UH Hilo dance students selected to perform at national festival in Washington, D.C.
The group competed at a recent regional dance conference in Wyoming where they received a standing ovation, high praise, and were selected to perform at national festival.
By Susan Enright.
A group of dance students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has been selected to perform at the 2025 American College Dance Association’s national festival in Washington, D.C., in May. The Hiloverse Dance Crew competed at the 2025 ACDA’s High-Desert Conference at the University of Wyoming, March 26-29, where they received a standing ovation, high praise, and were selected to perform at the D.C. festival.
The UH Hilo piece was one of only three dance works chosen out of 40 from various universities and colleges. 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.
“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,” says Kea Kapahua, UH Hilo dance instructor at the performing arts department and choreographer of the selected performance Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū.
The 16 student dancers in the group are 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.
At the conference, students participated on a daily basis in multiple dance classes where they experienced a variety of styles of dance and learned from many dance educators and artists from around the country. There were many different colleges and universities from the mountain states in attendance and approximately 500 student participants for the duration of the conference.
Kapahua says it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UH Hilo to go to the national festival in D.C. as the opportunity only happens once every two years. “There were approximately 440 dances throughout the 11 ACDA regional conferences,” she explains. “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.”
The regional conference
The students performed in two dance pieces during one of four adjudicated concerts at the Wyoming conference. Adjudicated performances are judged, but with a strong instructional component with constructive criticism during the evaluation process.
The UH Hilo group performed in both a student choreographed work titled The Last ʻŌʻō and the faculty choreographed work titled Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū. After the final adjudication feedback session, Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū was selected to be performed at the end-of-conference gala concert. From the 12 dance pieces chosen from 10 different colleges for the gala concert, three pieces (including UH Hilo’s) were selected to be presented at the national festival in May alongside 29 additional pieces from the 10 other regional conferences.
Kapahua says the adjudicators of the conference performance were Mike Esperanza, an acclaimed graphic design artist and New York City choreographer; Sidra Bell, an internationally acclaimed choreographer; and Leah Cox, a renowned dance artist and educator who is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
The performance of Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū received exceptionally favorable feedback from all three panel members with words describing the dance ensemble as welcoming, beautiful, expressive, and giving a performance with virtuosity; one adjudicator said “the dancers felt like a tightly connected community.” According to the adjudicators’ statement, the UH Hilo dance piece was selected “for its graceful invitation to honor ancestry through a stunning ensemble performance.”
Honoring ancestry through a stunning ensemble performance
Kapahua says she created Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimū as a tribute to her ʻohana as her family is from that area of Moku O Keawe, specifically Mokuhulu.
“My intent was to capture the feeling of a moment in time of a people group, in a special place,” she says. “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,” says Kapahua. “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.”
“Another concept I also wanted to communicate is that we Hawaiians are a voyaging people and, as my Aunty Kapali has said repeatedly, ʻWe were survivors,’” Kapahua says.
“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,” Kapahua notes.
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,” Kapahua says.
In their own words: A “transformative experience” for the students
The student dancers share their thoughts about the conference experience:
Misty Cruden:
“From being a dancer from the age of 4, going to ACDA and Nationals is a dream come true. Performing on the stage in Wyoming was truly the highlight of my dance life and getting the opportunity to highlight and showcase the culture and history of Hawaiʻi will forever be engraved in my heart.
“I’m incredibly excited to attend Nationals to not only perform again, but to continue discovering my love for dance and grow into the dancer I know I’m meant to be.”
Milia Dela Cruz:
“Growing up, hula was my only connection to dance. 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.”
Melissa Durando:
“The ACDA conference was an amazing opportunity for me to put myself out there in the dance world in ways that I may not have before. It was challenging in all the best ways and I really enjoyed being able to try out different styles that I never would’ve otherwise had an opportunity to which I am grateful for.”
