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At 24-VII Danceforce in Kaneohe, dancing is life.
Step inside this modest Windward Mall studio, and there's a warmth and informality that make you feel like you're visiting a family — granted, a very large one. It's an atmosphere that some of Hawaii's rising stars describe as a second home.
A who's who of Hawai'i dance, especially among the twentysomething generation, have studied at 24-VII, including Mark Kanemura and Kupono Aweau, both finalists on the TV dance competition "So You Think You Can Dance"; Fanny Pak member Cara Horibe, who competed on "America's Best Dance Crew"; and Jason Tam, who was in the 2006 Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line."
At the helm of this nonprofit artistic oasis is founder and creative director Marcelo Pacleb, credited by his students as the heart and soul of 24-VII.
"I don't know what it would be without him," Aweau said. "He has this power ... He knows there's potential in you before you know it yourself, and he brings it out to the max. It's what pushed every single person in there."
Only days after returning to Hawaii after his competing on this season's "So You Think You Can Dance," Aweau was back at 24-VII taking advanced ballet classes.
"24-VII is like my second family," he said. "I enjoy it way too much ... There's just something that becomes home that I missed."
Even former students who've gone on to bigger things, like Kanemura, return to 24-VII on visits home to teach classes and see Pacleb. Kanemura calls his mentor "The Mastermind," and describes him as "one of the most generous, talented, loving, supportive and inspirational people" he knows.
"The first place they come when they come home is back here," said studio manager Connie Shigemoto, who volunteers to keep things running smoothly. "I'm amazed, too."
The family-like feeling of 24-VII is no accident; Pacleb has consciously fostered the type of environment where advanced dancers help beginning and intermediate students.
"I teach them to pay it forward, help the next person down the line, and be humble," he said.
Miss Hawaii 2007 Ashley Layfield and her sister Jonelle Layfield, Miss Hawaii USA 2008, are proteges. Both teach at 24-VII, and they're behind the HeartBeat dance program for people with mental disabilities.
Pacleb, who had to quit dancing because of a knee injury, is 24-VII's primary choreographer, but is reluctant to talk about himself or take credit for the studio's success. He took his first modern dance class at Leeward Community College at the late age of 18, and it was in that class — which relied solely on the rhythm of live percussion — that he discovered the power of dance.
"It was so raw and different, like learning a foreign language," he said. "I'm a shy person, so it helped me communicate. Emotion is so powerful, and it's OK to show it in dance.
"Dancing is about freedom. It saves our lives ... takes us to another place that gives us release."
Although shy about his own accomplishments, Pacleb beams with pride when he talks about his students. The 24-VII wall of fame, a collage of photographs in Pacleb's office, features dozens of former studio students who have made it big, including Pussycat Dolls dancer and movie stuntwoman Alicia Vela-Bailey, Horibe, Jackie Dowsett, a dancer for Cher and a Radio City Music Hall Rockette and Gil Duldulao, choreographer for Janet Jackson.
"We're still close; we'll never lose that bond," he said. "I always remind them where they're from ... and that it doesn't cost anything to stay humble."
