Skillz Fiji, the fastest growing Musician on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Australia is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the Island of Rotuma in Fiji, who sings originals as well as Hit songs from literally all over the world. You'll find him either on acoustic guitar or ukulele with a loop station that adds bass, percussion, and whatever is available around him to add to the mix. 

EWC student Robin Caselli shares her fire spinning talent and her Italian New York City roots through this exciting performance!

Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau was established in 1986, in the rural town of Waimea on the Island of Hawaiʻi, by Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang, the hālau maintains the philosophy and the hula ku'i style of dance associated with hula master Maiki Aiu Lake. Since 1994, Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau has performed in over 40 cities across the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. In 2002, the hālau was relocated to the Island of Oʻahu and is located in the lower Punahou, Pawaʻa area. The school conducts 13 classes a week teaching children ages 5 to kupuna. The hālau accepts students three times a year, January, June and September. Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau is supported by its non-profit company Muʻolaulani – fostering programs to promote the art of hula. 

Punahele is a Kanaka Maoli Artist/Educator from Mākaha, Hawaiʻi. He stands against anything that is harmful to ʻāina (land/water). He is an award winning poet and Hip Hop practitioner that has been teaching community songwriting and poetry workshops to incarcerated and “at-risk” youths for over 10 years. Punahele’s work has been described as the soundtrack to Hawaiian struggles and frontlines, and he is dedicated to serving his family, culture and community, and building Indigenous solidarity in Oceania and beyond. In 2022, he recieved his BA in Ethnic Studies at UHM, and this spring he will graduate from UHM with a Masters in Education Administration. 

ʻIhilani Lasconia (Inalihi) is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi artist, organizer, and educator from Waimānalo Oʻahu. As an activist and transnational feminist, ‘Ihilani is a member of Af3irm Hawai‘i – a women-led organization centered on ending patriarchal violence through addressing colonization and imperialism. She is currently a student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa studying political science with the hopes of bringing indigenous knowledge to the forefront of our education system. As an artist, ‘Ihilani’s work is rooted in the geopolitical landscape of Hawai‘i and their experience being queer and native in the 21st century. In the 8x8 series, they are seen performing in the qa‘a - a traditional reception hall from Damascus. Inalihi uses this vibrant place of acceptance to reflect on what it can mean to transform and be transformed by time and space. 

Keiki Breaks is a nationally known dance program that strives to perpetuate and share Hip Hop's fundamental dance-form, breaking, with the local youth of Hawai’i. They are thrilled to develop in their students a creative vehicle for self-actualization through the virtues of discipline and hard work.  The importance of peace, love, unity, and having fun is ingrained in every class, performance, and event that the team produces. 

The UHM Balinese dance ensemble is a community-based ensemble led under the direction of Honolulu-based Balinese artist I Made Widana. This ensemble performs classical and traditional Balinese dance repertoire. 

4:18pm - South Asian Folkloric and Popular Songs 

 A diverse group of EWC students sharing music from South Asia. 

Saroj Pathak (Nepal) - Guitar

Achyut Adhikari (Nepal)- Vocal

Roshan Poudel (Nepal)- Lead Guitar

Benjamin Moseley (US)- Lead Guitar

Janitha Fernando (Srilanka) - Base Guitar

Prateek Kunwar (India)- Cajon

The UH Mānoa American Folk Ensemble is a brand new class in the Ethnomusicology program that plays Appalachian Old Time ballads and fiddle tunes. This ensemble is under the direction of Susan Jacob who first learned this genre from her grandparents who were well-known Old Time musicians in North Western Vermont. Old Time is a genre dating back to the 19th century which blends Anglo and Black American musical elements and would eventually evolve into the genres Bluegrass and Country and Western. If you are a musician who is interested in learning this style of music you can register for MUS 311M: Other Ensemble I, CRN code being 79386. 

We are a Samoan cultural club that also welcomes any race and ethnicity to join to learn about our Fa'a Samoa culture through performance, talk stories, and many more. Our mission is to allow our college students to Grow in our purpose with the community while staying intact with our culture and striving in academia. 

