Every year BYU-Hawaii celebrates Culture Night, a two evening event where cultural songs and dance are performed.
BYUH has students from over 60 different countries and this year 25 of those countries were represented with a cultural club.
Students from anywhere in the world can join any of the clubs to learn about the culture and be taught their song and dance. At culture night the club members perform what they have worked on throughout the semester.
Hawaii
Making the past feel present through hula
By Emmie Siebert
People think hula is a grass skirt, coconut bra and waving hands, said Jade Jenkins, a junior from Kentucky majoring in business management. In reality, that is not the case, she explained. Hula makes that past feel present, she said, as it tells the story of ancestors.
Emma Kanana, the Hawaii Club service outreach specialist and a sophomore majoring in elementary education from Waianae, said the story of this year’s dance was the progression of the Hawaiian people. She said the first dance started from the beginning of the Kumulipo. “The Kumulipo is the Hawaiian creation chant that tells the order of how things in Hawaii came to be,” said Panina Matau, a senior from Laie majoring in psychology.
Following an opening prayer offered in Hawaiian, two spotlights found the men from Hawaii Club on the left side of the stage with their fists gripped and straight faces as an ancient Hawaiian chant rang through the auditorium. The men marched in straight lines to their spots, and when the drums began, they knelt facing the audience. In unison, they began to chant and create percussion with their hands against their body and floor. The force of their hands made their chests and thighs red.
The lighting then silhouetted the women as they took the stage. As the music started, the lights showed off the women's smiling faces. Dressed in long skirts, hakus and leis, they danced a hula representing the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom, explained Kanana. For the final dance, the men joined the women, side by side, in black dress pants and white button-up shirts. The dancers’ eyes followed their hand movements, often meeting the eyes of the audience and their fellow performers.
Matau explained about her choice to perform, “This is my time to connect back to my roots.” Although Matau grew up here, she said she did not grow up in the culture. She said her mom, who is from Hawaii, did not dance because she was always working to support her family. “I am using this Culture Night to give back,” Matau expressed.
Tonga
Remembering home with strength, beauty and unity
By CJ Shinihah Notarte
As dancers from Tonga Club entered the stage and performed, the Cannon Activities Center echoed with cheers. In traditional attire, the women wore white dresses and the men wore white tupenus. Both of them with red kiekies wrapped around their waists.
The performance kicked off with lively movements from the men, their arms synchronized as they shared big smiles with the audience. Following the male performers’ spirited start, the women took the stage, mirroring each other’s movements in harmony. As the performance neared its end, both men and women faced the audience and shared a song. They then danced together, accompanied by the waving of two flags representing their country in the background.
Dorothy Tonga Settle, the choreographer for Tonga Club and a senior from Tonga majoring in biology, said the theme for Tonga Club’s Culture Night performance this year is the phrase “manatu ki api,” which means “remembering home.” She said their performance was a way of looking back at the hard work and sacrifices BYU–Hawaii students and their families have made to be here.
Albert Vaha’i, the vice president of the club in charge of service and gospel forums, said their performance features three traditional dances from Tonga called mako, tau’olunga and lakalaka. Vaha’i, a junior from Tonga majoring in business management, explained, “Mako embodies strength and courage.” Lakalaka is a dance symbolizing “loto taha” or unity, Vaha’i said. It mirrors the values of love and harmony, which are the core values of the Tongan culture, he shared.
Tuiaki He Lotu Kau, Tonga Club’s president, said while the mako dance is only for men, the tau’olunga celebrates the purity of young women. It showcases their beauty and virtue, he said. Kau, a junior from Tonga majoring in mathematics, said the highlight of their performance was seeing people from other cultures and Tongans who hadn’t previously been exposed to their own culture learn the dances.
“Bhinneka tunggal ika,” an Indonesian phrase that means unity in diversity, is what Indonesian Club hoped to embody through their sharp choreography at Culture Night, said Bima Kristiawan, the president of Indonesian Club.
Choreographer Ebbygael Mocodompis shared, “Since Indonesia has many different beliefs, multiple dances and detailed hand movements were used to represent traditional worship to the gods.” She explained, “Our performance emphasizes that our differences can make us whole.”
