{"id":2237,"date":"2025-06-28T00:21:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T07:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/?p=2237"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:59:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:59:49","slug":"pacific-island-dance-class-presents-our-collective-ancestral-voices-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/28\/pacific-island-dance-class-presents-our-collective-ancestral-voices-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacific Island Dance Class Presents \u2018Our Collective Ancestral Voices\u2019 Event\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dressed in traditional Pacific Islander wear, Elaine Talamaivao crossed Memorial Chapel\u2019s center stage with a determined gait and warm smile to set the tone for the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlways remember where you come from,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talamaivao taught the Pacific Island Dance (DNCE 260) class that presented this production. It lasted from 5-7 p.m. on April 10, with the first hour dedicated to food and socializing in the space between the Memorial Chapel and Fine Arts building. DNCE 260 students served traditional Pacific Island dishes of spam musubi, kalua pork, katsu chicken and watermelon otai from Ono Hawaiian BBQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
DNCE 260 students serve Pacific Islander dishes during the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices production. The food was catered from Ono Hawaiian BBQ, which has several locations in California and Arizona.
Photo Credit: Karalee Vaughn, University of Redlands assistant director of Native Student Programs, Retention<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Talamaivao addresses those assembled for the April 10 “Our Collective Ancestral Voices” Production. Talamaivao, a Pacific Islander who came to America for college when she was 18 years old, is also the advisor for the Polynesian Voyagers of Redlands (PVR) student club.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marcus Miller<\/a>, an acclaimed drummer based out of LA, kicked off the second portion of the evening with handpan drumming as people made their way into Memorial Chapel for a series of performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Marcus Miller plays a handpan drum to signal the start of the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices performances. A member of the idiophone instrument family, these domed metallic drums<\/a> are inlaid with indents that produce deep, hypnotic sounds.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pepehas<\/a>, traditional M\u0101ori introductions that connect individuals to their earthen surroundings, were interspersed throughout the production by four DNCE 260 groups of earth, wind, fire and water. When it came their turn, each group would introduce themselves by their native surroundings: maunga (mountain), awa (body of water), iwi (tribe, or family), hap\u016b (subtribe, such as Greek life or team), and ingoa (name). Introductions through such a macro- to micro- fashion, Talamaivao said, reminds people that they\u2019re part of a bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn our culture, we don\u2019t introduce ourselves first,\u201d she said. \u201cWe introduce where we come from and our families first, so it makes it more of a collective introduction rather than just yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
DNCE 260 student Willow Heim \u201827 gives a pepeha during the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices event. This M\u0101ori introduction illustrated the diversity of Bulldog origins, with students mentioning natural features like the Pacific Ocean and Disneyland\u2019s Space Mountain.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The students showcased traditional New Zealand, Hawaiian and Tahitian performances. First was the M\u0101ori<\/a> Haka which, Talamaivao explained, is a ceremonial performance used to express collective pride and strength. In accordance with M\u0101ori customs, this Haka was followed by a song. Students sang T\u014dku reo<\/em>, which translates to \u201cMy language.\u201d Talamaivao said this song went viral about two years prior because of conflicts related to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi<\/em><\/a> <\/em>(Treaty of Waitangi), the founding agreement signed in 1840 between M\u0101ori chiefs and the British Crown. As Talamaivao explained, protests<\/a> arose when New Zealand\u2019s Prime Minister attempted to diminish M\u0101ori access to healthcare and education, as well as remove the M\u0101ori language from being taught in schools. T\u014dku reo<\/em> expresses the importance of resistance and individualism jeopardized by such actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
DNCE 260 students perform a Haka during the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices production. The Haka has gained attention as a source of pregame intimidation<\/a> by the New Zealand Rugby team, whose first performance was during a 1888-89 tour of Britain and Australia.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where you go,\u201d Talamaivao said. \u201cYou will always find your voice to be yours and your breath to be yours. That is your connection back to your homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DNCE 260 then transitioned to the Hawaiian portion of the night, with Hula Kahiko and Hula \u2018Auana. The Hula Kahiko honors King David Kalakaua<\/a> for his revival of the hula during the missionary colonization of Hawaii, while the Hula \u2018Auana represents natural elements in a more modern style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendees got to try their own hand – and hips – at Hawaiian hulas as the DNCE 260 students invited them onto the stage to learn three moves: the sideways stepping Kaholo, the forward and backward stepping Hele and the Ami hip swivel. Smiles and laughter abounded during this segment, as the individuals enjoyed partaking in the Hawaiian \u2018hang loose\u2019 style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such involvement and enthusiasm, DNCE 260 student Robert Hernandez \u201829 said, was his highlight of the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe really thought that [the crowd] was going to be quiet, just observing, like how usual performances go,” He said, “But no! Everyone in the crowd was so into it and really enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Attendees join DNCE 260 students on stage during the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices production. Talamaivao, front right, explained each of the three hula movements before joining her class in demonstrating them. Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After the audience members returned to their seats, Ji Dooley \u201826 presented a poem he wrote about identity. Talamaivao said she asked Dooley to participate in this event because of the close bond they had developed \u2013 having met during the Summer Bridge program of Dooley\u2019s freshman year \u2013 and his spoken word talents. They first collaborated for the 2024 Junteenth celebration, where Dooley performed a dance and spoken word. When Talamaivao began planning for Our Collective Ancestral Voices, she knew she wanted to invite Dooley again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted him to have a place on that stage to share who he was,\u201d Talamaivao said. \u201cPart of that intentionality, too, was to really have him, and students like him, stand in their full glory and talk proudly about who they are, where they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dooley rhythmically delivered his powerful poem, two segments of which are included below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

My identity: separated by different aspects of my life <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My identity: Pulling me Left and Right <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My identity: Triggering Fight or Flight <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My identity: distinguishing black from white<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MY Identity is Priceless<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can never be remade, replaced, or recreated <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can only be remembered <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it starts with giving me a choice<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Following Dooley\u2019s poem, DNCE 260 students transitioned to the Tahitian portion of the program with the fast-paced Tahitian \u2018\u014cte\u2019a<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter Haka, which is really intense, after Hula, which is really grounding and soft, everyone loved the Tahaitian,\u201d Talamaivao said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the Tahaitian \u2018\u014cte\u2019a, several individuals showcased their heritage, starting with the incoming Asian Student Association President Chi Luu \u201826 playing a Vietnamese Dan Nguyet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The incoming Asian Student Association President Chi Luu \u201826 plays a Vietnamese Dan Nguyet at the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices event. Also known as the Vietnamese moon lute, the round body of this instrument symbolizes the moon. 
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next was the PVR President Elenoa Fifita \u201826 and her boyfriend Tevita Mo\u2019ui he Ofa Feaomoeata \u201826 interpreting the meaning of a supplemental song through movements as part of a Tongan Tau’olunga<\/a>. This was followed by a traditional Tongan song with guitar accompaniment by Tevita Mo\u2019ui he Ofa Feaomoeata. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fifita \u201826 and her boyfriend Mo\u2019ui he Ofa Feaomoeata \u201826 perform a Tongan Tau’olunga during the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices production. Attendees stuck money to Fifita\u2019s oiled skin while she performed the Tau’olunga, per the Tongan custom.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The last performance of the night, the sacred Samoan Tau’olunga, was given by Talamaivao. This was done to honor the Talamaivao family, which Talamaivao said is renowned for its strong ties to traditional Samoan customs and leadership. The Tau’olunga is typically performed by the taupou <\/em>(chief\u2019s daughter) or manaia<\/em> (chief\u2019s son) and signals the end of performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Our Collective Ancestral Voices event concluded the same way each DNCE 260 class ended, with a \u2018close-out dance circle.\u2019 One by one, students danced their way across the circle to exchange with another student until everyone had had the chance to have some fun. This dance circle, Talamaivao said, was her favorite part of the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fifita and Talamaivo join DNCE 260 in a dance circle to end the April 10 Our Collective Ancestral Voices production. DNCE 260 students Hernandez and Spires said this activity, which concluded each DNCE 260 class, was a highlight of the course and April 10 production.
Photo Credit: Kiera Beyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou got to see them just let go. You got to see them just dance and be goofy and be them,\u201d Talamaivao said. \u201cI think that will be a memorable moment for all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talamaivao wanted to thank their community partners for helping make this evening possible: Redlands Student Government, Office of Inclusion and Community, PVR, Native Student Programs, Instructional Technology Systems and Admissions. She said this production exceeded her expectations, and for the 33 years that she has been putting on cultural performances, it is among her top three. And such a statement is not to be taken lightly, as Talamaivao has performed on stages from Europe to Asia to the South Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were able to put together a show-stopping event that brought love, that brought unity at a time when our nation \u2013 and world \u2013 is very much divided,\u201d Talamaivao said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 2025 Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to ASA as “Asian Student Alliance” and has since been corrected<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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