EWC student Janani Lakshmanan will share Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from her home state of Tamil Nadu, in India that celebrates a depiction of love. South Asian dance is usually presented as devotional in nature, but there is a long and storied tradition of love in the region that has been sustained through modern media.

The Halla Huhm Korean Dance Studio has a long history of over 70 years.  Halla Huhm came to Hawai'i in 1949 and in 1950 began to informally teach Korean dance.  Her first major concert was in 1953 and she continued to teach and educate the community about Korean culture through dance and music until her death in 1994.  She was the first person to be hired at the University of Hawai'i to teach Korean dance in 1960.  The current director, Mary Jo Freshley, took her first Korean dance class in 1962 at the University of Hawaii and then continued at the studio and began teaching there in 1974,  The studio has had  many concerts over the years and has performed for numerous events in the community as well as private birthday and wedding parties.  Most recently the Halla Huhm Studio was featured in the Asia-Pacific Dance Festival in August 2022.

WAP will present storytelling through dancing- a collection of dances from Tonga, Solomon Islands, Pohnpei (FSM), Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Rotuma-  the different islands represented by the Pacific students in the East West Center. Dancing has always been a form of expression in the Pacific and it was one of the ways we show our pride and connection to where we're from.Our dance will be a story and narration of migration of the Oceania people, long ago, before colonizers knew how to traverse the seas. It is a story of navigation, of cultural resilience and of community. A community within regionalism that is formed through the interconnections we have from this migration. Even in modern times, we still maintain this connection through the recognition of our ancestries and the ways we are similar while respecting the differences we each have. This is how we celebrate our cultures and sustain our communities within each other as Pacific Islanders and as Oceania, especially being far from home. 

EWC student, Jacob Algrim will perform the guqin, or traditional Chinese zither that he learned while living in southern China. He will share the piece, “Spring Morning at Jade Tower" as it is customary to play songs in accordance with nature and seasonal changes. 

Student group led by Asmita Pandey sharing folkoric and patriotic songs from Nepal.

EWC students Seoyoun and Yeseung will perform an energetic K-pop cover dance which  represents the cultural influence of Korea in the world.

Join Skillz Fiji for an interactive song and dance workshop to learn more about Rotuman culture and art forms! Participants will learn tautoga dancing, chanting and singing what is called a ‘hi tagtag’. Not to be missed!

Skillz Fiji, the fastest growing Musician on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Australia is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the Island of Rotuma in Fiji, who sings originals as well as Hit songs from literally all over the world. You'll find him either on acoustic guitar or ukulele with a loop station that adds bass, percussion, and whatever is available around him to add to the mix. 

Vilsoni Hereniko received his Ph.D. from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 1991. He moved soon after to the University of Hawai`i (UHManoa) where he taught Pacific literature and film. In 1997 he received the Elliot Cades writing award for his “significant body of work of exceptional quality.” In 2000 the UHManoa awarded him with a Presidential Citation for his teaching. In 2005 Cambridge University awarded him a Fellowship with Corpus Christi College. From 2008-July 2010 Hereniko was the Director of the Center for Pacific Islands at the School of Pacific and Asian Studies at UHManoa. From August 2010-July 2012 he was the Director of the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies at USP. 

EWC student Xinli Zhang will be singing a Beijing Opera piece called the “The National Quintessence of Chinese Culture”. 

With his acoustic guitar, Corwyn (AKA Coco) will be performing songs of travel. A student at the University of Hawaii and the EWC, Coco shows a passion in his performance and the festival is honored to have him be part of this festival. 

808 martial arts is a martial arts performance team composed of friends who share a passion for spreading cultures from all around the world through martial arts. The members of 808 martial arts train in various styles from all around the world which mainly include: wing chun, jeet kun do, karate, capoeira, tricking, boxing, and kickboxing. Through performing, 808 martial arts hopes to entertain and inspire others to find their passion in life.