Les Grands Ballets de Tahiti headed to Las Vegas

With their newest show "Maimiti," Les Grands Ballets de Tahiti, the award-winning and acclaimed dance troupe from Tahiti, will be coming to Las Vegas this fall. Steven Silulu and Kawai Silulu of Te Ata Ura, made the announcement that the famed group will be performing two shows on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89119). The first show will start at 4:30 pm., followed by a second performance at 7:30 pm. General seating is $40. Premier seating is $60.

In addition to the performances, workshops will be held on Sunday, August 9, 2009. For more information, purchasing tickets and details, contact Steven Silulu at (702) 686-5448 or email him at SNK@TEATAURA.COM

Kori Kori Tahiti Fete

We just received this new flyer from Ravahere Allred, producer of the Kori Kori Tahiti Fete. Dates have been set for this years event, November 14-15, 2009, and applications are now available online for downloading. The Las Vegas event is in its second year after finishing a very successful premier last November.

General admission is $10 (11 and up) and children 3-10 are $5. Tickets will also be available for purchase soon. For more information, visit the official website for details.

Heiva i Honolulu tickets on sale February 25

Tahiti Nui International has announced that general admission tickets will be going on sale February 25 for the 2009 Heiva i Honolulu. Tickets will be available at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center ticket box office, Ticketmaster Hawaii locations, ticketmaster.com, all Times Supermarkets and the BYU Hawaii ticket office.

General admission tickets will be $15 (11 yrs old and up), $10 (4-10 yrs old), and children 3 and under free admission.

Heiva i Honolulu will again be hosted at the historic Waikiki Shell in Honolulu from March 12-14, 2009. Activities will take place 4-9:30 pm each night. The solo competition will take place on Thursday, group competition will take place on Friday and Saturday.

Along with the announcement, new promotional materials featuring Savanna Alcosiba of Heretama Nui are now available on the website. She was a soloist award winner at last years event.

The heiva is taking place among a number of other festivities happening in Waikiki that weekend. It is presented in part by the Honolulu Festival.

Heiva i Maui sets 2009 date

Lolita Eugenio, producer of the Heiva i Maui, just announced the dates for 2009. Event activities will take place August 15-16, 2009 in Wailuku, Maui at the War Memorial Gymnasium. The dance competition will start on Saturday (2:00-9:30 pm) and continue on Sunday (10:00 am-5:00 pm)
Tahitian crafters and vendors will be open both days from 9:00 am til pau.

Heiva i Maui features both group and solo Tahitian dance performances. Last year Te Tiare Patitifa of Wailuku, Maui under the direction of Keoni Manuel and Lokelani's Rhythm of the Islands of Huntington Beach, California led by Roy Asuega and Kathy Asuega dominated the competition.

Group and solo registration, sponsorship and ticket information will be forthcoming shortly. For additional information, contact Lolita at (808) 250-0737 or email.

Tahiti Fete of San Jose canceled!

According to the Tahiti Fete of San Jose website, the 2009 event, which was recently scheduled will now not be occurring due to personal health reasons.

We have confirmed this development with Pua Tokumoto, producer of the event. We wish the best in a quick recovery.

Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete - Literary/Artistic Submissions

Letter from the Merced Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete

Ia Ora Na,

Greetings everyone, with the Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete underway we are looking for writers, artists, photographers, and poets to submit work for our event publication, which we have in recent years used as a way to publish work from the Polynesian community. Being published in this forum looks good on a university, grant, or fellowship application, and on query letters to other publishers. Our main goal, though, is to help nurture and display the creativity of the Polynesian spirit. It is our hope that this year, our 30th anniversary, we will have more submissions than ever before.

We encourage submissions spanning any genre, and there is no age range for contributors. Our only concern is that the work features Polynesia in some way. Attached to this e-mail are examples of works published in previous years. We have already begun soliciting submissions for this year, such as an essay from a graduate student of Art History entitled, "The Commodification of Aloha: How the Aloha Spirit is Sold to Tourists."

Please include with your submission your full name, personal picture (optional), halau association (if any) and your location. If you are submitting a photograph, include the location where you took the image. We are eager to receive work from our younger submitters, and we suggest you include your age, as it will be printed in the program, unless otherwise requested.

Deadline is March 10th, but please contact us as soon as possible of your intention to submit something so we can prepare space in the publication.

Maururu Roa,

Ka'ahele
(408) 627-9590

Pictures for the Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete

Letter from Becky Manandic, producer of the Merced Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete

Ia Ora Na,

As you know, our 30th Anniversary Fete is upon us. For a change of pace, this year we would like all of the pictures in our annual event publication to feature dancers and fetes from the past 29 years that we've been running. So we are asking everyone to go through their photo albums and e-mail us their favorite photos of themselves and friends for possible inclusion in the program.

E-mail all pictures to Ka'ahele at kikirainaprogram@gmail.com. We encourage people to start sending in photos now, as Ka'ahele is juggling his work with the program and graduate school so available time is a factor. If by any chance you cannot send your photo as an e-mail attachment and wish to use traditional mail, feel free to contact Ka'ahele at (408) 627-9590 for further arrangements.

If you are a Halau director, please forward this e-mail to your group.

Please include the year of the fete and names of the people in the photo, as both of these details will be included in the program.

Maururu Roa, Aunty Becky
Merced Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete

30th Anniversary Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete

The 30th Anniversary Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete will be held at the Merced County Fairgrounds. The longest existing, annually held, Tahitian Dance and Cultural Festival outside of French Polynesia will be on Friday, March 27th from 9am – 9pm, Saturday the 28th, from 9am – 9pm and on Sunday the 29th from 9am – 6pm.

Those who enjoy a rich experience in traditional culture and dance will be enthralled by Friday’s presentation of the Solo Dance Competition eliminations and Saturday’s finalist performances, ranging in ages of 4 through adult, beginners thru professional, both men’s and women’s categories. Friday’s event also includes the Maeva Merced Polynesian Pageant, where lovely ladies and handsome gentlemen compete for the prestigious title of Miss and Mr. Maeva Merced. During the pageant, the Ahuroa (more formal Aparima dance style) Competition will be judged, as well as the Masters solo category finals.

The Solo Dancer Finals will be held on Saturday as well as the Tamari’i (children) Groups and Group Drumming Competition, featuring the most accomplished Tahitian Drumming groups in our area.

On Sunday morning, First Place winners of the Professional Soloists will compete for the Overall Vahine and Tane “Best Dancer Awards”. Also, Couples in Costume will take the floor with their colorful regalia and exciting duets! The afternoon will wind up with the Amateur and Professional Groups demonstrating their proficiency in the marvelous ‘Ote’a drum dances and the lively Aparima of Tahiti Nui!

The very best Island Style FOOD will be available throughout the event as well as authentic flower and Polynesian Craft Booths for your shopping pleasure.

TICKET INFORMATION ! ! !
www.kikiraina.com
Age 13 thru Adult - $15 advanced sale $17 at the door
Child age 5 thru 12yrs - $10 advanced sale $12 at the door
3day pass, advanced sale only adult $36, Child $27

For more information, Call Pacifica at 209 726-1925 between 10am and 6pm, Mon thru Sat. Advance sale tickets may be purchased through March 25th. Tickets are limited.