Support UH Hilo Dancers' National Journey

On to Nationals!

Our recent trip to Laramie, Wyoming to attend the 2025 ACDA High-Desert Conference was an unparalleled success! Despite the challenges of jet lag and altitude sickness, our University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo dance students hit the ground running and made every moment count during their time in Laramie. Not only did they participate fully in the dance classes taught by faculty and professionals from all over the country, but they also gave their all during their adjudicated performances of the two dance works that UH Hilo presented at the conference.

The students’ piece The Last ʻOʻo received very positive and encouraging comments from the adjudicator panel during the adjudicator feedback session. One adjudicator said “the dancers felt like a tightly connected community.” The faculty piece Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimu received exceptionally favorable feedback from all three panel members with words describing the dance ensemble as welcoming, beautiful, expressive, and virtuosity.

Later that evening after the adjudicator feedback session, we received notice that Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimu and UH Hilo had been selected, out of 40 dance works presented at the conference for adjudication, to be the closing piece during the end-of-conference gala concert. From the 12 dance pieces chosen from 10 different colleges for the gala concert, 3 pieces would then be selected to be presented at the National Festival in May alongside 29 additional pieces from the 10 other regional conferences.

The wonderful works presented at the gala concert ranged from solos and duets to full ensemble pieces. While we knew from the exuberant reaction from the audience during the performance of Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimu the day before at the adjudicated concert, we also knew there were some incredibly strong works from the other colleges participating in the gala concert. Oh, the nerves!

Even before the dancers had reached their initial tableau on the darkened stage, the audience was already cheering for the ensemble and their costumes. Without exception, each dancer poured their hearts out throughout the performance for the audience, truly embodying the spirit of Aloha. With the power of the Kaimu waves, the dancers completed their last ebb receding into the fading light and the telling of their story. The audience erupted with applause as everyone rose for a standing ovation. Ultimately, it took the fade-to-black on stage to finally interrupt the connection that had been made between the dancers and the audience. Looking around the audience after the lights came up, it was challenging to find anyone who hadn't been affected by the piece and the students.

It wasn’t until the day after the closing of the conference that the announcement was to be made which of the 3 dance works selected from the High-Desert Conference were to be presented at the upcoming National Festival. More nerves! While waiting in the Laramie Regional Airport to find out how exactly we were going to return home to Hilo (our group of 20 volunteered to be bumped from our flight due to an overweight issue with the plane), we received the email alerting us that Hali’a Aloha No Kaimu had been selected along with 2 other pieces from the conference to be presented at the 2025 National College Dance Festival!! Everyone was so incredibly excited to finally find out!

With its selection, Hali’a Aloha No Kaimu, will be performed twice during the Festival at the Gonda Theatre in the Davis Performing Arts Center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Additionally, works selected for the National Festival will have the chance to be performed at the world-renowned Jacob’s Pillow Summer Dance Festival on August 6, in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

All Hands On Deck!

With such a quick turnaround from attending the High-Desert Conference to planning, funding, and rehearsing for the National Festival, we need your vital financial assistance to get our entire crew of 17 students to Washington, D.C. Through what can only be described as manna from Heaven, the entire expense for our airfare has been graciously covered with the travel credits we received from United Airlines because of our bumped flight in Laramie! The National Festival registration fees for 17 students has also been covered by the valued support of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Where Your Assistance Will Go

The Students

With your assistance, the following 17 dance students will be able to attend the 2025 National College Dance Festival this May:

Jordan Ancheta

Savannah Christensen

Misty Cruden

Amber Dahl

Milia Dela Cruz

Melissa Durando

Mindy Eder

Cailin Gaume

Loreal Gonzales

Kanon Hata

Fae Melendez

Kara Murphy

Kira Okazaki

Jourdan Park

Hanna Pempengco

Andre Reneau

Karissa Shimaoka

Thank you for your generosity!

We are truly thankful for your support through donating and/or sharing this GoFundMe so that we can help our UH Hilo dance students get to the National Festival!

Mahalo nui loa,

Kea Kapahua & Dave Bennett

P.S. We are also incredibly grateful for the amazing costumes designed built by our Costume Designer Lee Barnette-Dombroski as well as for her tireless logistical support. In addition to Lee, we would like to thank Mike Dombroski for all his support as our Technical Director and for his seemingly limitless theatrical knowledge. We also were blessed to have both Lee and Mike come along on the trip to Laramie as additional ‘Auntie and Uncle’ chaperones!