a woman to dance with the appropriate mannerisms. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery culture dances,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful, and it\u2019s different throughout the world, different forms and styles.\u201d <\/p>\n

He\u2019s also had a hand in choreographing scenes for movies, notably Dance with Me starring Vanessa Williams, The Thomas Crown Affair with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan, Let It Be Me and The Last Days of Disco, and Broadway plays (his favorite was a Dirty Dancing project). He also co-hosted the PBS series America\u2019s Ballroom Challenge. More recently, he and his former longtime dance partner, Melanie LaPatin, were guest choreographers on FOX\u2019s dance competition reality show So You Think You Can Dance. <\/p>\n

Meredith\u2019s myriad accolades and lifetime of experience add to the allure of Aloha Ballroom Co., which specializes in a number of dance techniques like waltz and tango, as well as Latin styles (cha-cha, samba and rumba) and social club varieties like West Coast swing, salsa and bachata. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the hustle,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my favorites. That\u2019s how I got started.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many benefits to dancing, but you don\u2019t realize it because you\u2019re having fun,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s a total workout. It\u2019s good for your memory and it physically keeps your heart in shape. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for everybody at every age, whether you just graduated high school, retired or getting married, or an empty-nester or you want to rekindle your relationship,\u201d he continues. \u201cThey walk away with a feeling of satisfaction and confidence.\u201d <\/p>\n

Even the ones who tell Meredith they have two left feet come away strutting their stuff, thanks in part to Aloha Ballroom Co. and its cadre of National Dance Council of America-certified teachers. <\/p>\n

His hope for the instructors and students is they forge partnerships that go beyond dance lessons and onto the big stage in the form of regular productions. <\/p>\n

\u201cPart of what we want to do is create showcases that involve the students and our professional teachers,\u201d Meredith explains. \u201cThey\u2019ll put together a whole show based on a theme, whether it\u2019s \u2018all about love\u2019 or periods of time like the \u201980s, \u201970s or \u201960s.\u201d <\/p>\n

Aloha Ballroom Co. has a current promotion for two 30-minute private lessons ($80), as a way to give ballroom dancing a whirl without any commitments. After that, regular classes and programming starts in August. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to be back home,\u201d Meredith concludes. \u201cHaving traveled the world, this is where I want to settle down and share what I\u2019ve learned across all these years. It feels so good to be back.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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