Huakai: A Polynesian Adventure premiers April 20-21 at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel Ballroom. (Photo courtesy of Alohi Polynesian Dance Academy)

MEDIA RELEASE

“Huakai” means “trip, voyage, journey, mission, or procession.” “Huakai: A Polynesian Adventure” means the community has an opportunity to experience the world premier of a new hula theatre production, 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 20-21 at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

The premier is a scholarship benefit for the students of Alohi Polynesian Dance Academy (APDA).

Huakai is an adventure expressed in dance, created by Kumu Hula Lani Isaacs and shared by the APDA students. Fully-produced for the Hapuna Ballroom, with vivid costumes, live music and professional staging, the show will craft a story with hula from Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, rich in music, myth and emotion.

“E pulama na liko – ‘Treasure the Youth’ is our mission,” said Isaacs, a lifelong dancer, teacher, professional entertainer and choreographer. “We think of our Academy as ‘hula with a purpose,’ and that purpose is to honor and educate our young people, and to pass to them the traditional wisdom of our kupuna.”

Hula is the art of sharing from the heart and soul. Dancers, from a young age, study the intricacies of this indigenous art form, as well as the music, language and chant, crafting of musical instruments, costume and adornments — and the history and culture that embrace them.

With Huakai, Isaacs’ goal is to keep these traditions alive by artistically presenting the stories of our ancestors on a formal stage setting, where it rightfully belongs, as with other performing art disciplines.

Tickets are $20 Adults, $15 Students 13-24, $10 Keiki 6-12. Keiki under 6 are free. A limited number of VIP Sponsor Tables of ten are available for $250.

Tickets are available at Sleek to Chic Salon & Day Spa and Big Island Surf in Waimea, and may be purchased from APDA Halau members or at the door.

Food and beverages will be available for sale, as will craft items, Polynesian jewelry, hula implements and a Silent Auction.

For more information, call 887-0369, email: contactAlohiPDA@gmail.com or visit www.alohidanceacademy.com