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FESTIVAL DANCERS
'Ote'a Api
NATIONAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY: Tahitian
DIRECTOR: Anthony Waipa Manaois
First Appearance in SF EDF: 2004
Website: http://pacificexchangeprod.com/Otea_Api.html
The rugged island of Tahiti is part of the Society Islands, also
known as French
Polynesia. Of volcanic origin, this grouping of islands
in the South Pacific have been
called "paradise on earth" by
many a traveler. In ancient times the Arioi, a special
society that
traveled from island to island, danced for great chiefs and their
villages. The rich, vibrant culture that the Arioi left behind provides
the
inspiration for the dances performed by 'Ote'a 'Api.
Anthony Waipa Manaois, Director of 'Ote'a
'Api has over 20 years experience
in
Tahitian Dance.
2004 PERFORMANCE
 TITLE OF PIECE: Te Aho Ora, Te Hau! (The
Breath of
Life, the Peace!)
CHOREOGRAPHY: Anthony Waipa
Manaois
DANCERS: Lea Lynn Baclagan,
Jacqueline Benigno, Jared
Benigna, Brandon Bernaldes, Darrion Bernaldes,
Janelle Canilao, Charles
Curammeng, Edward Curammeng, Arnel Edwin DeJesus,
Katrina DeJesus,
Michael del Pilar, Dante Diala Jr, Noemi Dizon, Catherine
Duperret,
Rachel Edejer, Georgiana Fernando, Maria Grace Guevarra, Leilani
Gutierrez,
Rafael Lorovico, Jonathan Ludovico, Rasalynn Macalolooy, ,
Josephine
Manaois, Juliette Manaois, Stefan Manaois, Femy McGrath, Charlene
Miranda,
Vienna Moran, Crystal Nguyen, Rick Orta, Pemita Paaga Jr, Jessica
Reyes,
Stephanie Teodosio, and Bernard Tubera
MUSICIANS: Mark Fernandez (Toere), Bernard Tubero
(Toere), Nasario Gutierrez (Tairu Parau), Anthony Manaois (Toere),
Trevor
Manaois (Faatete), Roy Marcelo (Tairi Parau), Dane Mata (Faatete),
and
Ramona McGary (vocalist).
The piece in the 2004 Festival, Te Aho Ora, Te
Hau is
a kind of prayer. It is an appeal of a higher order performed
to two
chants meaning, "the Breath of Life, The Peace." The first song
honors the special Northeast wind, Maoa'e rai
aneane. It alludes
to the people asking the wind to blow long and
strong filling their
bodies, souls, homes and families with peace. The
second song affirms
that peace must first begin inside our self. It calls
to mind the love
that gets passed on from parent to child, and how that
love starts
with the first breath of the child.
The
vivid yellow and white colors of the costumes adorned with greenery
represent four cardinal elements: the sky, the sun, the wind, and the
earth. The costumes are made of materials found specifically in Tahiti.
These include special feathers, mother of pearl, and bark from the hau tree,
a kind of hibiscus plant. The
instruments accompanying the dance are
also made from elements in the
natural environment: a hollowed log,
bamboo, and skin. It is believed that
each instrument creates the mana,
or spirited energy that is needed to drive the rhythm and tempo of
the
dance.
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