Beginner-friendly ballroom, all over Hawaii
Come dance with us. No partner, no experience needed.
Learn waltz, swing, cha cha and more in relaxed eight-week classes taught by patient, trained instructors. Then join us on Saturday nights, where everyone gets asked to dance.
New classes start every January, April, July and October. Just show up in the first two weeks.
$60
gets a brand-new student started: membership plus two classes
1959
Teaching Hawaii to dance for 65+ years
7 chapters
Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island
300+
members who dance together
501(c)(3)
Volunteer-run nonprofit
How to get started
Three easy steps to your first dance
You don’t need to sign up online first, buy special shoes, or bring a partner. Here’s how most of our members started.
1
Pick a chapter near you
Each chapter meets one evening a week at a community park, temple hall or studio. Choose the night and neighborhood that fits your week.
Most Oahu classes run 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
2
Show up during the first two weeks
Classes start fresh each quarter. Come to any of the first two sessions, register right there, and pay your dues and class fee. Or register online ahead of time if you prefer.
Wear comfortable clothes and smooth-soled shoes. No rubber slippers.
3
Learn two dances in eight weeks
Every quarter your chapter teaches two dances, step by step, at a conversational pace. By week eight you’ll be ready for the floor at our Saturday social.
Partners rotate in class, so singles are always welcome.
Next session begins in October.
Registration is open now for October, November and December classes.
Why people keep coming back
Good for your body, your mind, and your Saturday nights
Stay active without a gym
Ninety minutes of gentle movement, balance and memory work each week. Our mission is healthy minds and bodies, and it shows.
Truly affordable
Membership is $20 a year and eight weeks of two classes is $40. That’s less than a single private lesson almost anywhere else.
Make real friends
Three hundred members across the islands, potlucks, holiday balls and a standing Saturday date. Many of us have danced together for decades.
Patient, trained teachers
Our volunteer instructors train through the Telemark program and teach an easygoing American Social style, not competition drills.
“HBDA is the best organization to belong to because their teachers are so patient, kind, and talented.”
An HBDA member
What you’ll learn
Sixteen dances, two at a time
We teach the American Social style: relaxed, conversational, and made for real dance floors.
Waltz
Foxtrot
East Coast Swing
Cha Cha
Rumba
Tango
West Coast Swing
Nightclub Two Step
Swing Hustle
Viennese Waltz
Bolero
Samba
Merengue
Bachata
Mambo
Salsa
Highlighted dances are the ones most beginners start with.
Your first class
What to expect when you walk in
Most new students are nervous the first night. Here’s what actually happens.
✔ You’ll be greeted by name.
A chapter officer signs you in, collects your registration, and introduces you around.
✔ Everyone starts with the basic step.
The instructor demonstrates, then the whole room practices together. Nobody is singled out.
✔ You’ll dance with several partners.
Rotating partners is how you learn fastest, and how singles fit right in.
✔ Assistant instructors circulate to help.
Most chapters have two or three helpers on the floor, so you get individual attention.
✔ You’ll leave knowing one real dance pattern.
And by week eight, two complete dances you can use at any wedding, party or Saturday social.
Plain pricing
$60 to start
That’s everything a brand-new student needs for a full eight-week session: your annual membership plus a class that teaches two dances.
| Annual HBDA membership | $20 |
| Eight weeks of class, two dances One evening a week at your chapter | $40 |
| Total to get started | $60 |
Pay at your first class by cash or check, or register online ahead of time. Questions about other options? Ask any chapter officer.
Chapters
Find the chapter closest to home
Every chapter is run by its own volunteer officers and teaches the same HBDA curriculum. Pick the evening that works for you and just come.
Oahu
Mondays · 7:30–9:00 pm
Aiea Chapter
Aiea Hongwanji Mission
99-186 Puakala St, Aiea
Tuesdays · 7:00–8:30 pm
Manana Chapter
Breene Harimoto Manana Community Park
1310 Waimano Home Rd, Pearl City
Wednesdays · 7:00–8:30 pm
Kapolei Chapter
Makakilo Community Park
92-1120 Makakilo Dr, Kapolei
Thursdays · 7:00–8:30 pm
Nuuanu Chapter
Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin
1740 Lusitana St, Honolulu
Fridays · 7:00–8:30 pm
Dance Studio Chapter
Destination Dance Hawaii, Studio B
98-019 Kamehameha Hwy, 2nd floor, Aiea
Maui
Tuesdays · 6:00–8:00 pm
Central Maui Chapter
Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Omori Studio
1 Cameron Way, Kahului
Hawaii Island
Tuesdays · 6:30–7:30 pm
East Hawaii Chapter
Hawaii Island Adult Care, Sunshine Wing
561 Kapuna Pl, Hilo
About HBDA
Where dancing begins, since 1959
Eugene and Harriet Ichinose founded the Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association to make ballroom dancing fun, affordable and available to everyone in Hawaii Nei. More than sixty-five years later, HBDA is one of the largest dance organizations in the state, run entirely by volunteers and instructors who came up through its own classes.
Our dance program is led by Dance Director Romeo Quemado and Associate Dance Director Miriam Quemado, with instructors trained through the Telemark program. HBDA was nominated for Best Ballroom Dance Lessons in Honolulu Magazine’s Best of Honolulu awards, and we’re still going every week.
Have a question? Just ask.
Call or email and a real HBDA member will get back to you. Or come to a class or a Saturday social and ask in person. We’d love to meet you.
Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association
Oahu (808) 282-9888 · (808) 781-2076
Maui (614) 975-9127 · (808) 385-8881
Hilo (808) 935-9807
Email romeocquemado@yahoo.com
Studio 98-019 Kamehameha Hwy, Ste 211A/212A, Aiea, HI 96701
The community
Every Saturday night, the whole HBDA family dances together
Our social dance in Aiea is where the classes pay off. DJs play everything we teach, members ask newcomers to dance, and nobody sits out for long. Students and their guests are welcome, and so are curious first-timers.
Saturdays, 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Every week, year-round
Destination Dance Hawaii, Studio A
98-019 Kamehameha Hwy, Aiea, upstairs from Goodwill
Free for students, $10 for guests
Pay at the door. Dress neatly; no shorts, tank tops or rubber slippers.