Join us on the big island of Hawaii for a fabulous week of music, dancing, and exploration this May 27-Jun 2, 2025 (just after Memorial Day Weekend).  

Each day will feature a new outdoor adventure -- from visiting national parks, swimming & snorkeling the white-sand beaches, hiking to waterfalls, biking the local trails, exploring native culture & history -- plus dancing & dining every evening with the local community at the many music venues Kona has to offer.  We also have a studio booked in Kona for any morning classes or workshops that the group would be interested in.  

The weekend of May 30-June 1 will be a special dance workshop intensive in collaboration with Denise Westbrook and the Big Island Social Dance Club where Ari teaches each year.  This is a wonderful community of dancers adept at all the social dances, but particularly swing, ballroom, Latin, WCS, NC2S, and tango.  Friday night will be our opening dance party, Saturday  and Sunday will feature wonderful dance workshops, and Saturday night will be our big dance shindig at Denise's amazing studio.

Here is the Weekend Workshop Schedule for Kona:

  Fri, May 30, 2025

        =>  6:30-8:30pm:  Night Club 2-Step Foundations & Fun Tricks

  Sat, May 31, 2025

        =>  1:00-2:30pm: West Coast Swing - Blues Fusion Workshop

        =>  2:30–4:00pm:  European Style Swing

        =>  6:30-7:00:  Intro to Blues - Teaser Class

        =>  7:00–9:00pm: Fabulous Community Dance 

  Sun, Jun 1, 2025

        =>  1:00-4:00pm:  Cross-Step Waltz Class + Afternoon Tea Dance  

For folks who would like to come a little earlier over Memorial Day Weekend, feel free to join Ari in Hilo for a special pre dance-week add-on where he will be running a special workshop & dance weekend for the Hilo community from Fri-Mon.  Come see what Hilo has to offer as we explore the eastern side of the Big Island! (see "Pre-Trip Add-on" details below)

For folks who would like to come a little earlier over Memorial Day Weekend, feel free to join Ari in Hilo where he will be running a special workshop & dance weekend for the Hilo community from Fri-Mon.  PLEASE NOTE -- This is a separate workshop event from the Kona week.  This means you would have to pay for the event yourself at the door ($65 plus $15 dance), and you would need to book your own hotel or AirBnB room while in Hilo. You can fly directly to Hilo, or you can take the FREE island bus to get there from Kona if you would like to fly into Kona (see logistics details below). 

                                                                                DETAILS:

WHERE: Hilo Elks Club, 150 Kino'ole St, Hilo, HI      

WHEN: Sat & Sun, May 24-25, 2025

                                                    WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: 

Sat, May 24, 2025

• 10:00am-12:00pm: East Coast Swing Foundations & Fun Tricks
• 2:00–4:00pm: West Coast Swing - The Basics & Beyond!
• 7:00–9:00pm: Fabulous Community Dance - Ari DJ's the best ballroom music from around the world! ($15 separate cover at the door)

Sun, May 25, 2025

• 10:00am-12:00pm: Fun Cha Cha Combo's with a Little Twist
• 2:00-4:00pm: Bachata - Great Traveling & Raveling Variations

                                                                      COST: (Pay at the door)

• 1 workshop only: $25
• 2 workshops: $40 (Save $10)
• 3 workshops: $55 (Save $20)
• 4 workshops: $65 (Save $35)
• Saturday Dance: $15

                                                                                  TO REGISTER:  

Write to [email protected] to pre-register, or simply register at the door 15 minutes before class.

                                                                 LOGISTICS 

For folks who would like to join us in Hilo for the pre-trip workshop weekend, you can fly into Hilo for the event (airport code ITO), then take the free island bus to Kona on May 27th to join the group there for the Kona Dance Adventure Week portion.  You can also fly to Kona first (airport code: KOA) and take the free bus to Hilo for the workshop weekend there -- lots of options  :)

BUS INFO:   Hawaii Island (Hele-On Bus):

• Free Fares: The Hele-On bus system, serving Hawaii Island, offers free fares for its fixed routes and Kako'o paratransit services.
• Service: Hele-On provides service generally seven days a week from 3:15 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
• Schedules and Maps: You can find schedules and maps on the Hele-On website.  However, I have found the easiest way to get the schedule is to simply use Google maps.  Put in Hilo as your starting location, and get directions to Kona using the public transportation icon/option (ie vs. the car driving or walking icon)

HOUSING:  Housing for the pre-trip workshop weekend in Hilo would be on your own.  There are many hotel and AirBnB options available.  If you're planning to join us in Hilo, let Ari know.  He has an AirBnB option available and may also be able to help with transportation.  

