Concert Kicks Off Weekend of Hawaiian Cultural Celebration

Laie ­ January 5, 2004 - The legendary Aunty Genoa Keawe will join the Makaha Sons to help celebrate the Hawaiian culture at the Polynesian Cultural Center's E Luana Kakou III on Friday, January 21 starting at 7:45 p.m. in the Hale Aloha Theater. The weekend-long Hawaiian festival
culminates on Saturday, January 22 with the 14th annual Moanikeala Hula Festival debuting in its new month.

" We are thrilled that Aunty Genoa can join us for our Hawaiian cultural celebration," said Ellen Gay Dela Rosa, senior manager of special events and promotions at the PCC. "What better way to honor our host culture than a performance from a living Hawaiian treasure like Aunty Genoa?"

The festival is an annual tribute of song and dance in honor of the late Aunty Sally Wood Naluai, who was a renowned kumu hula from the PCC that did much to perpetuate the teaching of hula at the PCC. Wood Naluai was the PCC's first hula instructor when it opened in 1963 and continued until 1980,
after which she was a consultant until she passed away in 2000. Her niece, Sunday Mariteragi, initiated the keiki hula competition after years of teaching hula in Laie.

More than eight hula halau from across Oahu are scheduled to participate. The festival, which started more than 14 years ago, has grown to become a special gathering of hula enthusiasts sharing their craft.The weekend's festivities kick off at 7:45 p.m. on Friday with the concert in the Hale Aloha Theater. This is a repeat of the annual concert that has become a North Shore tradition since it began 3 years ago, but has become extra special with Aunty Genoa's performance. Then hula fills the stage of
the Pacific Theater starting at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning as the halau come together to showcase their unique styles and talents.Tickets are just $8.00 for adults, $6.00 for keiki (children) ages 3-11, and
PCC kamaŒaina annual pass holders get in free. Call 293-3333 for more information or to book reservations. Visit www.Polynesia.com to learn more about what's new at the PCC.

Founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization, the PCC has entertained more than 31 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 14,000 young people from over 70 different
countries while they attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. As a non-profit organization, 100 percent of PCC's revenue is used for daily operations and to support education.