The Pacific Islander Student Alliance (P.I.S.A.) here at UCR hosted their first annual Luau at the Barn on Thursday. Members of the P.I.S.A. had been practicing various dance and vocal performances since Fall quarter for this premier. President and founder of P.I.S.A. Geminelle Rollins chaired this event with the help of the rest of her alliance. Along with musical performances were different styles of Hawaiian dances and the crowd enjoyed them all.
Hostess Janelle Fejeran kept the crowd entertained throughout the night. In between performances she encouraged the crowd to participate in the different types of island greetings. A Samoan warrior call, the "Fau'umu," (pronounced "Chah hoo") was a greeting people yelled at the top of their lungs to cheer on every act that stepped on stage. Taking the audience on "a tour through the various islands [of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia]" as Fejeran said it, the show's first dance performance was a Hula performance from Maui, Hawaii. President Geminelle Rollins multi-tasked with keeping the show in order and making a couple of appearances throughout the Luau.
She was featured in a couple of performances given by dancers of P.I.S.A. Eight young ladies whose U-shape formation allowed everybody to be seen gave the first Hula performance to a Hawaiian song titled, "Sway It Hula Girl". Following their performance were six of the same dancers and Jorden Acfalle from San Diego. Both performances were done with bright, wide smiles and graceful hand gestures from the dancers. There was no doubt that they enjoy performing various Hula dances.
Moving on to the Island of Samoa, Fejeran introduced the two main types of dancing in the Samoan culture called Siva and Sasa. The forms of dancing are improvisational styles, in which people use their hands to tell a story. UCR students Mace Porotesano and Sonya Tuileso performed first to "Do It, Do It", an upbeat song by Samoan artists Pacific Soul. Following them was the Pacific Islander Club of San Bernardino's Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. Their dance instructor Francine Blacksher expressed how proud she was in these students. These students, from grades six through eight, came out to support P.I.S.A.'s first Luau by performing routines from the Samoan and Fijian culture.
Singing and music is just as important to the Hawaiian culture as dancing. Not only did this event have numerous dance performances, but singing was provided for entertainment as well. Geminelle Rollins opened the show with a Hawaiian song titled, "Malie's Song"-a song with lyrics like, "I can smile when it's raining," just sweet enough to make the crowd say, "Aw," when they heard them. She also closed the show with a performance titled "He Hawaii Au" to thank the guests for coming out to support the event. A three-piece band followed her and performed four songs from various artists. Emily Yoshinara, Scott Yoshimoto and Casey Nishizu make up this trio of "friends who like to sing," as Yoshinara described them. Some of the songs they performed were, "Can I Have This Dance", from hit movie "High School Musical", "Getting Stronger", by Adeaze, a South Pacific group, and "Drop Baby Drop" by Mana'o Company.
Dimming the lights and turning up the music was Student Organization Advisor and Orientation Assistant from Student Life Adam Daniels, who gave a glow-stringing performance. With these two strings with balls attached to the ends, Daniels spun them around at different paces, angles and directions to the beat of the music. Though the crowd was "Chah hoo'ing" and cheering the entire time, it wasn't until he got on his knees and bent backwards all while spinning these glow strings without dropping them that they stood up and clapped continuously.
Their colorful "pareos and e'as", also known as those comfortable bikini wraps, were essential to the effects of every performance, especially all of the Tahitian dancing.
"Tahitian dancing is what you'd say equals the 'booty' dancing," said Rollins when asked to elaborate on the dance style that so many people have come to be fascinated with.
The Tahitian dancing was a great way to end the event because many consider it the most entertaining style of Hawaiian dancing to watch and do.
The crowd agreed as more than half of them rushed to the stage as volunteers to learn how to do it.
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