Kapa‘a Beach Park will be the site for the Heiva I Kaua‘i 2007, two days of Tahitian dance competitions, group drumming, solo and group dances. Gates to the heiva open at 9 a.m. and competition for the Tahitian dance will
Kapa‘a Beach Park will be the site for the Heiva I Kaua‘i 2007, two days of Tahitian dance competitions, group drumming, solo and group dances.
Gates to the heiva open at 9 a.m. and competition for the Tahitian dance will start at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Events will be interspersed with performances from guest artists including Teva Nui of Huahine, Poa Here of Hilo, Tamarii A Hiwa of Laie, O‘ahu, and Tamatea Nui of Lanai.
Competition events include solo for Ote‘a vahine and tane for junior, senior and master divisions. Group competition categories include Ote‘a, Aparima, Ahuroa and drumming in both traditional and contemporary styles.
Admission to the heiva is $5 and patrons are able to enjoy the competition, exhibitions as well as shop in the craft area that will feature Kaua‘i crafts and vendors as well as a variety of items from south and western Pacific Islands.
Local style food will also be available.
In addition to the dance competition and exhibitions, special workshops on Tahitian drumming and dance will be available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday.
This year’s heiva is dedicated to the memory of David Kaneholani, who heiva organizers describe as a can-do person who at one time or another did everything from parking cars to running errands.
Kaneholani, who died on Nov. 16, 2006, was the jack of all trades, said Stella Miyoshi in a press release.
“He helped pick up tents, set up, brought his own two sinks for the food booths, and at the end of the event, he was taking down the tents, returning them to their respective owners, and was the last one to leave the premises,” Miyoshi said according to the release. “He made sure the place was in tip top condition before leaving.”
Miyoshi said that during the six years the heiva has been held, Kaneholani would go out to catch akule to feed the judges and volunteers.
“David was a terrific chef,” Miyoshi said. “He did all the food preparation for the two days of our event, going so far as to make breakfast for the heiva volunteers.”
Miyoshi said illness kept him away from the heiva last year.
Hospitalized on O‘ahu, as the date of the heiva approached, he called his sister Olinda Higashi, one of the heiva organizers, and said he wanted to come home because he was worried about feeding the judges and volunteers.
For more information on the heiva, call 822-9447, or visit the Web site www.tikiripolynesianinstruments.com.
