Across from the Cafeteria is Counseling Services, an office students can look to for help regardless of their situation. Jerry Harris, the head of the Counseling Center and senior missionary from California, shared, “Coming into Counseling doesn’t mean that somebody is not strong or doesn’t have a testimony. It’s just a help. See it as if you have a pain in your knee, you go to the doctor and find out what’s wrong with it and how to get it healed faster. There are a lot of things students can work out on their own, but they’d probably work it out a lot faster and with a lot less pain by going to a counselor for help.” Harris continued explaining how students are welcome to come and receive assistance handling personal problems or issues. “There’s no stigma in here. We’ve had all kinds of students from every kind of place,” he said. Depression, anxiety, engagements, roommates, relationships, self-esteem, not feeling accepted and cultural shock are just a few examples of topics that can be addressed. Student Secretary Gwen Humble, a sophomore studying psychology from California, confirmed that anyone can profit from these services. “I honestly think everyone has problems that they’re dealing with and anyone would benefit from seeing a counselor,”said Humble. “I would say that everyone has to deal with their problems in different ways and that counseling is just one way that people can deal with the problems that they face,” Humble continued. “I think honestly that God expects us to do all that we can to improve and be better, and if seeing a counselor is what it takes, then why not? No one should be afraid to see a counselor. It’s a very welcoming place. The counselors are all nice.” All services are free to students and all meetings and appointments are confidential. In addition to one-on-one sessions, a variety of group services are offered as well. Here are the focus group programs offered this Summer term: The relationships group is for those who wish to maintain healthy relationships or make their relationships healthier. The group is open to those concerned about both romantic and non-romantic affiliations and can be attended by individuals or partners. The relaxation and stress group assists those hoping to better manage their stress by learning practical application techniques. The Beautiful Women’s group is described by Counselor Farina McCarthy-Stonex as “a safe place for women to get together and talk about issues that we face. Our goal is to help all women realize that they are beautiful and have great worth. It is a place of empowerment.”McCarthy-Stonex continued, “If you are lonely or in need of a friend, come to Beautiful Women. We will keep you company and be happy to introduce you to other women who will befriend you.” This Summer the group will be held on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the Counseling conference room. Light refreshments are served. A special outreach program will be held outside of the Counseling Services center on May 21 where students can come and be tested to learn more about their strengths. Sign up in the Counseling Services, located at McKay 181 to participate in the various services offered.Uploaded May 22, 2015

Starting Fall 2015, incoming freshman will be introduced to a new Religion curriculum focused on studying topics across the standard works rather than focusing on one book of scripture. These changes are not unique to BYU-Hawaii. They are also being implemented at BYU in Provo and BYU-Idaho. All students who are currently enrolled will not be required to change courses, but they may choose to adapt their classes to the new curriculum. Keith Lane, BYUH Religion Department chair, explained the new curriculum was revised “because we have a new generation of students. After a series of discussions among the heads of Religious Education at the BYUs and Institute across nearly two years, and in consultation with various brethren, it was agreed that a new curriculum was needed to meet the needs, experience, and interests of college-aged young adults.” In a CES devotional announcement on Nov. 2, 2014, Paul V. Johnson announced the changes by saying, “These new courses are intended to be cornerstones of your religious education experience. They are centered in the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, with a focus on the Savior, His doctrine, and significant events in Church history. As you study across all of the standard works, the scriptures will become woven together, helping you to develop greater gospel scholarship and more fully understand and appreciate each book of the standard works. These classes will build on your previous church and personal experiences with gospel study. They will assist you in applying gospel principles in ways that are relevant to your current circumstances.” Nesha Brown, a junior ICS major from Texas, said, “I think changes are a good thing and a change in the Religion program will hopefully make the classes more interesting and give a more rounded religious education.”This new curriculum consists of new classes such as REL 200, 225, 250, and 275. Hannah Liao, a senior communications major from Taiwan, said she is glad the changes will not affect her for graduation. However, she also said, “The new classes