GETTING THERE:

• The trip will begin and end in Kona, Hawaii.
• Plan to fly into Kona, Hawaii (airport code: KOA) and be ready to go on the late afternoon or evening of Tuesday, May 27th (Exact pick-up details TBA).    
• If you are joining us in Hilo for the pre dance-week add-on, plan to fly into Hilo, Hawaii (airport code ITO) or at least arrive there by Saturday, May 24.  
• If you are leaving immediately from the dance camp to fly home, plan to fly out of Kona on Monday, June 2nd.  Transportation to the airport is included for anyone leaving Kona that day.  You are, of course, more than welcome to stay longer in Hawaii, in which case you would need to get to the airport on your own if not leaving on June 2nd.

The bulk of the dance classes will be during the workshop weekend at the Big Island Social Dance Club (see the weekend schedule for the class topics).  During the week, we will most be exploring the island and spending the evening dancing with the locals at various venues with live music.  We may have some spontaneous pop-up classes during the week if the group would like, but really most of the classes will be during the weekend workshop intensive.   

Group activities will include daily adventures, sight-seeing and touring, evening dance parties, plenty of socializing, and many other fun "non-dancing" activities.  So many options, so little time!

CLASS LEVEL:  Our classes are exciting, informative, relatively fast-paced, and as such are tailored much more toward the intermediate and above level social dancer.  Unless we are introducing a brand new dance, we do not gear any of our classes towards beginning dancers. Participants should have a solid, broad-based dance background.

If you have any questions about your level of dance, please let us know.

Price:  $1,975 per person for double accommodation.   $2,975 for private accommodation (*see below).  $895 for no accommodations (you would need to find your own housing)

• A $600 downpayment is required to hold your spot
• A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights on your trip and is subject to availability.
• We try to keep an excellent lead/follow balance on our trips.  Therefore, all single follows must sign up with a single lead to prevent being wait-listed.  Recruit a single lead today! To be wait-listed, a deposit is required. We do our best to clear the waitlist as soon as possible. The deposit is fully refundable if we can't get you in.
• Spaces are limited to 12 leads and 12 follows (all attempts will be made to maintain lead/follow balance throughout the trip)  

Pricing Includes:

• 6 nights lodging 
• 6 group breakfasts
• Weekend Workshop Intensive (all classes and parties)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle transportation throughout
• Daily group dance classes (with opportunities for private coaching)
• Numerous evening social dance opportunities with local dancers
• Daily transportation to various local attractions (the beach, the markets, waterfalls, Volcano National Park, manta ray night dive, etc)

Not included: 

• Airfare
• Travel Insurance 
• Tips for leaders, guide and driver 
• Alcohol/specialty drinks not included with meals
• Any extra meals/drinks not included in the itinerary
• Any extra sundries/amenities/purchases 
• Any extra excursions not included in the itinerary (ie, Manta Ray Night Dive, Whale Watching, National Parks, etc)

PASSPORT  [For Non-USA Citizens Only]:  You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. We'll need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while traveling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. 

VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS  [For Non-USA Citizens Only]:  Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here:  http://www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements 

Proof of COVID Vaccination is NOT currently required for this trip.

No other special vaccinations are required for this trip either.

Travel insurance is required for all of our trips and will help protect both your investment and our vendors should you need to cancel. There are many companies that offer travel insurance options. You can sign up with one such policy during the payment checkout portion of this registration. 

 If you are a AAA member, you may want to check with them.  I have also found that Faye insurance is very easy to purchase online (www.withFaye.com).  This WeTravel site also has a travel insurance policy you may purchase at checkout.

Airlines also frequently provide travel insurance for your trip that you can purchase at the check out page when you are buying your tickets, and you may want to look at that option as well.  

