Heiva I Hawaii returns to Kailua-Kona this weekend for three straight days of competition and festivities showcasing Tahitian dance and culture.
Celebrating its fifth year, the free community event will feature youth and adult beauty pageants; solo, couples and group competitions; and an arts and crafts market at Hawaii County’s Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, said Maile Tavares, founder and raatira (the leader) of Te Ea o Te Turama, which along with Fun to Jump Kona hosts the event.
It all gets underway this evening with the Mr. and Miss Heiva and Junior Mr. and Miss Heiva pageants showcasing adults and kids in Polynesian casual wear, talent and evening wear categories.
“We select someone to represent the event for the entire weekend,” said Tavares.
They also make appearances at events like parades throughout the year.
Last year’s Mr. and Miss Heiva I Hawaii were Brandon Borges of Toa Here Revue and Heirani Yoshida of Temana Rose Productions. Junior Mr. and Miss Heiva I Hawaii were Naone Lee-Tolentino of Te Ea O Te Turama and Kapuanalani Pilayo of Kia Ahi.
Saturday marks the first day of official competition with soloists, ranging in age from 2 to 40-plus, taking the spotlight starting at 10 a.m. Judging starts at age 5; there are 10 age groups.
The day will also feature couples competing in the couples category where two must dance in unison and complement each other in skill and style. Group presentations will begin Saturday and continue on Sunday.
Starting at 10 a.m., Saturday’s top soloists will compete for one of four crowns: tamahine (girls), tamaroa (boys), tane (men) and vahine (women). Group presentations will also continue and the event will conclude with an awards ceremony. Groups may compete in one or more of the following categories: Otea, Aparima, and Ahuroa.
On both Saturday and Sunday, the parking lot outside the gym will host Polynesian artisans and crafters, as well as vendors with grinds.
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.
Heiva I Hawaii is one way the group aims to do that.
The three-day festival and competition grew from an idea to provide a means for dance groups to compete locally rather than having to travel to other islands, Tavares said, noting that the Big Island did have a similar competition that had stopped.
“In order for us to be in competition, we’d have to pack all of our people up and pay $20,000,” she said. “It was costly — that’s a lot of Portuguese sausage and smoke meat to sell.”
So with a mission to “give the local kids from this island another opportunity to be in competition,” Tavares and Te Ea o Te Turama set out to create a local event. They started simply, creating a website with information that attracted 78 soloists and four groups, including one group from Honolulu.
“It was a good first year,” she said. This year, Tavares and event coordinator Christe Ching expect a good turn out from the Big Island’s four groups and several groups from Oahu that will participate in solo, couples and group events.
Unlike other Tahitian dance competitions that have went to a one-day format, Heiva I Hawaii remains a three-day showcase, said Tavares. She was unsure of the reasoning behind the change from tradition.
“We decided from the get-go that we’re going to commit to the three days. We’re going to do Mr. and Miss Heiva. We’re going to do the Saturday, and we’re going to do the Sunday. We’re going to stretch it out over the weekend,” she said.
It also remains free to attendees. Participating groups pay an entrance fee, which covers the cost of putting the event on, Tavares said.
“It’s to give back to the community and that’s why we don’t want to put a price tag,” she said. “We don’t want a family of 12 not to come because they have 12 kids and 12 times two is $24. We’d rather they spend that $24 at the food booths raising money for the King Kamehameha (Day) parade or a family who is selling smoke meat.” ■