sound much more interesting. Maybe I’ll take one of them next semester.” Lane added about the new courses, “These need not, and are not intended to be taken in numerical order. But rather students are allowed and encouraged to take particular courses as they fit their schedules and their interests.” Lane said some anticipated benefits include, “A deeper understanding of the Gospel, the scriptures, Church history, belief and practice and the place of all these in their lives here and now. Greater capacity to read and think carefully about our beliefs and practices and issues we all may face, with an increased ability to explain those things to others—to be able to give a heart-felt and informed witness.” He continued, “Stronger faith in, testimony of, and knowledge of Jesus Christ, His Gospel, and His Church. The privilege and opportunity to study and talk about the gospel in depth with other students from a variety of backgrounds, who are likewise striving to know and understand and live lives of true discipleship.” As this will affect Religion professors and their curriculums, Lane said the change is rather dramatic. He said, “Virtually all will be teaching new courses. This takes time and effort and innovative thinking. It will also take lots of inspiration if it’s to be done right. We will learn by experience what works well and what doesn’t as we start teaching these courses.” Lane explained they will continue to teach some “old” courses, but overall BYUH Religion professors are excited to be doing this.Uploaded May 22, 2015

The Hula Preservation Society, the BYU-Hawaii Joseph F. Smith Library and the University Archives honored great hula masters with a hula performance for students and the community on Tuesday, May 5. Digital footage of five award ceremonies from the 1980s of “Na Makua Mahaloia: Cultural Greats of the 20th Century” were shown. Maile Loo, executive director of the HPS, said the audience watched recordings of the performance and got “a little glimpse into the magic that was Na Makua. They also learned why it was worth all this effort and time of raising money and working on it over the course of years and why it’s irreplaceable.” The organizations’ goals are to gain awareness for the project that has been in the works for years. The audiovisual footage has been restored and repaired by the Archives and then digitized with the help of BYUH alumni Dr. Ishmael Stagner and HPS so it could be available for the public. The footage shown at the presentation is still available at the University Archives and at the HPS in Kaneohe. The BYUH University Archives is open regular hours while the HPS is open in Kaneohe onlyby appointment. In 1980, Stagner noticed hula dancers and masters were growing old and disappearing without recognition. Stagner grew up surrounded by hula and talented people, his mother being a kumu hula. He created Na Makua Mahaloia in 1980 to honor hula masters for the work they had done in contributing to the Hawaiian culture. The first performance was three-and-a-half hours long and filled with awards, hula, and singing. A Ke Alaka‘i article of the time wrote, “It was a family reunion, with love showered in every direction, tears flowing freely and the Hawaiian mother-tongue blending all into a cultural and artistic unity that became a wholeness, a completeness.” The performance became popular and continued to honor others for another five shows until 1989. The events were filmed and stored in the University Archives for 30 years until Dr. Stagner approached it with a proposal to digitize them and make them public. The work was able to go faster and gain a broader audience thanks to the HPS, according to Matt Kester, the archivist on campus. “The Hula Preservation Society is literally the ultimate partner for us. They’re great to work with, nice people and have a fantastic network of individuals. It would have been great if we had just digitized everything ourselves and put it on our website, but it wouldn’t have been able to reach as many people and the right people – the people who are going to be interested and really going to use the collection.” Loo said,“When we first learned about this Na Makua Collection from the late Dr. Ishmael Stagner, we were just blown away. The people he honored were the teachers a generation or two before the ones we’ve been interviewing because we do oral histories with hula elders. It’s invaluable because it doesn’t exist anywhere else. Culturally and historically, everything that is imparted over the course of these five concerts is just a treasure.” Representatives of HPS and the Archives say they want to build a website open to the public with the audiovisual footage and photos they have gathered together. “It’s not so much about us. It’s about the production,” said Loo. “It’s going to continue to just deteriorate if nothing is done about it. We’re still working on it. Still hustling, still getting our applications, proposals and things of all levels to make it happen.” “It’s very rewarding because I know how I felt when I saw it and I want other people to experience that,” said Loo, reminiscing on her experience working on the project. “I could see two generations back on stage, dancing family songs. They’re not just names in a book or names in