Sixteen University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts dance students and two faculty members have been selected to perform at the 2025 American College Dance Association National College Dance Festival in Washington, D.C. May 2-4, 2025 following their recent participation in the 2025 ACDA High-Desert Regional Conference in Laramie, WY March 26-29. The UH Hilo piece was one of only three dance works chosen out of 40. This will be the first time UH Hilo performs at the National Festival; it was also the first time UH Hilo performed at any regional conference.
Hali’a Aloha No Kaimū is choreographed by UH Hilo Instructor of Dance Kea Kapahua with dancers Jordan Ancheta, Savannah Christensen, Misty Cruden, Amber Dahl, Milia Dela Cruz, Melinda Eder, Cailin Gaume, Loreal Gonzales, Kanon Hata, Fae Melendez, Kara Murphy, Kira Okazaki, Jourdan Park, Hanna Pempencgo, Andre Reneau, and Karissa Shimaoka. The adjudicator noted that Kapahua’s piece was selected “for its graceful invitation to honor ancestry through a stunning ensemble performance.”
“I created Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū as a tribute to my ʻohana as my family is from that area of Moku O Keawe, specifically Mokuhulu,” Kapahua explained. “My intent was to capture the feeling of a moment in time of a people group, in a special place. The piece speaks of our ancestors, and that we are not alone. We are the continuation of those who came before us, and eventually, we ourselves, will also become ancestors.
“I interviewed my 91-year-old Aunty Cecilia Kapali Torres-Kaiewe about her life growing up in the Kaimū and Kalapana areas,” she said. “I used a recording of her voice to help tell the story of the places and times she grew up in. The dancers performed with ʻili ʻili stones as they sang Mokuhulu. They also danced Aloha Kaimū and Hōlei that were part of the larger dance piece. David Bennett videoed and edited visual and audio recordings of the ocean at Kaimū. It was very important to me that the video of the ocean came specifically from that area, as that was the area we were representing.
“Another concept I also wanted to communicate is that we Hawaiians are a voyaging people and, as my Aunty Kapali has said repeatedly, ‘We were survivors,’” she added. “This dance work was truly a collaborative project; me as the choreographer, Lee Dombroski, UH Hilo’s Performing Arts Center Manager as the costume designer, Mike Dombroski as the lighting designer, David Bennett as the videographer and editor, and all of the UH Hilo students who chanted, sang and danced so beautifully, and brought this vision to life.”
Loreal Gonzales, one of the dancers, commented, “Over the past few months, a group of students and their Kumu embarked on a journey that led us to the American College Dance Association conference in Laramie. That huakaʻi is now a part of my legacy. Now, being chosen to perform at Nationals, is such an honor not only for my school, my community, and my home, but for my ʻohana who lived in Kalapana, the Kalehuloa/Sweezey family.
“The retelling and sharing of such a beautiful place, known to many as the Lost Hawaiian Village, was a place where my ancestors lived together, elbow-to-elbow with their neighbors, eating out of the same poi bowl. Everyone was family there and they all strived to hold on to simplistic ways of life, a legacy I am proud, honored and humbled to represent in a world that has moved on to modernized ways of life,” she added.
“Growing up, hula was my only connection to dance,” dancer Milia Dela Cruz said. “However, this past year opened my eyes to a new world of movement and expression. When I first learned about attending ACDA, I didn’t think much of it, but it turned out to be a transformative experience. Not only did I get to share my passion for hula in a meaningful way, but I also formed unexpected friendships and pushed beyond my comfort zone. This journey has fostered tremendous growth in my physical abilities, mental resilience, and spiritual connection to dance.”
“This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UH Hilo to go to the National Festival as the opportunity only happens once every two years,” Kapahua said. “There were approximately 440 dances throughout the 11 ACDA regional conferences. Only three dance works from each region were chosen to move on to the National Festival. It is an incredible honor for UH Hilo to be represented like this.
“I shared with my students when we were preparing to participate at the conference in Wyoming that the goal isn’t to compete; our main objective is to share our aloha and Hawaiian culture from our island home,” she noted.