the coryphée

A Maori woman chants in traditional regalia.

Native American dancers. Jingle Dress is a Native American Powwow dance performed by women. The regalia is elaborately ornamented; the metal cones create percussive sound as the dancer moves. From wikipedia: The traditional jingle dress dance is characterized by the jingle dress and light footwork danced close to ground. The dancer dances in a pattern, her feet never cross, nor does she dance backward or turn a complete circle. Compared to the original dance, the contemporary dance can be fancier, with intricate footwork and the dress design is often cut to accommodate these footwork maneuvers. Contemporary dancers do often cross their feet, turn full circles and dance backwards. Such moves exemplify the differences between contemporary and traditional jingle dress dancing.

Aztec dancer.

Haven’t posted in a long time; I’ve been pretty occupied.

From my recent Global Motion performance: the wahine in our kapa haka <3 We performed three different songs/choreographies!

Merrie Monarch, 2015

I just thought I’d put it out there that I have several performances coming up, with Santa Monica’s Global Motion Dance Company. It’s a world dance company, so it features dances from many different cultures (I’m performing in a Mandé dance from West Africa, an American cabaret belly dance piece, and a Maori haka). The haka is gonna be particularly amazing. :) If anyone is going to be in the Santa Monica area around the show dates, tickets can be purchased here. I’m also (probably) performing the haka at the Santa Monica Festival this saturday the 9th, at about 5pm, and that event is free... there will also be performances of hula kahiko and hula ‘auana by my Kumu hula’s school, and that starts at 3pm. :)

Merrie Monarch 2015: Miss Aloha Hula, 2nd runner up Noelani Dudoit.

a dance of the T’Boli people of southern Mindanao, at the 2015 Merrie Monarch Ho’ike.

A Pangalay performance at the 2015 Merrie Monarch Ho’ike. Pangalay is the traditional “fingernail” dance of the Tausūg people of the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah (in the Southern Philippines). Pangalay dancers must have great dexterity and flexibility in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists in particular. Scholars agree that Pangalay, which imitates of the movements of birds and fishes, either originated from the neighboring Samal or was a legacy of the Balinese.

Miss Aloha Hula 2015, 4th runner up 'Anela U'ilani Ruth Fusano Tanigawa. Her outfit is honestly something I’d just wear... like out in the world on a regular day...