Ninth Annual Te Mahana Hiroa O Tahiti Festival

The Polynesian Cultural Center hosted their annual tamari'i dance competition, Te Mahana Hiroa O Tahiti this past weekend in Laie, Hawaii. Approximately 100 soloist dancers 18 years and younger competed in the solo event. Tamari'i (children) groups from Laie and Honolulu competed in aparima/ahuroa and otea events.

Overall soloist awards went to Amaya Joy Panajon of Pupu O Te Iti Ra and Nonosina Hawaii's Jordan Mariteragi took the top honors for the overall male dancer.

Additional reporting at the Honolulu Advertiser

Preliminary results are posted below:

Group Competition

Tamari'i Aparima/Ahupurotu
Age 3-11
1. Te Hamata

Age 12-18
1. Nonosina Hawaii
2. Te Hamata

Tamari'i Otea
Age 12-18
1. Nonosina Hawaii
2. Te Hamata
3. Marania Haoragi


Solo Competition

Overall Soloists
Vahine
Amaya Joy Panajon of Pupu O Te Iti Ra

Tane
Jordan Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii

Age 3-4 Tane
1. Shaun Niu of Te Hamata

Age 5-6 Vahine
1. Jazzylyn Samuseva of Marania Haoragi
2. Hiriei Toilolo of Te Hamata
3. Azeriah Coleman of Marania Haoragi

Age 5-6 Tane
1. Jason Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Ifalemi Lauaki of Nonosina Hawaii

Age 7-8 Vahine
1. Amaya Joy Panajon of Pupu O Te Iti Ra
2. Brielle Leiataua of Nonosina Hawaii
3. Teeya Lei of Nonosina Hawaii

Age 7-8 Tane
1. Teahu Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Mykle Keni of Nonosina Hawaii
3. Micah Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii

Age 9-11 Vahine
1. Chloe Pojas of Manutahi Tahiti
2. Kelene Tapusoa of Te Hamata
3. Shelby Tominaga of Marania Haoragi

Age 9-11 Tane
1. Jordan Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Teancum Kaitoku of Nonosina Hawaii
3. Ethan Magalei of Nonosina Hawaii

Age 12-13 Taure'are'a Vahine
1. Macy Panajon of Pupu O Te Iti Ra
2. Tylo Thompson of Nonosina Hawai'i
3. Sara Liva of Pupu Ote Iti Ra

Age 14-15 Taure'are'a Vahine
1. Jazmine Emerson of Nonosina Hawai'i
2. Shanelle Ramelb of Pupu O Te Iti Ra
3. Ciera Dutro of Pupu O Te Iti Ra

Age 16-18 Taure'are'a Vahine
1. Chelsea Clement of Te E'a O Te Turama
2. Kawahineha'aheo Oliver of Urahutia Productions
3. Kalei Onzuka of Maohi Nui

Tahitian tamarii dance competition in Laie

The Polynesian Cultural Center had it's annual tamari'i Tahitian dance competition - Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti over the July 4th weekend. Chelsea Clement of Te'e'a o te Turama repeated as overall winner for the girls and L.J. Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii won the boys overall title.

There were approximately 100 participants at the competition. No groups performed this year.

Results of the 2008 competition:

Overall winner — Taure’are’a (12-18)
Girls: Chelsea Clement (14-15) of Te'e'a o te Turama
Boys: L.J. Mariteragi (14-15) of Nonosina Hawaii

Overall winner — Tamari’i (3-11)
Girls: Shandy Hopeau (9-11) of Tiare Ura O Tahiti
Boys: Jordan Mariteragi (9-11) of Nonosina Hawaii

Taure’are’a Division
Girls (16-18)
1. Kei Akoi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Dayna Higa of Manutahi
3. Monique Orton of Nonosina Hawaii

Boys (16-18)
1. L.J. Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Cameron Howser of Pupu Ote Iti Ra

Girls (14-15)
1. Chelsea Clement of Te'e'a o te Turama
2. Angela-Jeanell Cezar of Tiare Ura O Tahiti
3. Shayna Lei Soma of Tiare Ura O Tahiti

Boys (14-15)
1. Joshua Sorensen of Nonosina Hawaii

Girls (12-13)
1. Jazmine Emerson of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Ashlen Kinilau of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
3. Shanelle Ramelb of Pupu Ote Iti Ra

Boys (12-13)
1. Kameron Ho Ching of Nonosina Hawaii

Tamari’i Division
Girls (9-11)
1. Shandy Hopeau of Tiare Ura O Tahiti
2. Macy S. Panajon of Pupu o te Iti Ra
3. Sabrina Parrish of Marania Haoragi

Boys (9-11)
1. Jordan Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Teancum Kaitoku of Nonosina Hawaii
3. Kaleb Ho Ching of Nonosina Hawaii

Girls (7-8)
1. Chaylyn Navares of Manutahi
2. Amaya Joy Panajon of Pupu Ote Iti Ra
3. Poliahu Aina of Te’e’a o te Turama

