The Honolulu Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. Fifteen years is a long time. One of the differences since the inception of the Honolulu Festival is the fact that it has grown in the number of Pan Pacific group participants other than from Japan. The Pan Pacific performances this year represented a variety of regions such as Australia, the Philippines, Korea, Alaska and Hawaii.
Let's talk about Alaska and Hawaii first, the 49th and 50th states of America. This was the first time for any group from Alaska to participate in our Festival. Did you know that there are over 20 indigenous languages that are spoken in Alaska? The Alaska Native Heritage Center Dancers, a group of young Native adults led by Loren Anderson, performed dances and songs in the indigenous languages of Alaska's cultures. Many of their hand movements resembled that of the Hawaiian hula. Stories were told about the animals that live in Alaska and the people's lifestyles to the beat of the drums. Their headdresses were made from the hair of wolverines and they used feather ornaments in their dances. The Alaska Native Heritage Center Dancers from Anchorage perform all over the United States to share their culture. It was a very enlightening learning experience for many of the spectators.
The uplifting music of Manoa DNA represented Hawaii's culture. The group is "all in the family" with Dad, Lloyd Kawakami, his two sons, Nick and Alex, and their buddy Mark. Auntie Pat Kawakami dances hula. This group has been on the scene for about three years now and they have been representing Hawaii in Japan as part of the Hawaii Tourism Japan campaign for the past two years. "Only in Hawaii" composed by Alex is the campaign song to lure visitors from Japan to Hawaii this year. Another popular song of theirs is Nada Sou Sou, a famous Okinawan song blended with Hawaiian. The Japanese audience loves it when Nick sings the Japanese part.
Other Hawaii performers included Dance Junction Hawaii and the Kawananakoa Chamber Orchestra. Dance Junction Hawaii is a group of young girls from elementary to high school showcasing a variety of dances from traditional to modern. Beautiful choreography including modern dance and hula mesmerized the audience. The group from Ibaraki called World Wings sat in the audience and cheered the girls on. How's that for international cultural exchange! The Kawananakoa Chamber Orchestra is comprised of intermediate students from Kawananakoa Middle School. So talented and so composed. They were able to create music magic with their string instruments. Awesome!
The dance group representing Korea is Chum-Sa-Rang (The Traditional Korean Dance Institute) and is based in Honolulu. The ladies' dance movements show such beauty and grace. It's as if they are flowing to the beat of the drums. Their costumes called hanbok are ornate and colorful. The dancers' smiles and costumes brighten up the stage. This was the third time for this group to participate in the Honolulu Festival. Let's hope that they come back next year!
The dance and music of Tahiti is unbelievably exciting and energetic. Tahiti Nui International, a cultural organization based in Hawaii, promotes the Tahitian culture by organizing the "Heiva I Honolulu" each year in March. The 7th Annual event that included dance competition, workshops and craft fair was held at the Waikiki Shell on March 12-14, 2009. This Heiva is one of the largest Tahitian dance competition held outside of Tahiti and includes participants from Hawaii, mainland U.S., Japan and Canada. Fortunately for the Honolulu Festival, this event coincided with ours. Tiare Heipua, an award winning Tahitian Dance Troupe from Ishikawa, Japan directed by Minako Heikapua Sabarsah, performed at the Honolulu Festival. Their drum dance called Otea was so magnetic that the audience was overjoyed by their performance. Interesting, don't you think? A Tahitian group from Japan! The love of any culture and the dedication to its preservation is universal.
Talk about great team effort. The Philippines were represented quite well this year. It was quite wonderful to see the Consul General of the Phillipines in Hawaii, Mr. Ariel Abadilla, at all the performances. He and his staff were also at the Hawaii Convention Center for the Friday morning KHON2 broadcast with Manolo Morales. Such strong support! We had two groups participate, Montessori de Cagayan and Kalayaan Philippine Dance Theatre/La Salle Filipiniana Dance Company. Montessori de Cagayan is a group of dancers between 9 and 11 years of age. They danced folk dances and modern hip hop. Their movements and expressions were so professional it was hard to believe that they were children. The Kalayaan Philippine Dance Theatre/ La Salle Filipiniana Dance Company danced in their beautiful costumes. The dances told stories about the period when Spain governed the islands as well as about their regular lifestyle such as fishing and using coconut shells. Quite a variety of dances, some very amusing. The local Filipino groups BIBAK Hawaii and the UHM Katipunan Club- Tekniqlingz Dance Crew also participated in the parade. It is nice to see the Filipino communities from the Philippines and Hawaii join together to share their culture and heritage with all of us at the Honolulu Festival.
The variety of Pan Pacific performances at the Honolulu Festival was phenomenal this year. We hope that the number of groups will continue to grow. Please look forward to the 16th Annual Honolulu Festival!
