Heiva i Waimea

Get ready Hawaii. The annual Heiva i Waimea, presented and produced by the award-winning Tahitian dance group, Manutahi Tahiti, will once again be hosted by Waimea Valley on the North Shore of Oahu. With the registration packet just being released, dancers can now start registering for the competition.

This is the 5th year of the solo competition event. The event starts with a Tamarii Exhibition, and is followed by the Tamarii/Tamaroa solo competition and finally the Vahine/Tane solo competition. Activities begin at 9:30am and run through the day concluding with an awards ceremony. Soloists will be competing in various age groups and will dance 1-2 1/2 minutes in front of judges and audience.

Sarah Liva
2010 Overall Senior Soloist
Photo by David Shimabukuro

Dancers will need to show their abilities in basic steps, creativity and adaptability to various Tahitian drum beats. The vahine (women) may use various steps and styles including but not limited to: fa’arapu, tairi tamau, afata, varu, nu’u, fa’arapu eraro, and te’i. The tane (men) may use various steps and styles including but not limited to: Paoti, paoti eraro, ruru, faarapu, and afata.

One change that you will see this year is the expansion for the 22-27 age group so an even wider range of soloists can compete. In the past, the cutoff was age 21.

Being in such an inviting tropical botanical garden, it's expected that we'll see some amazing leis and headdresses that compliment the traditional soloist pareu.

Admission to the event is $10. Children 12 & under are $5 each. For more information, contact the event organizer, Pola Teriipaia at (808) 222-4346 / manutahidance@hotmail.com

For those of you who were there last year, here are the results:

Age 5-6 Tamahine
1 Jazzylyn Samuseva of Marania Haoragi
2 Kiana Aniya of HereTama Nui
3 Tiffany Alcos of HereTama Nui

Age 7-8 Tamahine
1 Nicole Graham of Tamatoa
2 Breeze-Makana Agpaoa of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
3 Malia Hokulani Pedro of HereTama Nui

Age 7-8 Tamaroa
1 Kaleb Poniatowski

Age 9-11 Tamahine
1 Vaekehu Parker of Marania Haoragi
2 Kasidy Taylor Vergara of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
3 Kavanoe Keahi of Na Kamalii O Ke Akua


Age 9-11 Tamaroa
1 Reecie Brown of Manutahi Orlando
2 Keoki McGowan of Manutahi Orlando

Age 12-14 Tamahine
1 Sarah Liva of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
2 Cailin-Tiana Sabado of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
3 Breyhanna Agpaoa of Pupu Ote Iti Ra

Age 12-14 Tamaroa
1 Kaiko Gouveia of HereTama Nui
2 Taleon Lele of Kalena's Polynesian Ohana

Age 15-17 Vahine
1 Joesalyn Aguindaldo of Te Vai Ura Nui
2 Naomi Baldomero of Te Vai Ura Nui
3 Angela Jeanell Cezar of Tiare Ura O Tahiti

Age 18-21 Vahine
1 Alexa Ashley Cezar of Tiare Ura O Tahiti
2 Burgundy Keriseano of Fiere De Tahiti
3 Kayleen Kamali'I Wahine Bradshaw of Fiere De Tahiti


Miss Heiva I Waimea 2010
Tiane Kong of Manutahi Orlando

Overall Junior Soloist
Reecie Brown of Manutahi Orlando

Overall Senior Soloist
Sarah Liva of Pupu Ote Iti Ra

Photos from last years' event are available on David Shimabukuro's website, 1 Moment in Time.