Kauai Polynesian Festival on track for Memorial Day weekend

It's going to be very busy for Tahitian dance events come this Memorial Day weekend. Four events are taking place. Tahiti Taurua Nui I Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV), Tarena Tahiti and Te Arenui O Tahiti (San Bruno, CA), Heiva 'Ai 'Ai (Honolulu, HI), and the Kauai Polynesian Festival (Kapa'a, HI) are all taking place on that same weekend.

If you are heading to Kauai, the 4-day event will kick off with a Polynesian Grand Luau on May 27 at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, followed by the Festival on May 28-30 at the Vidinha Stadium soccer field featuring Tahitian, Maori, Samoan and Hawaiian entertainment, Polynesian arts and crafts, solo and group dance competitions, food booths, workshops, and much more.

Tickets may be purchased online at the event website or at the gate.

Established in 1994, the Kamanawa Foundation is a Kauai-based non-profit organization. Its mission is to preserve, promote and perpetuate the Native Hawaiian culture, including the language, social values, arts, crafts and music, primarily through the study of hula. The Kamanawa Foundation hosts three annual events that highlight hula and Polynesian performing arts including the Kauai Polynesian Festival, Holiday Hula Celebration, and Kauai Hula Exhibition. The Kamanawa Foundation is led by Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza, Kumu hula of Halau Na Hula o Kaohikukapulani.

More updates about this event and others coming shortly.

Kauai Polynesian Festival 2009 canceled

Letter from the Kauai Polynesian Festival:

Aloha friends and ohana,

It is with deep sadness that we announce that the Kauai Polynesian Festival 2009 has been cancelled due to loss of funding. For nearly one decade the Festival graced Kauai and entertained locals and visitors alike, all the while preserving our Hawaiian culture. While we will miss working with the performers from all over the world, we are grateful for the many years we were able to do such honorable work on behalf of the Kamanawa Foundation.

As we will strive to resume the festival in 2010, please mark your calendars and join us in the 9th Annual Kauai Polynesian Festival set for Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-30, 2010.

A hui hou (until we meet again),
Kapu Alquiza-Kinimaka
Event Organizer

Kauai Polynesian Festival honors

The 8th Annual Kauai Polynesian Festival took place in Lihue, Hawaii recently. Dance groups participated in not only Tahitian, but also Maori, Hawaiian and Samoan. Results for the Tahitian dance competition are listed below. Other results and information about the event are available on the Kauai Polynesian Festival official website. Event organizers also announced the dates for next years' event - May 21-24, 2009.

TAHITIAN GROUP OTEA
Junior Division
1. Te Hamata of Laie, HI
2. Tiare Ura O Tahiti of Kahuku, HI
3. Te Ea O Te Turama of Oahu, HI

Senior Division
1. Te Hamata of Laie, HI
2. Tiare Ura O Tahiti of Kahuku, HI

TAHITIAN GROUP OTEA BEST COSTUME:
Te Hamata of Laie, HI

TAHITIAN GROUP APARIMA
Junior Division
1. Te Ea O Te Turama of Oahu, HI

Senior Division
1. Te Hamata of Laie, HI

TAHITIAN GROUP APARIMA BEST COSTUME
Te Ea O Te Turama of Oahu, HI

TAHITIAN GROUP AHUPUROTU
Senior Division
1. Ka pa Hula O Pualani Puamelia
2. Te Hamata of Laie, HI
3. Te Ea O Te Turama of Oahu, HI

TAHITIAN DRUMMING COMPETITION:
1. Te Hamata of Laie, HI
2. Manutahi of Wahiawa, HI
3. Te Ea O Te Turama of Oahu, HI

2008 OVERALL TAHITIAN GROUP
1. Te Hamata of Laie, HI

ORI TAHITI SOLOISTS
Junior Division
Tane Ages 4-6
1. Qamdon Josue

Vahine Ages 4-6
1. Jeida Angelina Toilolo
2. Kaylee Tabangay
3. Leleaka Anakalea

Tane Ages 7-9
1. Troy Spacek

Vahine Ages 7-9
1. Tiare Naone Judd
2. Tehani Perkins
3. Dizhae Josue

Tane Ages 10-12
1. Jay Spacek
2. Zacchaus Uta
3. Tamatoa Uta

Vahine Ages 10-12
1. Maeleen Hopeau
2. Cami Keliinui
3. Sandy Hopeau

Senior Division
Tane Ages13-17
1. Moni Tiata
2. Emmsley James K. Drake
3. Rhansyn Leehong

Vahine Ages13-17
1. Chelsea Clement
2. Shayna Lei Soma
3. Lia Kaupoe

Tane Ages 18-21
1. James Taulog
2. Shane Galicia
3. Aaron Dung

Vahine Ages 18-21
1. Kauluwehiokekai Oliver
2. Cavalei Wilson
3. Kelcie Yoman

Tane Ages 22-25
1. Julian Maeva

Vahine Ages 22-25
1. Shaeja Lee
2. Leah Sausen

Tane Ages 26-30
1. Ambrose Aukustino

Vahine Ages 26-30
1. Pualani Avaeoru
2. Shannon Pauoli-Paraan
3. Alma Damo

Tane Ages 31-39
1. William Maycong

Vahine Ages 31-39
1. Belinda Miranda
2. Kehau Aina
3. Tasha Josue

Tane Ages 40 & Over
1. Gene Gabriel

Vahine Ages 40 & Over
1. Louse Sausen

TAHITIAN COUPLES COMPETITION
Junior Division
1. Tehani Perkins & Tamatoa Uta
2. Poerava Lee & Zacchaus Uta

Senior Division
1. Kirsten McCraken & Emmsley James Drake
2. Chelsea Clement & Kai Lee

OVERALL TANE & VAHINE POLYNESIA
2008 Tane Polynesia - Julian Maeva
2008 Vahine Polynesia - Kauluwehiokekai Oliver

Additional information can be found at the Kauai Polynesian Festival official website. Additional reporting at Kauai Garden Island News.

Kauai & Las Vegas Tahitian Dance Competitions

Ia Orana and the pulsating drums of Tahiti could be heard across the oceans and in the desert. Not one, but two Tahitian dance competitions occurred this past holiday weekend. In Kauai, the 7th Annual Kauai Polynesian Festival took the island by storm. Even the crafters got involved as evident from a news article in the local paper, Kauai - The Garden Island. The event is organized by the Kamanawa Foundation, and is led by Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza, Kumu hula of Halau Na Hula o Kaohikukapulani. Activities took place on the grounds of the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort.

On the mainland, in Las Vegas, Nevada, a second Tahitian dance competition brought crowd pleasing performances to the Cox Pavilion at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Photos of the solo, aparima, otea and ahuroa competitions can be found here.