Melinda Eder:
“Going to ACDA was truly a transformative experience for me. The performance was a powerful moment that allowed me to represent a part of who I am but also deepened my bond with the people I danced with. The ACDA conference also stood out as I had the chance to take classes that expanded my perspective and introduced me to new techniques, while the people I met made me feel part of a larger dance community. Moving forward, I am hopeful to continue growing as a dancer and to keep fostering meaningful connections with others. Going to nationals is also important to me because being able to share our culture, to pass it down from generation to generation, is something I’ve always wanted to do. I want to share the story of our ‘āina and the lifestyle of our people.”
Cailin Gaume
“Going to nationals is important to me because it’s an opportunity to challenge myself and grow as a dancer. It was inspiring to see performances and learn from instructors and other amazing dancers at the ACDA conference. I hope to continue to learn and put myself out there, while building connections with my team and fellow dancers.”
Loreal Gonzales:
“Over the past few months, a group of students and their Kumu embarked on a journey that lead 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 down 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. I feel that the stories we shared in our piece are representative of the very real life many ʻohanas emulate today, a story of harmony, living off the land that God has given to us, and respecting its abundance with spirituality and gratefulness.
“It is overwhelming to also realize that for Hawaiʻi, a place where many cultures are represented, that Hawaiian culture seamlessly ties in so many other cultures. And that representation is seen among all the dancers in the pieces. I feel an immense pride not only for myself and the kupuna I belong to, but to the ancestors that each of the other dancers represent and their legacy’s that have now interwoven into Hawaiʻi’s history with this single act of dance and acceptance to the national conference.
“Kumu Kea has offered us an opportunity to reflect upon the lifestyles of our ancestors and it has filled me with so much gratitude that my kupuna come from cultivating love and acceptance with strong family values. I could not ask for a more passionate Kumu and her steadfast belief in me and my dance ʻohana. To be a part of her vision and purpose has been one of the greatest honors.”
Kira Okazaki:
“ACDA was my first experience dancing outside of Hilo and it was a great opportunity to expand my dance experience as well as become inspired by the amazing people around me. The most impactful part of the conference is ‘being a sponge’ and trying to soak up all of the knowledge that I can from both classes and performances.”
Jourdan Park:
“Getting to experience ACDA was more than just an opportunity to witness and participate in dance seminars. I am so beyond thankful for the bond I created with the other dancers who I accompanied on our trip – their minds, hearts, souls. Performing at Adjudication, Gala and now nationals means more than just putting on a show. I’m so proud to be able to share my culture and tell the story of not only my ancestors, but also the unique experiences we have had throughout our lives and during our trip.”
Hanna Pempengco:
“The classes offered at ACDA truly inspired me to explore what it means to dance within my body rather than for other people and to have fun with telling my story. By going to nationals we get to share the story of Hilo and the aloha spirit beyond our local community.”
Karissa Shimaoka:
“Performing at the Adjudication Concert and then at the Gala gave me such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and pride. I went into our first performance with the mindset that I was only dancing for myself and for my fellow dancers onstage, but hearing the audience’s reception to our piece reminded me of the true beauty of our culture and how powerful it is to be touching people’s lives in the way it did. We all went into the performance with the idea that we would leave everything out on the stage, and the audience understood that, so seeing and hearing their support for us has truly changed my perspective on performing.”
To national festival in May!
The UH Hilo students will perform twice at Georgetown University’s Gonda Theater during the D.C. dance festival in May.
“This opportunity not only gives a glimpse into Hawai’i in a way that honors our ancestors, but it also offers tremendous visibility of UH Hilo to the rest of the nation,” says Kapahua. “It is definitely a prestigious award to be invited to showcase the depth of our culture and dance.”
“This experience has truly been transforming for our students, as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she adds. “The national festival happens once every two years and it is not guaranteed our university would be chosen again as venues and adjudicators change.”
Donations can be made at the group’s GoFundMe page to support their trip to D.C.
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories.
