Annual Children's Competition Celebrates Tahitian Culture and Music
La‘ie, HI – Colorful outfits of feathers and flowers, infectious drumming and some of the best moves in the Pacific were on display this weekend at the 7th Annual Te Mahana Hiro‘a O Tahiti at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The two-day celebration of Tahitian culture and dance began on Friday, when more than 170 solo competitors from ages 3 to 18 took the stage to vie for a spot in the finals on Saturday.
Saturday's events also included the group ote‘a and aparima competitions. The ‘ote‘a is the best-known Tahitian style of dance because of the fast, rhythmic movements and swishing Hau skirts made from the bark of the wild Hibiscus. The aparima, literally translated as "kiss of the hands," is a slower dance that uses the hands to tell a story similar to the Hawaiian hula. Dancers were judged in each category based on their skill, grace and, for the ‘ote‘a, speed.
Hometown La‘ie favorite Nonosina Hawai‘i, led by ra‘atira (teacher) Jon and Tiani Mariteragi, came out on top for both the ote‘a and aparima/ahupurotu categories in the taure‘are‘a (senior) division. Mililani's ‘Ote‘a Kia Mana swept the tamarii (junior) division winning both the ‘ote‘a and aparima/ahupurotu categories under the direction of ra‘atira Dennis Kia.
Individual honors went to Chelsea Clement of Te ‘e‘a ‘o Te Turama, who won the overall vahine, or female, solo dance award in the senior group as well as top honors in the 14 to 15 solo dance category. L.J. Mariteragi of Nonosina Hawai‘i won the overall senior tane, or male, solo dance competition and the 14 to 15 solo dance category.
Talamaniaia Sao of Te Hamata won the overall junior female solo dance award, as well as the 9 to 11 solo dance category. Nonosina's Ethan Magalei also took the top honors for the junior male solo dance category, and the 7 to 8-year old solo dance category. The young men of Nonosina Hawai‘i also dominated the solo competition garnering all but one of the top spots in each age category (see list of winners attached).
"This is our biggest year yet with more than 200 dancers participating," said Raymond Mariteragi, director of cultural presentations for the Tahitian village at the PCC. "It is a joy to see the youth perform and be so passionate about the Tahitian culture and to know that our heritage and culture will be carried on by the tamarii, or children. And it's especially exciting to see this festival grow so much to provide that opportunity for them to share."
Founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization, the PCC has entertained more than 33 million visitors while preserving and portraying the culture, arts, and crafts of Polynesia to the rest of the world. In addition, the PCC has provided financial assistance to 15,000 young people from more than 70 different countries while they have attended Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i. As a non-profit organization, all funds generated by the PCC are used for its daily operations and to support its cultural and educational missions.
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