If you know me, you probably know that I used to dance hula and otea (Hawaiian and Tahitian dance), but not many people who know me now know just how big a part of my life it used to be. Even before I started dancing as a kid, I was always around the Polynesian dance scene since my family is really involved in that community. Since birth, I have been to show after show, competition after competition, festival after festival. I was a bit of a late bloomer, in that I was way too shy to dance at first, until I finally gave in and joined in on the fun. From then on, I spent hours each week at practices, performing at gigs, and sometimes competing.
When I left for UCLA, I had to say goodbye to my dancing days since I would no longer be close enough. Not to mention, I no longer had the time to dedicate to dancing (in the hula/otea community, you are often expected to put it first before everything else). Now that I live in Sacramento again, I always get asked why I don't come back to dancing, but it's just not something I really want to make time for in my life anymore.
Which is why it was nice to relive the old performing days recently... My cousin, sister and I performed a family friend's birthday party at a local art studio. It was such a blast reminiscing old times. They picked me up, and just as we were walking out the door, they informed me that the van had no seats in the back, so I would have to "freestyle it" back there. And oh yeah, I had to climb in through the trunk too bahaha! It was so ridiculous, we couldn't stop laughing about me squatting in the back of the "gig van" with all the costumes and miscellaneous hula props. Ahhh gotta love family time.
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| "Gig Van" |
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| Me, "freestylin it" in the back |
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| In costume |
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