Once you have purchased your travel insurance, please let us know the company name and policy number you have with them.

If you don't have a policy already and don’t want to use the one offered at check-out here, feel free to CLICK HERE to purchase insurance through our affiliate company, World Nomads*.

*PLEASE NOTE:  We do not represent World Nomads.  As an affiliate, we receive a small commission when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link.  This is information only and not a requirement to buy travel insurance through this company.

• Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage and walk with it for short distances or up or down a flight of stairs. Our travellers usually find the smaller their luggage is, the more they enjoy the trip not having to worry about carrying heavy bags! Aim to keep your main luggage under 15kg.
• Many travellers carry their luggage in a compact smaller suitcase or backpack with wheels. We recommend your bag has carry straps or handles so it is easy to lift and carry for the times you are unable to wheel it (ie. on rough surfaces or up steps).
• You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water, camera, swimming suit, waterproof pouch/bag for phone, hiking shoes and jacket etc. when you’re exploring during the day.
• Please refer to our Worldwide Dance Adventure TRAVEL TIPS page for valuable suggestions on such things as how & what to pack, how & when to book flights, power cord adapters, international phone coverage, what to include in your traveler's first aid kit, etc.
• Here is Intrepid's packing list for trips in general (scroll down the page to see the full list): https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list

• Should you cancel less than 14 days of booking and greater than 180 days before the trip, you get a 100% refund of total cost minus a $150 admin fee.
• Should you cancel after 14 days of booking and up to 180 days before the trip you will get a 50% refund of total cost minus the $150 admin fee.
• Once we are within 180 days of the trip starting there are no refunds.
• Note:  should you find someone to fill your spot, we can transfer your balance to them minus the $150 fee. Should you become sick or have other health or family-related issues, it’s highly likely the required travel insurance would kick in and reimburse you so be sure and check with your provider. 
• It is the responsibility of the trip attendee to reach out in the event of a cancellation and make their payments on time. We reserve the right to hold payments according to the cancellation policy above to pay our vendors to make this trip happen. 
• By making a deposit you agree to above terms of service and cancellation policy.

Liability:

We exercise care in the selection of reputable travel service providers but we are not ourselves a provider of travel services and have no control over, or liability for, the services provided by third parties.  

In no event do we accept any liability in contract, tort or otherwise, for any injury, damage, loss, delay, additional expense or inconvenience caused directly or indirectly by the acts, omissions or default, whether negligent or otherwise, of third party providers over whom we have no direct control, force majeure or any other event which is beyond our control or which is not preventable by reasonable diligence on our part. We also do not accept any liability in contract, tort or otherwise, for consequential loss (meaning indirect loss, loss of revenue, loss of reputation, loss of profits, loss of actual or anticipated savings, lost opportunities, including opportunities to enter into arrangements with third parties or loss or damage in connection with claims against you by third parties) howsoever caused in connection with your booking.

Risks of Travel and Release: 

We assume no responsibility for and shall not be liable for the acts or omissions on the part of any other party not under our control or any acts of God, unsafe conditions, terrorism, health hazards including pandemics, illness, weather hazards, or the suitability for a disabled person of any portion of any trip. We have no special knowledge of dangers during travel or at destinations. For information related to such dangers, we recommend going to the State Department travel website at travel.state.gov, click on "Find International travel Information" then click on "Country Information", and fill in the name of the destination country. 

For medical and health information, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control website at cdc.gov/travel, then click on "Destinations" and scroll to the name of the destination country. It is your personal decision to travel, and you are doing so with full knowledge of current travel recommendations and travel restrictions with regards to the risks of COVID-19. 

YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL OF THESE RISKS AND DANGERS, AND YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY AGREE TO FOREVER RELEASE, DISCHARGE AND HOLD US, AND OUR AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, ASSOCIATES, AFFILIATED COMPANIES, GUIDES, GROUP LEADERS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS HARMLESS AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CAUSES OF ACTIONS, SUITS, CLAIMS, AND DEMANDS OF ANY AND EVERY KIND AND NATURE WHATSOEVER WHICH YOU NOW HAVE OR WHICH MAY HEREAFTER ARISE OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE RISKS AND Dangers.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]