Rondeliers Dance Club; Going Native July 19th 2013

Did You Know? - Hawaiian trivia:

More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.

There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W

From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.
The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain range in the world.

Did You Know? - Hawaiian Trivia

The Hawaiian Archipelago consists of over 130 scattered points of land stretching some 1,600 miles in length from the Kure Atoll in the north to the Island of Hawaii in the south.

There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge.

The wind blows east to west in Hawaii. The highest recorded temperature is 96' F (Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92' F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature (under 3000 feet altitude) is 56' F. Temperatures under 60' F may occur but rarely more than once a year. Average daytime temp. (July) is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F.

Did You Know? - Ke Kali Nei Au (The Hawaiian Wedding Song)
Charles E. King, 1925

It just wouldn't be a Hawaiian wedding without a performance of "Ke Kali Nei Au." Ironically, the song, although romantic, never actually mentions anything about marriage—King originally composed the song for a 1925 operetta, Prince of Hawaii. But with lyrics such as, "sweetheart, you are so precious, I pledge my love to you alone," its appeal as a song of dedication is undeniable, leading everyone from Alfred Apaka to Andy Williams to offer their own version.

Did You Know? - The muumuu or muʻumuʻu /ˈmuːmuː/ is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder. Like the Aloha shirt, muumuu exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynesian motifs. Muumuu for local Hawaiian residents are more subdued in tone. Muumuu are no longer as widely worn at work as the aloha shirt, but continue to be the preferred formal dress for weddings and festivals such as the Merrie Monarch hula competition.

Did You Know? - "Begin the Beguine" is a song written by Cole Porter (1891–1964). Porter composed the song between Kalabahi, Indonesia, and Fiji during a 1935 Pacific cruise aboard Cunard's ocean liner Franconia. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee, produced at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.

A Beguine was originally a Christian lay woman of the 13th or 14th century living in a religious community without formal vows, but in the creole of the Caribbean, especially in Martinique and Guadeloupe, the term came to mean "white woman", and then to be applied to a style of music and dance, and in particular a slow, close couples' dance. This combination of French ballroom dance and Latin folk dance became popular in Paris and spread further abroad in the 1940s, largely due to the influence of the Porter song.

Did You Know? - "La Vie en rose" (French pronunciation: ​[la vi ɑ̃ ʁoz]) was the signature song of French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947.

Louis Armstrong's Lyrics:

Hold me close and hold me fast

The magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me, heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose

When you press me to your heart

I'm in a world apart

A world where roses bloom

And when you speak, angels sing from above

Everyday words seem to turn

Into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be

La vie en rose

Did You Know? - Honolulu is the largest city in the world -- at least it has the longest borders. According to the state constitution any island (or islet) not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes all islands within the Hawaiian Archipelago, that stretch to Midway Island (1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii) part of Honolulu. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long or more distance than halfway across the 48 contiguous states.