someone’s genealogy. They’re alive, doing their thing and being celebrated in this twilight time of their lives, which is a very special thing to do.” Keau George, a collections manager at the HPS, said working on the project was “very humbling and I learned a lot with my time, especially with Uncle ‘Ish’. There are things I’ve learned through the process and spending time with him that I wouldn’t have been exposed to or able to learn anywhere else.” “We wouldn’t have been able to partner with the HPS if it wasn’t for Dr. Stagner,” said Kester. “Cradle to the grave, it’s his project and he brought the right people together before he moved on. He was able to do that before he passed away and left us, cementing his legacy as somebody who is a real scholar of hula and Hawaiian composition.”Uploaded May 22, 2015

Tithing and other donations to the LDS Church will soon be available to pay online, says church officials. This new method hits the United States this year and will be gradually available to the whole nation throughout 2015. The church will notify local leaders when the program becomes available to their congregations. The Church Online Donations website will be available through lds.org. Any person with an LDS account, church member or non-member, will have access to use this electronic method of donating. BYUH Computer and Information Sciences Professor Aaron Curtis talked about how online bill pay has always been available but was a complicated system to set up. Curtis explained how handling cash always leads to complexities. “That’s one of the reasons that we put information systems together, not only to make things convenient, but also to increase the amount of control that we have in the organization. So, I see this as a step forward.”Lds.org asserts a few perks of this new program, stating, “Website users will be able to track the date, amount and status of donations made during a desired date range and print either an official U.S. tax statement or general statement for personal records.” This new system won’t just benefit church members. Curtis said he believes the new system will benefit more than member. He said, “I assume that there’s a large number of units where there’s part-member families and getting envelopes to the bishop hasbeen tricky.” Curtis said this system should also help with fund raisers and for other local church activities. Traditional tithing slips and envelopes will continue to be available for members who prefer to use them. The online option is an alternative for contributions, not a replacement. While traditional payment options will still be available, online payment will strongly reduce the workload and time bishops and clerks use handling tithes and donations, according to Bishop Stuart Wolthuis. Wolthuis is the Computer and Information Sciences Department chair. He added, “It should be a big time saver. Anytime you take a system and automate it, the reason for doing it is to save time and money because it helps you be more efficient. It helps you become better at handling the data and managing the data.” Wolthuis continued, “This has been hinted for a long time that’d it’d be rolled out. The reason things get changed, launched or delayed is because the people aren’t ready or the system’s not ready. You’ve got to make sure both things are ready. I like to think that people are ready to receive it and that they have all the user requirements figured out and most importantly the privacy is secure.”BYUH student Mariah Walsh, a sophomore English major from Minnesota, said, “I think that it will be very convenient and easier for people who are busy and on the go, but I also feel like it takes away the satisfaction of giving your tithing to the bishop on Sundays. Overall I think it will save on cost of printing for the church and it will be more convenient, but I still like paper tithing slips.”Uploaded May 22, 2015

BYU-Hawaii recently changed its semester schedule to be more cost effective and use tithing funds more efficiently. Jennifer Lane, Associate Academic VP for Curriculum, said, “We’ve been working on this for years; it has been a gradual process. Our goal is to have the students succeed and also use the resources we have effectively.” Lane answered questions on how the change will affect students:Q: What is the major difference with the flexible semesters?A: “It is now flexible for everyone,” said Lane, “which is something we could not say before.” Now domestic students, international, and iWork students all have the choice of how they want to design their semester schedules. They can choose from many options such as taking a leave semester off, an internship or online classes. Q: How will this change affect scholarships?A: “In the past the university looked at the prior semester to determine your scholarship status. With the new flexible semesters, the status is determined by your current semester. Once you are enrolled and meet the scholarship requirements you are eligible to receive it. As long as students are registered for classes, we are just looking forward for scholarships eligibility. In 2014, it was not like that and it is something we wanted to change.” Q: Will I be required to attend all three semesters?A: “Efficiency is important but we do not want to