The dancers wore black clothing with glittery gold skirts and accessories that highlighted their sharp movements and serene expressions. A lot of imagination and creativity came together for the performance, said Mocodompis, a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism management from Indonesia.
The climax of the performance is the hardest part of the choreography, she explained. It is a dynamic portrayal of a wheel moving through the sharp coordination of arm and body movements, she said. Their months of practice were rewarded with a cheering crowd during this difficult part of the dance.
Despite the challenging movements and fast-paced rhythm, learning the dance allowed Shaina Pacis to better understand Indonesian culture, she said. Pacis, a senior from the Philippines majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “[The dance] depicted how Indonesians value camaraderie within their community.”
The Saman dance represents one of the major islands in Indonesia and is also known as “the dance of a thousand hands,” said Kristiawan, a sophomore studying information technology from Indonesia. It is considered one of the highlights of the choreography, he said.
During this dance, the dancers started in kneeling positions and harmoniously moved up and down as they clapped their hands, tapped their chests and moved their heads from side to side. Kristiawan said, “Together we showed as much of the culture of Indonesia in a compact yet entertaining way.”
Rotuma
PRESERVING A FADING CULTURE
By Mutia Parasduhita
Malcolm Timoteo said preparing Rotuma Club for Culture Night was one way he could raise awareness of Rotuma’s situation and preserve the hidden gem of the Pacific. He is a senior majoring in graphic design from Las Vegas but said he is connected to his Rotuma heritage.
“Rotuma is a small island part of Fiji territory, with its own culture, beautiful people and language,” he explained. A massive migration has caused the language to hit the edge of extinction and the island has nearly been depopulated, he said. According to the statsfiji.gov.fj, the island’s population from 2007 to 2017 has decreased by 20.4%.
Willie Irava, a sophomore majoring in business, is also Rotuman. He grew up in Fiji and said people move from Rotuma because of slow development and limited higher education. However, he shared, “Some people stay in Rotuma because most people call it ‘paradise.’”
This paradise was portrayed at Culture Night with white shirts, purple floor-length skirts, ti leaves tied around the waist and red paint on the dancer’s cheeks in a reverse C-shape. The low picking of a string instrument and vocals started the music, but following an all-female dance the music quickened. The audience clapped their hands and cheered as the beat picked up. The dancers ignored accidentally fallen skirts and leaves as they continued their performance for the roaring crowd.
Partway through the performance, the male dancers knelt in front of the girls and offered them the flower from behind their own ears. A seemingly acceptable offering, the women took the flower and then the kneeling boys by the hand and danced with them.
Irava expressed how devastating it would be to lose his culture. He said by participating in Culture Night he hopes to show that Rotuma culture is not completely extinct. “I think it is just empowering any Rotuman out there, even though we have limited resources. [Our] island is small [but] we shouldn’t stop showcasing our region.” He said many of the club members are not Rotuman. “The fact that they are trying to put effort into possessing certain Rotuman dance moves shows that they are still interested,” said Irava.
Wu, a sophomore majoring in marketing from Taiwan, explained Bā Jiā Jiàng is generally performed at Buddhist temples and big festivals. “The dancers had to wear scary makeup and traditional costumes to scare away evil spirits,” he said. Bā Jiā Jiàng is also performed before fishermen go on their fishing journey to show respect to the gods, Wu said. During this section, the dancers sharply moved white, feathered fans in one hand and sticks in the other in unison.
This traditional dance quickly moved into more modern dances put together by choreographer Yu-Shan Yen. Yen, a freshman from Taiwan majoring in business management and psychology, said, “[We used] a combination of electronic dancing music and a remix of popular Taiwanese songs such as ‘Ài Ní,’ ‘Gào Bái Qì Qiú’ and ‘Hé Rì Jūn Zài Lái.’”
The modern section of the performance started with performers in all-black street clothes, who danced by flinging their arms and legs outwards into rhythmic jumps and squats. Then two female dancers came out in schoolgirl uniforms to blow kisses at the street performers and start their own dance by creating hearts above their heads with their arms and beckoning the rest of the women on stage with them. The performance ended with a slow dance to “Hé Rì Jūn Zài Lái,” a song about love and longing. Midway through the song, however, the sound of a scratching record needle signaled for a more upbeat version of the song to begin, during which the entire club danced along.