Boys (7-8)
1. Micah Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Troy Spacek
3. Tiloi Lolotai of Nonosina Hawaii

Girls (5-6)
1. Kanoe Navares of Manutahi
2. Kaylee Tabangay of Tiare Ura O Tahiti
3. Destiny Ramilo of Matarii Tahiti

Boys (5-6)
1. Teahu Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Teagan Kaitoku of Nonosina Hawaii
3. Kwinton Ho Ching of Nonosina Hawaii

Girls (3-4)
1. Keawaiki Jones of Marania Haoragi
2. Isabella Tran of Marania Haoragi
3. Nauya-Lei Furtado of Marania Haoragi

Boys (3-4)
1. Taliuli Vimahi of Nonosina Hawaii
2. Qamdon Josue of Te’e’a o te Turama

Tahiti Festival - Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti

The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) was a main sponsor at this year's Heiva i Honolulu at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu. Banners announced that this year's solo competition at PCC will be on July 5, 2008. This marks the last of this years summer events to firm up a date for for their events. Check out our event directory on our website, Black Pearl Designs, for all the events this year.

Te Mahana Hiro'a O Tahiti - Laie, Hawaii Tahitian Dance Competition

Contributed by guest writer Christian Wilson

The 7th Annual "Te Mahana Hiro'a O Tahiti" Tahitian Dance Competition was held at the Polynesian Cultural Center on July 6-7, 2007. Each year a traditional heiva is held in Papeete, Tahiti to celebrate the culture and traditions of dance and drumming. The PCC holds its annual Tahitian cultural celebration in honor of the celebration. The preliminary competition started at 7:30 pm in the Hale Aloha Theater with every single seat taken. If you arrived later, there was standing room only. There were over 175 contestants mostly from the Hawaiian Islands and some from the mainland as well. The quality of dancing, costuming and music seems to improve as each year goes by. Families and friends of the contestants seems to grow in number each year as well. There were several age categories for girls and boys between 2-18 years of age. All of the judges, Moanaura Teheiura, Jeanne Mou’a Larsen, Roiti Tahauri Sylva, and Etua Tahauri, were from Tahiti and have a total of over 100+ years Tahitian dance experience.

The second day of the competition took place in the Pacific Theater inside the Polynesian Cultural Center with over a thousand people in attendance. The event started with the top 5 finalists of each category competing for the top 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies. It took a while for all the finalists to be determined. After that, the overall best male and female dancers were selected. This process was extraordinarily long and had many awkward breaks that you would think would have been filled with other presentations. The delays could have been minimized if the musicians had an alternate place to set up their equipment while another group performed.

Saturday's events also included the group ote'a, aparima and ahuroa competitions. The ote'a is the best-known Tahitian style of dance because of the fast, rhythmic movements and swishing skirts. The aparima, literally translated as "kiss of the hands," is a slower dance that uses the hands to tell a story. The ahuroa, or "long dress" is a slower, graceful female dance which is performed with long colorful fitted dresses. Dancers were judged in each category based on their skill, grace and, for the ote'a, speed. "We started the event as a way to help preserve these aspects of Tahitian culture and heritage through the tamari'i, or children," said Raymond Marieteragi, director of cultural presentations for the Tahitian village at the PCC. "This really gives the children's pupu ra'atira ori Tahiti, or Tahitian dance instructors, an opportunity to highlight their young students as they compete and display their skills in the exciting art of 'Ori Tahiti' or Tahitian dance."

The costuming and choreography of all three groups was impressive. My only complaint being the stage set up for the musicians. With such a large stage and multiple areas to set up support and musicians, the "dead" air was very noticeable. Delays in events could be replaced by explanations of how judges determine the best choreography, authenticity of costuming, proper dancing elements, history of Heiva, drumming beats, what to look for in a good dancer. etc

Although there are only about 200 expatriate Tahitians that live in the State of Hawaii, you wouldn't be able to tell that from the overwhelming support that Tahitian dancers receive from fellow Polynesians living in Hawaii. Most Hawaiians treat Tahitians as cousins since their languages, customs and dancing styles are relatively similar and share the same heritage.

Nonosina Hawaii (Laie, HI) used a traditional lauhala leaf helmet in their otea in a very creative way that I had never seen before. It was interesting to see how the leaves flowed during the dancers' vigorous dance movements. The helmet looked similar to an Egyptian headress, but it is was very Tahitian at the same time.

I was very impressed with some of the younger dancers under 9-10 years old that have mastered complex motions that normally only adult professionals acquire only after years of practice. The dance competition gives the youth of the community not only some recognition for their dancing skills, but it also can give an opportunity to prospective employers such as the Polynesian Cultural Center to hire new dancers.