burn people out,” said Lane. “International and iWork students need to take at least two full time semesters before they can take a semester off, but they are given the choice to take a semester off which they didn’t have before. To guarantee a spot during a semester, students must RSVP at least one semester before the start date. Just registering for classes will be considered an RSVP.”Q: Why change Fall semester so it lasts from Aug-Nov and Winter from Nov-Feb?A: “A big part of it was teacher retention and figuring out what works best with local schools. These dates match up with the local schools calendar and still allow a two-week break for Christmas. The professors all had a vote on the new dates and decided that is what would work best for them.”Lane and Careers Services did research and found most internships want students from March to October. The flexible semesters allow the students to take advantage of these internships. Q: What are some potential drawbacks to the new flexible semesters?A: “This program and schedule has been a process and the school and administration has been operating on a trial and error kind of system. But they believe this is a system that will be sustainable and most beneficial to all. One of the major drawbacks for us is the lack of certainty of how the system will work. We are trying to balance stability for the campus and flexibility for the students and staff. There is a lack of stability and knowing going into the new semester.” With the new system, students can decide how to proceed with their education and at what pace. Students are still held to the nine semesters, but they do not have to be consecutive. Uploaded May 22, 2015

The North Shore’s Banzai skate park held its first competition ever, consisting of skaters of all ages and talent, says event information. The contestant divisions were separated into 13 years old and under, 14-16 years old, 17 years old and up, and the sponsored skaters, which consisted of all ages. The top three skaters of each division won a bag full of products including shirts, hats, and socks from HUF along with a new deck from a local shop. Hunter Hancock, a freshman majoring in business from the Sunset Beach area, who attended the event, said, “I went to support my little brother in his division, and also because it was the first Sunset competition that was ever held at that park since it was first made five years ago.” Located just past Pipeline beach, Banzai skate park was closed off for nearly a year to add some “street elements” and re-opened back up on Nov. 24, 2014, according to kitv.com. The concept of the park began back in 1976 and the construction started in 2007, according to Khon2.com. The recently renovated park now has new ramps, banks, rails, and stairs. The newer editions accommodate skaters of all different skill levels. Since the re-opening, skaters from all over the island and other places have had the opportunity to skate at North Shore’s Banzai Park. Hancock continued, “I thought the contest was well organized, and they had a good amount of people in each division. My favorite part about it was when my younger brother got first place and he was able to succeed in all of the hard work he was putting into it to prepare for the competition.” According to skatehawaii.org, the competitors who made top three in the 13 and under division, Ayden Letterii came in first place with a score of 1,000 points; Miles Engel came in second with a score of 800 points, and Kody Tamanaha came in third with a score of 600 points. The top three competitors in the 14-to-16-year-old division were Carson Hancock, who came in first place with a score of 1,000 points; Jason Dorflinger, who came in second place with a score of 800 points; and Finn McGill, who came in third place with a score of 600 points. In the 17 and up division, Jay Wolf came out in first with a score of 1,000 points; Vitalis Dubininkas came in second with a score of 800 points; and Kyle Useldinger came in third with a score of 600 points.In the sponsored division, Malakai Montes placed first with a score of 1,000 points, Evan Mock placed second with a score of 800 points, and Rei Fugimura placed third with a score of 600 points. This particular division happened to be BYUH students Lexi Copley and Christiana McEwan’s favorite part of the competition. Copley, a senior majoring in communications from Nevada, attended the competition and said, “I decided to go because I heard that a couple of my friends were competing, and I love watching people skate. It’s so entertaining. I really enjoyed it. It was fun watching all of the tricks and cheering on Carson Hancock and Dallas Etzel. My favorite part was watching the sponsored group. They had the coolest tricks.” McEwan, a sophomore majoring in EXS from Florida, liked the same part of the competition as Copley. McEwan said, “I chose to go to the skate competition because I have a immense passion for skating and the skating community. My favorite part was watching the sponsored skaters division because they were just ripping up the skate park.”The Banzai skate competition was the first The 2015 ASH Contest series. More competitions are scheduled at Aala skate park in Kaneohe on June 6 and July 11, and at Manana in Pearl City on Aug. 29.

