The University of Redlands’ Asian Student Alliance (ASA) organization held their fourth annual ASA Night Market on the evening of Feb. 22. A total of 11 countries were represented during the program, which included a street market near the North Quad and cultural performances inside Memorial Chapel.
One of the evening performances was a Hula Kahiko by the Pacific Island Dance (DNCE 260) class. This course is taught by Elaine Talamaivao, an adjunct faculty member and the Polynesian Voyagers of Redlands advisor. DNCE 260 is new to Redlands this year, and Talamaivao also said it is the first course of its kind in the continental United States.
For their ASA Night Market performance, DNCE 260 students presented a Hula Kahiko about King David Kalakaua, who is known for his revival of the hula during the missionary colonization of Hawaii. Talamaivao said she decided to give her students this opportunity to take pride in Pacific Islander culture, identity and heritage.
“We continue to represent small populations, but we’re here and we’re loud and proud,” she said.
Talamaivao’s class will host another event on April 10 entitled “Our Collective Ancestral Voices.” From 5-7 p.m. at Memorial Chapel, it will feature traditional Pacific Islander food, music and dances.
“This is an opportunity to intentionally showcase that we have these pockets of communities here, and we’re not going anywhere,” Talamaivao said, “This is our home as well.”
McKenzie Rose is a freshman at Redlands with interests in Environmental Studies and Journalism. She worked for the last three years as a freelance journalist with the Hermiston Herald, a newspaper near her hometown of Echo, Oregon. She is looking forward to covering the interesting, the exciting, and the intriguing happenings at the university for the Redlands Bulldog!