Entertainment companies such as Cirque du Soleil routinely visit PCC's annual Fire Knife Competition to scout for new talented dancers. Some of the dancers they have hired have done very well for themselves. I have known many Tahitian dancers who danced as elementary and high school students who easily passed dancing auditions because of the practice they had in Tahitian or Polynesian dance troupes. Once they passed their auditions, they were able to work as they went to college and their employment helped them pay for most or all of their college education. Their dancing experience can open other doors for opportunities as well. Many talent agencies are interested in Polynesian dancers and having that skill can make a difference.

It is exciting to see the growing interest in Tahitian dance from people from all over the world such as Japan, the mainland, South America and Europe. As interest in Tahitian dance grows, more people will be motivated to visit Tahiti so they can learn more about them.

Competition rating (4 out of 5 stars)
Organization rating (3 out of 5 stars)
Dancer energy rating (5 out of 5 stars)
Community support rating (5 out of 5 stars)

Though organization and management could vastly improve, the dancers themselves, with their enthusiasm and vibrant costuming made the event an enjoyable occasion.

Event Press Release
Event Photo Gallery

Trivia note: Original design of the event website was designed by Black Pearl Designs

Te Mahana Hiro'a O Tahiti

The Polynesian Cultural Center's seventh annual Te Mahana Hiro'a O Tahiti — Tahitian Culture Days festival, will be held:

Friday, July 6th, 7:30 pm in the Hale Aloha luau theater
Saturday, July 7th, 9:00 am in the Pacific Theater

PCC's Director of Islands and Tahitian event coordinator Raymond Mariteragi said the 2007 Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti dance competition will feature approximately 80 children in the only major event that focuses exclusively on young dancers, ages 3–18. "Many of these kids, some who come from the mainland U.S. and Hawaii's neighbor islands, wouldn't otherwise have a chance to compete. Most other heiva or performance competitions focus on adults."

Mariteragi added that last year's judge, Moanaura Teheiura — a well-known choreographer with the premier dance group O Tahiti E, a Heiva Tahiti judge, and a professor of Tahitian language at the university in Tahiti — will return this year as the chief judge for PCC's event. "Plus we'll have three or four local judges," he said.

Moanaura Teheiura, chief judge of the 2006 and 2007 competition, was also impressed with last year's performances. "That was my first time to this event, and the participants were great. As he addressed the crowd, he thanked all participants for paying "tribute to our great culture."

Mariteragi also announced that this year's competition — which has featured only solo dancers for several years — will include group competition on Saturday morning.

"The quality of dancing this year will probably be the best we've ever had," said Mariteragi. "All of these kids start learning at a very early age, so we expect the level of competition will be very high."

He also explained the solo competition consists of two major divisions: Tamari'i (ages 2-11) and Taure'are'a (ages 12-18). Tamari'i dancers are further divided into 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-11 categories; and the Taure'are'a into 12-13, 14-15 and 16-18 categories. The Group Mixed Otea competition is divided into ages 1-11 and 12-18 segments. Prizes will be awarded for each segment, as well as overall winners for each division.

"The sounds of the drums, together with the motions make Tahitian dancing very exciting," Mariteragi continued. "When your watching and hearing the beat, it's hard to just sit there without moving something — at least your hands or your feet."

He added that the PCC's Tahitian Islands will also present special cultural activities during the annual fête, including fruit carrying races (where the young men carry baskets of fruit on a pole across their shoulders), and fishing and spear throwing contests.

Updates for Tahitian Dance Events

Looking at the coming months we're starting to see increased activity and updates on Tahitian dance event websites. One of the biggest changes is a change in date for the Heiva International I Tahiti 2007, not to mention an official name for the event. The event will be held in Papeete Tahiti, on the week of July 23-28 at the To'ata arena, home of the Heiva I Tahiti. Because of a change in government leadership, a date change was necessary to accommodate the new agenda set forth by the new administration.

Information about the event, calendar, applications and other information about getting there are available on Tahiti Nui International's website. In the past, the organizers have produced the Heiva I Honolulu. This year however, it's taken all their efforts to organize the event in Tahiti and weren't able to hold the event in Honolulu. Event organizers have announced that the event will return in 2008 to Honolulu and possibly Tahiti as well.

This week also marks the beginning of the 2007 Heiva season. With Heiva being held in not one but two venues. First off is the Merced Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete. The Merced event is the longest running event in the US. The event runs from March 16-18, 2007 and the competition will be held at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Event activities include the Maeva Merced Pageant (Mr. and Miss Maeva Merced), solo and group competition in aparima, otea and ahuroa. The event will close with exhibitions by tamari'i (children). Go to their website for ticket information and assistance.

The 2007 Tamari'i Tahiti Fete is also happening this weekend. Taking place in Orlando, Florida, this is the second year of this event. The event highlights tamari'i (children) from 3-16 years old. More information is available on their website.

Another change in schedule is the Manutahi Tahiti event in Honolulu, Hawaii. Originally scheduled for April 27-28, 2007, this event has been moved to October. More details as they become available.

Lastly, July 6-7, 2007 are the confirmed dates for the Polynesian Cultural Center's Te Mahana Hiro'a o Tahiti competition.