The new student leadership team for Brigham Young University-Hawaii Service Association (BYUHSA) continues with the focus of providing leadership opportunities for students. “We are a service association, not a student association,” said President Dallin Jared Leota, a freshman studying psychology from Australia.BYUHSA will serve students by helping them figure out the issues that they have with the school, bringing them to people they need to talk to and see. “We’re down here with you, working, and we’re all serving and doing the same thing as you, except we can try and help train you to voice what concern you have, and know the right people you are to talk to resolve those concerns,” said Leota. “We want our students to become self-reliant, as the Lord would want us to be.”Recently elected as president of BYUHSA, Leota said his time is filled with family, church and work. Leota was eager to share his dream of what he imagines BYUHSA to achieve and said, “I was blessed to know that on the day of graduation, the first day I was president. I saw the graduates coming in, and I couldn’t help but feel exactly what the Lord wanted, that every student is to leave here with the ability to build up the kingdom and establish peace wherever they go.” Sala McCarthy-Stonex, a junior from Laie studying political science, is one of the new vice presidents dealing with concerns, education and feedback through the Student Advisory Council (SAC). She loves understanding and learning languages. “I love thinking. I love learning. Because I have a love of learning, I enjoy getting to know other people,” she said. “I look forward to helping and bettering the experience of students here and students that come in the future.” McCarthy-Stonex coordinates a team that works to do research and collaboration on issues that are submitted to them. The SAC Feedback Form is found at: http://student.byuh.edu/node/391Blake Va’aulu, a senior from Samoa studying business management, and the vice president over student associations (BSAs), enjoys basketball, movies and eating. “I want to help students feel proud of where they are going to school. I feel like I’ve had a lot of experience here, and I want other people to have the same feeling.” Va’aulu coordinates leadership development for the 41 student associations, ranging from cultural groups to special interests like Photography, Gamers, Anime, etc.Andrew Collette, a junior studying business management from California, also spends most of his time with his wife and is happy spending time and doing things with other people. He is the person to see in the office if you need help. He adds, “I make sure everyone does everything. I do record keeping, lots of emails, organizing and Excel spreadsheets.” The new presidency at BYUHSA is there to help instead of being a middleman. “That’s not what we want our purpose to be,” said McCarthy-Stonex. “It’s more empowering students to be able to solve their own problems and connecting them with the administration. We want the students to be their own leaders and own problem solvers.” “The ultimate goal is to establish an environment where students can enjoy themselves and gain a quality education that’s possible by making just the whole process easier here,” said Va’aulu. “So that more time is spent on important stuff, like relationships. We’re here to help.” Uploaded May 21, 2015

Moriyasu Ito, Shinto priest of the Meiji Jingu Shrine, provided BYU-Hawaii students with information about the shrine located in the center of Tokyo, Japan. In his visit on May 5, Ito explained what Shinto is, the type of things that take place at the shrine and also what the sacredness of the shrine represents.Jarek Buss, a senior majoring in political science from Wyoming, explained the relation BYUH has to Ito. Buss said, “Mr. Ito traveled to BYU Provo in 2005 where he did a homestay and studied at the university for a few weeks. On his way home, he stopped at BYUH and really enjoyed it. This time, he was traveling home from a trip to London and Washington D.C. and had a layover in Hawaii, so he reached out to his friends and contacts here and asked if he could visit again. This visit is part of a much longer relationship between Shinto and the church.”As Ito explained in the presentation, Shinto is not necessarily a religion. Shintoism does not put out doctrine or send missionaries to discuss the religious beliefs. It can best be described as one’s own interpretation of legends and beliefs, and a way of expression and appreciation for the earth. Shinto serves as a channel between the people and Kami (Japanese deity). Shintoism has a strong emphasis on sacred, reverent and pure places where people pray for their needs and wants such as good health and world peace. Ito said approximately 90 percent of the Japanese people follow Shinto and there are 80,000 shrines in Japan.Before entering a shrine, there are certain types of steps people must follow. At the Meiji Jingu Shrine, it is customary that visitors wash their hands and rinse their mouths. In order to show reverence to the Kami, the visitor also must bow twice, clap twice, and bow again to exemplify respect.Ito said anyone can visit the shrine, perform and take part in the festivities that occur at Meiji Jingu. On Nov. 3, the Meiji Jingu Autumn Grand Festival is held to celebrate the birth of the first emperor, Meiji. A Harvest Festival takes place on Nov. 23 to thank the Kami for the blessings of the crops. There are rituals of Shinto prayers, Shinto dances, and ceremonies that acknowledge the champions of Sumo. Buss noted the similarities between Shinto and the LDS Church. Buss said, “One important similarity between Shinto and our own beliefs is the importance of purity. Shinto priests wear white robes for the same symbolic reason we do. They also believe that water can wash away the ‘impurities’ that come to us throughout our lives and dim our vital energy, and they participate in ritual washings before important ceremonies. I think that we can find so much common ground with people who value living