Sharing the Aloha Spirit through Song and Dance

To continue our coverage of Red Dirt's 2nd Annual Aloha Coffee & Cultural Festival, this week we take a look at the day's entertainment.  There were beautiful performances from a variety of Halaus, both local and from afar, as well as musical talents that brought melodic island sounds to our celebration.

We first take a look at Jackye and Paul's dear friends from back home: Tina's Ports of Paradise  (accompanied here by Joe from Island Creations)...

A long-standing tradition of Hawaiian dances and chants, Tina and her group entertained us from beginning to end...

We saw breathtaking performances from the guys...

...(okay, so this one was an impromptu performance but worth sharing :-)...

...as well as from the group's Keiki...

Tina's Ports of Paradise provided more than just dancing, though.  Accompanying the spectacular dance performances was the groups musicians, treating us to their signature style of energetic, humourous entertainment.  Here's a peak at some of the group's musicians...

And some of the group's "Behind the Scenes" members...

 
Next up, we had performances by Auntie Lori's group...

They may have been small in number but their grace and beauty awed the crowd!

We also saw performances from Pacific Legends...

...who treated us to dances by their Wahine...

as well as the group's Keiki...

Then came the lovely Wahine from Hoapili Pomaikia'i Aloha...

And, as most Halaus do, they brought along their Keiki...

And to top off our line-up of dancers, we were treated to special performances from the Na Mele O Ke Kai Keiki...

...led by Auntie Sylvia...

...the girls captivated the crowd...

To accompany our amazing dancers, we had a line-up of musicians that included Rocky Logue (we are so shocked that none of us took any pictures during his time up :-(...we are soooo sorry, Rocky!)  But he proved to be a crowd favorite!  Here is a picture from one of his many visits to the coffee shop...

Then, there were the guys from Na Hoa Aloha...

And Joe from Island Connections...

...playing Kanikapila style, we saw many of the day's musicians on stage together (including a return visit from Howie)...

And we can't forget those behind the scenes!  We wouldn't have been able to enjoy the music without our sound guy, Les...

All in all, it was a day worth savoring! 

We want to send a warm Mahalo to everyone who entertained us, whether through beautiful dances, lively tunes, or much-welcomed laughs...

MAHALO,

Red Dirt Coffee House