By Jenna Beresheim Staff Writer
Students and Monmouth community members recently attended a trip through the Polynesian islands, eating authentic meals and watching traditional dances, all for under $20.
Saturday, May 16, Western’s Hawai’i club hosted their 9th Annual Lu’au, in tandem with the Nesian Club.
The Lu’au hosted over 20 dances ranging from Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa, and more. The evening started off with a dinner full of traditional foods such as Kalua pork, Poke, Mac Salad, and coconut cake.
Between rounds of dances, volunteers were called to the stage to participate in fun games, such as trying to pronounce Pidgin – an accent based off of English with its own Hawaiian flair.
“Performing at this year’s Lu’au was a really great experience for me, especially as a first year student,” Erica Sanchez, first year dance major, said. She choreographed three dances for this Lu’au.
Other choreographers were Kamaka Keawekane, Tolu Tafai, Nikki Ki, Tavae Sina, Melody Andrada, Kaua Kauahi-Daniels, Courtney Costa, and Gianne Pabustan.
“I feel that we did great, but the main thing is that we had fun,” said Tafatolu Naea, a junior pre-fire service administration student and president of the Nesian Club. “It’s always a pleasure to show others a taste of our Polynesian culture and dancing is a big part of it.”
Naea has participated in both Lu’aus the two years he has attended, saying that, “I’m glad we got to represent some of the different Pacific Islands such as Fiji, Aotearoa, Tahiti, Hawai’i, but especially my home land and the heart of the pacific islands, Samoa.”
The club’s energy and passion was showcased in smiling faces and powerful dancing, even with a few whooping “Cheehooos!” from the crowd and dancers alike.
“Shout out to a good friend Alyssa Carvahlo who’s a senior and in the Hawai’i club,” Naea added. “She played a huge role in putting the Lu’au together. You the one!”
This was the final year of Carvahlo’s participation as a Western student, as she will be graduating in a few weeks with the class of 2015. Carvahlo even created a dance as tribute to all of her friends and connections as a parting gift to the club.
