Dancers at center stage during annual festival
By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer
Four-year-old Jacelyn Houghtailing swirled her gold skirt, clapped her hands and tapped her jeweled feet in time to the music as she waited backstage to perform at the Hawai'i International Dance Festival at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
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"I look just like Jasmine in Aladdin, don't I?" Jacelyn asked her teacher, before prancing onto the stage like a show pony turned loose at a parade.
Jacelyn Houghtailing, 4, performs to the tune of "Put On a Happy Face" during the Hawai'i International Dance Festival at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Jacelyn was one of the youngest of about 700 dancers, ranging in age from preschoolers to recent
high school graduates, who performed during the fifth annual amateur dance event. Dancers from around the globe come together to compete for scholarships and prize money, to learn technique from other dancers, and to make friends.
About 400 of the dancers were from O'ahu. Area dance troupes included Paradise Star Dance of Honolulu, Sabrina Starr Studio in Wahiawa, Studio 808 from Waipahu, HyperSquad from Mililani and Nix Dance from 'Aiea. Troupes from California, New Mexico, Mississippi and Oregon also participated.
Dancers from Ireland, Australia and Malaysia pulled out of the event because of fears about the war with Iraq and terrorism.
"Our mission is to give dancers an opportunity to share, exchange, learn and grow," said David Millwood of Hawai'i State Tours, an Atlanta-based travel company that is behind the festival. The travel company is planning several other fine-arts events that will bring an estimated 6,000 visitors to the state next year, he said.
The annual festival provides an important opportunity for young dancers like Jacelyn to hone their skills and for older dancers like last year's festival-winner Josh Ulep to earn scholarships, Millwood said.
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Ulep received a scholarship to Steps on Broadway dance school, he said.
Victoria Lopez, 11, dances to "El Sauce Y La Palma" during the Hawai'i International Dance Festival. Victoria is with the Baila! Baila! troupe from Albuquerque, N.M.
The festival also boosts the state's economy by bringing in almost 700 visitors affiliated with the festival.
"They come to see the dancers, but once they experience the aloha, they'll return to the state," Millwood said.
The festival also gives Hawai'i dance students an opportunity to broaden their horizons, he said.
"It gives locals, who see the same faces over and over, the chance to see kids from all over perform," he said.
It also gives Hawai'i dancers, who usually earn high competitive marks during the event, the opportunity to see how they stack up against Mainland competitors. A list of festival winners was not available before press time yesterday.
"It's a very respected competition. They bring in professional, unbiased people to judge the event," said Susan Matsuura, mother of 9-year-old Jenna, who competed in the festival as part of the Sabrina Starr Studio.
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"Hawai'i usually fares really well, but it gives us an opportunity to be able to gauge ourselves against other dancers," Matsuura said.
Peiter Hunter, 13, performs with his group from the New Vision Dance Center of Oregon. The Oregon troupe danced to "Kids In America."
Moanalua High School student Makela Quebatay, 14, said she welcomed that opportunity for feedback from high-caliber judges as she performed her first solo dance at the festival.
Like many of the dancers, Quebatay's been performing since she was a toddler. But now that she's older, the stakes are higher, she said.
Eventually, money and educational opportunities will be riding on her performance, she said, adding that she hoped that her experiences at this year's festival will help her develop the talent she needs to earn a dance scholarship in the next few years.
"Dancing is really my life," said Quebatay, who practices her dance moves for several hours, six to seven days a week. "Someday, I want to be a professional dancer or an actress."
In the meantime, Quebatay just wants to dance across the festival stage and bask in a special moment.