![Enjoy Sun, Surf and Aloha [ Hawaii Honolulu Festival ]](http://www.honolulufestival.com/eng/imgs/enjoyhi.gif)
![Volunteers! [ Hawaii Honolulu Festival ]](http://www.honolulufestival.com/eng/imgs/volunteers.gif)
![Participant's Voice! [ Hawaii Honolulu Festival ]](http://www.honolulufestival.com/eng/imgs/voice.gif)
![Press [ Hawaii Honolulu Festival ]](http://www.honolulufestival.com/eng/imgs/t_press.gif){kind=small}
Let's talk about Alaska and Hawaii first, the 49th and 50th states of America. This was the first time for any group from Alaska to participate in our Festival. Did you know that there are over 20 indigenous languages that are spoken in Alaska? The Alaska Native Heritage Center Dancers, a group of young Native adults led by Loren Anderson, performed dances and songs in the indigenous languages of Alaska's cultures. Many of their hand movements resembled that of the Hawaiian hula. Stories were told about the animals that live in Alaska and the people's lifestyles to the beat of the drums. Their headdresses were made from the hair of wolverines and they used feather ornaments in their dances. The Alaska Native Heritage Center Dancers from Anchorage perform all over the United States to share their culture. It was a very enlightening learning experience for many of the spectators. 
The uplifting music of Manoa DNA represented Hawaii's culture. The group is "all in the family" with Dad, Lloyd Kawakami, his two sons, Nick and Alex, and their buddy Mark. Auntie Pat Kawakami dances hula. This group has been on the scene for about three years now and they have been representing Hawaii in Japan as part of the Hawaii Tourism Japan campaign for the past two years. "Only in Hawaii" composed by Alex is the campaign song to lure visitors from Japan to Hawaii this year. Another popular song of theirs is Nada Sou Sou, a famous Okinawan song blended with Hawaiian. The Japanese audience loves it when Nick sings the Japanese part. 
Other Hawaii performers included Dance Junction Hawaii and the Kawananakoa Chamber Orchestra. Dance Junction Hawaii is a group of young girls from elementary to high school showcasing a variety of dances from traditional to modern. Beautiful choreography including modern dance and hula mesmerized the audience. The group from Ibaraki called World Wings sat in the audience and cheered the girls on. How's that for international cultural exchange! The Kawananakoa Chamber Orchestra is comprised of intermediate students from Kawananakoa Middle School. So talented and so composed. They were able to create music magic with their string instruments. Awesome!
The dance group representing Korea is Chum-Sa-Rang (The Traditional Korean Dance Institute) and is based in Honolulu. The ladies' dance movements show such beauty and grace. It's as if they are flowing to the beat of the drums. Their costumes called hanbok are ornate and colorful. The dancers' smiles and costumes brighten up the stage. This was the third time for this group to participate in the Honolulu Festival. Let's hope that they come back next year! 
The dance and music of Tahiti is unbelievably exciting and energetic. Tahiti Nui International, a cultural organization based in Hawaii, promotes the Tahitian culture by organizing the "Heiva I Honolulu" each year in March. The 7th Annual event that included dance competition, workshops and craft fair was held at the Waikiki Shell on March 12-14, 2009. This Heiva is one of the largest Tahitian dance competition held outside of Tahiti and includes participants from Hawaii, mainland U.S., Japan and Canada. Fortunately for the Honolulu Festival, this event coincided with ours. Tiare Heipua, an award winning Tahitian Dance Troupe from Ishikawa, Japan directed by Minako Heikapua Sabarsah, performed at the Honolulu Festival. Their drum dance called Otea was so magnetic that the audience was overjoyed by their performance. Interesting, don't you think? A Tahitian group from Japan! The love of any culture and the dedication to its preservation is universal.
Talk about great team effort. The Philippines were represented quite well this year. It was quite wonderful to see the Consul General of the Phillipines in Hawaii, Mr. Ariel Abadilla, at all the performances. He and his staff were also at the Hawaii Convention Center for the Friday morning KHON2 broadcast with Manolo Morales. Such strong support! We had two groups participate, Montessori de Cagayan and Kalayaan Philippine Dance Theatre/La Salle Filipiniana Dance Company. Montessori de Cagayan is a group of dancers between 9 and 11 years of age. They danced folk dances and modern hip hop. Their movements and expressions were so professional it was hard to believe that they were children. The Kalayaan Philippine Dance Theatre/ La Salle Filipiniana Dance Company danced in their beautiful costumes. The dances told stories about the period when Spain governed the islands as well as about their regular lifestyle such as fishing and using coconut shells. Quite a variety of dances, some very amusing. The local Filipino groups BIBAK Hawaii and the UHM Katipunan Club- Tekniqlingz Dance Crew also participated in the parade. It is nice to see the Filipino communities from the Philippines and Hawaii join together to share their culture and heritage with all of us at the Honolulu Festival. 
