Ward Luau

I always look forward to the ward luau that the Elders put on every year in their back yard. In fact, it was this same ward luau some 20 years ago that first peeked my interest in Hawaiian music and dance. Sister Elder was having a hard time finding entertainment that year and since she was the young woman's president, she decided to use any of us girls that were willing to dance as the entertainment that year. It was all done on the sly without our parents knowing. They got a big shock when it was a number of their daughters as the dancers that year.

Ever since that day, (boy I wish I had photos of that event) I have had a love of Hawaiian music and dance. And now that I have actually been to Hawaii a number of times, the obsession grows each year!

This obsession has gotten me in trouble at the ward luau's though. Many ward members knew that I was taking hula classes with Kelsey and even though I was not called up, I was harassed up on the stage by Fernando Carranza last year and by a whole group of people this year. This group included my parents, the Carranza's (again!), and the McCormick's, to name a few. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Tahitian dance. It is my favorite to do, but I was not ready after only three weeks of instruction last year to get up and dance in front of a crowd. It is one thing to dance a whole routine that you have learned and another to be thrust up in front of a crowd to randomly wiggle your hips around.....very embarrassing.

Luckily for me, I was harassed onto the stage to do poi balls this time. I would much prefer to do this. I knew I would not make a fool out of myself with poi balls in hand. These come quite naturally to me and although I have had very little instruction, I can do them quite well. It was much more fun to get up and swing those poi balls around than shacking my hips was last year!

All in all, it was a great Luau year!