Yen shared, “We wanted to let people know Taiwan is special due to the combination of Japanese and Chinese culture, but we also have our original traditions.” She added, “I wanted [the audience] to know Taiwan has a lot of culture and history.”
Cambodia
A DIFFERENT DANCE, A DIFFERENT MEANING
By Linda Laulu
Cambodia Club did a combination of various traditional dances to reflect their culture at this year’s Culture Night, said Vanny Sok, the Cambodia Club choreographer.
Sok, a freshman from Cambodia majoring in visual arts, explained that the first dance, “Raksmey Doung Chan,” which translates to “Moonlight,” “reflected the integrity, dignity and the beauty of Cambodian women.” She shared that the song emphasizes how a woman’s beauty and demeanor make her comparable to moonlight, helping to, “release all kinds of sadness and darkness in life and give [people] the courage to move on in life.”
The second dance, “Khmer,” is a traditional favorite for special occasions in Cambodia that remains popular today, Sok explained. The “Nam Nav” dance portrays the Khmer tribe’s narrative and highlights their harvest gatherings, she said. The “Chok Kampus” dance showcases traditional food hunting techniques while the “Madison” dance shows the festive spirit of Cambodian communities, bringing people together in joyous celebration, Sok explained.
A rush of Cambodia Club members, dressed in purple, blue, white, gold, orange and black, crossed their legs with hands stretched out in both directions, moving to the beat as they danced their way on stage. Men wore colored button-down short-sleeved shirts, while women donned form-fitting dresses. Full sets of gold jewelry complemented their traditional Khmer clothes. Made out of a fabric called hol phamoung, the outfits included skirts called somput and kben. Their eyes tracked their hand movements as they flashed smiles to the audience.
Cambodia Club President Hak Kim, a freshman majoring in business management from Cambodia, highlighted the dedication of the club members to the performance. “Our club size may be small, [but] our hearts are big,” he said.
Pablo Andre Gomez Robles, a freshman from Guatemala majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “Each step carried so much meaning and history and helped me gain insight into my [Cambodian] classmates’ perspectives.” Despite the language barrier during the practices, Robles said he enjoyed actively engaging with the club by asking questions and showing curiosity about Cambodian culture.
Kiribati
Strength through dance
By Daravutdy Si
The two parts of Kiribati Club’s performance were meant to display the spirit and strength of the people of Kiribati, said Boata Tenite, the Kiribati Club president. He said, “Our bodies had to be strong enough the whole time to perform correctly.”
Tenite, a sophomore from Kiribati majoring in information technology, said they started the performance with the “Mwaati,” which is a marching dance, as they walked onto the stage. The leader of the dance first blew a whistle and called to the performers, after which the performers began singing, stomping their feet and slapping their hands on their legs in unison. The Mwaati is performed during big parties like Independence Day, school competitions or religious events in Kiribati, Tenite explained.
The Mwaati music, “I Aki Kuba,” was sung and played live by performers while they were dancing, said Tenite. He said the marching dance is based on the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Following the first dance, about one-third of the performers used a wooden box as a drum while singing the second song. Kiribati Club’s choreographer, Tabeta Boraia Tangata, a sophomore from Kiribati majoring in history education, said the second dance was the “Kaimatoa,” which translates to “endurance dance.” Tangata said, “I picked the Kaimatoa because it is a combination of dances from the northern, southern and central parts of Gilbert Island.”
Nakau Maunana, a freshman majoring in information technology from Kiribati, said, “One thing that people should know about the performance of Kiribati is we dance to imitate nature, such as the waves on the ocean, the way birds fly or the way wind rustle leaves.” The performers wore two bands on each arm with dried leaves on top of them shaped to look like flowers as they thrust their arms up and out, mimicking nature.
Tangata said the hardest part about teaching this dance to club members was the hand movements. She said it is easy for the dance to be confused with other cultures if performers don’t move their hands correctly.
