Aotearoa Association members presented a set of dances and songs written by students, leaving a performance on the stage that was an unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience for participants and audience members alike.Before taking stage on Saturday evening, Tivarn Tipoki, Pacific Island studies major from New Zealand, told the association, “The songs you are all performing today will only be performed once.” All of the songs performed by the Aotearoa Association were written and choreographed by Maori students in the chapter. The haka, as explained by Tipoki, “begins off by telling about our great ancestor Kupe who left Hawaii to begin a new journey in life in Aotearoa. Now we as students too have left behind our comfort of our own homes, our families and our country (ies) to begin our new journey in life in these beautiful islands of Hawaii, by increasing our knowledge through education and through the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Tipoki continued, “We acknowledge the people of these islands for allowing us to be here, explaining the reason why we implemented kahiko movements into our haka. Just as Kupe did, we will eventually return to our homeland, and to succeed in all things. It was a haka that told of our story today.” Though Culture Night has proved itself to be a successful display of BYU-Hawaii campus diversity, “This year, something was different. I’m not sure if it was the students or just the overwhelming spirit of celebration and pride, but this year blew my expectations out of the water,” said community member Alan Kauraka. Sherelle Piwari, a junior EXS major from New Zealand, spoke on preparations for this unique performance, and said, “My role - I have a big mouth - was just to tell everyone what to do.” Piwari spoke about the entire performance being a culmination of student talent, music composition and otherwise, and explained, “Because we had a lot of talent within the New Zealanders that were here, my goal was to utilize that talent and put them to work.” Piwari said she has never performed before.“You’ve got three months of work put into 10 minutes, so it better have looked good,” added Piwari. She explains it was such an emotional journey up to the point of stepping n stage that her main priority was that everyone felt comfortable and felt good about leaving this once-in-a-lifetime performance onthe stage. Piwari finished off by saying, “I grilled the group only because I wanted them to show up and do their best, to feel like they represented themselves with pride - and they did just that.”The Cannon Activities Center was filled to the brim Friday and Saturday nights, March 27 and 28, with people in every available space to partake of the weekend’s festivities. Culture Night was also streamed online for those who were unable to come to the CAC.Uploaded April 2, 2015
Writer: Morgynne Tora