an honest, clean, upright life.” Reflecting on the presentation given, BYUH student Daniel Malinconico, a senior majoring in both ICS and history from New Jersey, said, “I really enjoyed the whole experience. I was thoroughly impressed by the video about Shintoism that he shared. It was highly informative and beautifully put together highlighting the majesty of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. I think that they should make that video public. It really was fantastic.” Buss added, “Mr. Ito did an admirable job of explaining Shinto and answering questions. I think it was an excellent opportunity for non-Japanese students to learn more about Shinto, which is perhaps less of a ‘religion’ as we understand the term, and more of a cultural outlook on life that is inseparable from Japanese identity. For the Japanese students, it was a great chance to meet several very important people from their own country, network with them, and share their own experiencesat BYUH.”Sala McCarthy-Stonex, a junior majoring in political science from Laie, said, “I loved the presentation. I’m a big fan of Japan, the language, culture, etc.…and so learning even more about Shintoism was fun…The most interesting thing would probably be that their largest shrine, Meiji Jingu, is located right in the middle of such a busy and highly populated city. I realize they built it when it wasn’t so busy and modern, but the fact that the Japanese still honor it enough to not destroy it is amazing. Lastly, I also loved that I was able to get the business card of the director of the Meiji Jingu Intercultural Research Institute, as I’m going there in the summer.” Malinconico concluded by saying, “Overall I am very glad that I was able to go and for those who did not go really missed out on this special opportunity. As a student body, we are very homogeneous when it comes to our religious beliefs, but I believe that as we strive to better understand others we can more readily be a blessing to the world at large.”Uploaded May 21, 2015

The World Fireknife Championships began with 19 of the top fireknife dancers in the world from Florida, Tahiti, Samoa, Philadelphia, Hawaii and Japan competing for the championship title. It ended with one, Joseph Cadosteau from Tahiti, a returning two-time champion winning $5,000. Mikaele Oloa from Waialua was the runner-up, with Via Tiumalu from Florida in third place, who are also returning champions. It took place at the Polynesian Cultural Center from May 7 to 9. Now in its 23rd year, the fireknife finale took place during the intermission of the “Ha: Breath of Life” night show and after the annual We Are Samoa Festival. Fireknife dancing comes from the Samoan ailao (a warrior’s knife dance), explained retired PCC Director of Cultural Islands Pulefano Galea’i. This is usually performed before battle and has evolved to include fire – so now warriors dance with flaming knives. The event captivated the audience as the fireknife dancers spun, twirled, and threw flaming knives high into the air and caught them. Some dancers juggled three to four fireknives at the same time, risking dropping them and losing points. Judges watched for speed and dexterity, a strong entrance and powerful exit, smooth transitions from trick to trick, a good performance of warrior spirit, and if the competitor dropped the fireknife. The performers danced and kept to the beat of pounding Polynesian drummers. Winners and competitors alike performed exceptionally well. After winning, Cadosteau said it was hard to explain his feelings. “It’s very hard, but it’s very happy. That’s what I know. I’m happy to share that with my daughter, my family, my wife and everybody.” Cadosteau performed to a roaring audience on May 9, almost perfectly spinning a fireknife, while laying down and jumping, even taking three fireknives and juggling them. As he performed, he said, “I thought about my daughter. My daughter, when she looks at my fire practice, she always says, ‘Papa’s fire! Papa’s fire!’ So when I was in trouble with my routine, I think, ‘Papa’s fire!’ And it gives me energy to keep going to the end without giving up.” Fireknife dancing is an inclusive community, with family, friends, and fellow competitors supporting each other as they learn and improve, said third-place winner Tiumalu. “This is a brotherhood, you know. This is part of our culture that we want to push to a younger crowd to people all around the world,” he said.Family and friends watch the practice and progress, and at the end of the night, everybody wants the performance to go well. Jane Cadosteau, wife of the Joseph Cadosteau, said, “All of these guys work so hard, and for them to come here, if they feel like they’ve done their best, they can leave feeling good about it. If they come and they prepared all year for it, and if they come and they feel like they haven’t done their best, then it’s really hard.”Neil Webb from Australia, also a fireknife dancer, was there filming a documentary about the heart of fire. He said, “The whole Polynesian culture, not just the fireknife – I feel like every single person loves their tradition so much. These people, they share their passion so strongly, so openly, that it blows me away just to watch it, and it gives me so much inspiration just doing what I love, because they show me that they love what they do and they’re so passionate about it.”Elijah Cavanagh, a videographer from Australia, said, “It’s special for us because basically Neil Webb, he has a heart right, and he has a passion, and what he does, he expresses his body through fire and he dances, but when he dances he’s not just moving; he’s expressing something. That’s all in his heart. We’re trying to find and trying to relate back to culture all over the world, because Neil knows it so strongly. The cultures burning really brightly.”Oloa, the second-place winner, said at the end of the finale, “I really try to take in every small thing, every face that you see, every person clapping. You take it all in and thank God for everything.”Uploaded May 21, 2015