DANCE COMPETITION CELEBRATES TAHITIAN CULTURE
BY CHELSEA JENSEN
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
Adorned in colorful and creative Tahitian-style headpieces and costumes, scores of people danced to the rhythm of toere, apahu and faatete drums Saturday in Kailua-Kona.
The sounds from the first-ever Te Ea o Te Turama’s Heiva I Hawaii Tahitian dance competition reverberated throughout town much the same way event coordinator Maile Lee Tavares said she hopes it will help spread knowledge and awareness of the Polynesian culture.
“This is our way of educating people, not only those coming to Hawaii, but those in the community, about Polynesian cultural education and the easiest way to do that is through singing and dancing,” said Tavares, who is the raatira, or leader, of the hula halau Te Ea o Te Turama. “If anything, I want everyone here to learn a little bit about Polynesian culture.”
Te Ea o Te Turama, which literally translates to “the pathway to enlightenment,” is a group aimed at perpetuating and preserving the culture, history and heritage of Polynesia, Tavares said.
Through the cultural practice of education, activities and presentations, the not-yet-nonprofit organization hopes to connect with families and individuals to bring greater cultural awareness, she said.
Hundreds of people of all ages gathered at Hawaii County’s Kekuaokalani Gymnasium in Kailua-Kona to take part in the group’s dance competition and Heiva I Hawaii, which translates as “Festival in Hawaii.” Similar festivals are held throughout the South Pacific, Hawaii and California, she said.
The free event continues at 9 a.m. today with competitions and a food and craft fair.
By experiencing the festival, Tavares hopes families and the community will find a point of connection and establish relationships. She also noted if one member of a family takes a liking to dancing, often siblings, parents and other family members will get involved in various ways.
“It really has a way of connecting generations and really bonds families,” she said. “It’s really neat, and interesting, that it starts with just one person in the family and then the wife is dancing, then the grandchildren are involved and then the father is playing ukulele.”
For Hilo resident Tina Kauwe, having her family take part in the competition is very special because it was Tahitian dance that brought her family even closer together just two years ago.
Her son, Tony, 9, accompanied his aunt one day to practice and has been hooked ever since — even getting his father, Duane Amaral, into playing the faatete, a Tahitian instrument that makes a snare drum-like sound. Tony was the only boy to compete in his age category during the competition.
“When his son started dancing, Duane did too because it was a family thing,” she said before noting she danced for a while with her family but eventually became too shy. “Tony started it, and he’s gotten everyone into it.”
Shawn Legaspie hopes the dance competition will become an annual event that the entire Big Island community can look forward to each year. Legaspie attended the event with his wife, who declined to be identified, son, Shaun Legaspie Jr., 4 months, and daughter and competitor, Brianhi Legaspie-Lea, 4.
“This is definitely needed,” he said. “It’s good to have something for the kids to work for and then compete (in) each year.”