Thailand’s performance started out with the slow hand movements of women in various colored tops, golden striped skirts and spikes stretching out of their buns like sunbeams. Their pointer finger and thumb came together to make a tear-drop shape with the last three fingers fanning out. The beat picked up as men walked onto the stage with instruments to catch the girls’ attention. This was a theatrical portrayal of Bun Bang Fai, or Rocket Festival, said Sawalee Saengchai, Thailand Club’s choreographer and a junior majoring in psychology from Thailand.
The festival recreation got the crowd cheering and clapping in time to the shouts of “Hey, hey hey!” from the performers and ended with the club members holding up a bamboo rocket with a painted dragon head to the cheers of the audience.
This festival is widely celebrated in Northeast Thailand where gigantic gunpowder bottle rockets are shot into the sky to communicate with the god of the rain, explained Aiyarat Buachaiya, the president of Thailand Club and a senior from Thailand majoring in communications. The catchy decorations and size of the rocket attract people as it is paraded through a city, said Saengchai. Following the parade there is food, competitions and partner dances.
She said in ancient Thailand people believed the god of rain was very important for their rice crops. “This festival is a way to respect the god,” she said. Saengchai said not many people practice Bun Bang Fai for religious reasons anymore but the celebration has become part of the culture.
“Love, past and present” was Vietnam Club’s Culture Night theme, said Son Huynh, president of Vietnam Club and a sophomore majoring in business management from Vietnam. He said this was their third year participating in Culture Night and they performed five songs that mixed traditional music and modern TikTok trends.
Huynh said they added two songs that commemorated their country’s freedom, their resiliency from the war and their ancestors while the remaining three focused on the future of Vietnam. He said they wanted to let the audience know that Vietnamese people are resilient and adaptable to any circumstances.
Ngọc Tieu Ly, the choreographer for the club and a sophomore from Vietnam majoring in biology, said the colors of their first costumes, called áo tứ thân, were green and pink with matching pink and white fans the female performers fluttered in front of their faces and with their sweeping arm movements. She said their costumes reflected the daily clothing women wore in ancient Northern Vietnam. The costumes were inspired by the countryside and the ups and downs of Vietnam’s history, Ly said.
During the second dance, the costumes transitioned to an all-black ensemble with a black-and-white patterned scarf that the women wore around their necks and the men wore around their heads. A third of the performers in this dance hit small sticks together rhythmically while the rest of the dancers used the Vietnamese cone-shaped hat called nón lá as props. The third dance was a slower partner dance, and couples came out of the wings dressed in pink and white. They twirled around each other until a singular man wearing black and white walked out to the middle and stopped the performance, beckoning for the audience to cheer louder. Pop music began playing and the dancers smiled as they brought popular Vietnamese TikTok trends to the stage.
Gaby Cases, a senior majoring in biology from the Philippines, said the way the Vietnamese people portray their culture through dance helped her appreciate its beauty and made her feel at peace while performing with them.
Korea
Bringing elegance and energy
By CJ Shinihah Notarte
Korea Club’s Culture Night performance was a combination of the traditional fan dance and three modern K-pop dances, said Minhyeok Lee, the president of Korea Club and a junior from Korea majoring in information technology. “From the graceful movement of the fan dance to the powerful energy of the K-pop dances, we hope the audiences were captivated,” he shared.
The club began its performance with a slow and flowy fan dance. Wearing their traditional attire, called “hanbok,” they moved together simultaneously, making the movement of the individual ans look like they were one fan. The fan dance is called “buchaechum,” said Hyein Wi, one of the club’s choreographers and a junior from Korea majoring in business management. She said the dancers each held two fans and connected them to create illusions of a flower. “[The fan dance] means a lot to our culture and one of its meanings is being one,” she explained.
Eunji Choi, a freshman from Korea majoring in computer science, said the music they used for the fan dance talks about the beauty of their country and culture. “I also loved the gentle and graceful dance movements of the dance,” she added.
The second and third parts of their dance were from famous K-pop songs titled “Super Shine” and “Pretty U.” The crowd cheered as the song’s intro began. The dancers wore pastel-colored attire and their moves made the crowd sang along with the music while the watched Korea Club’s unified movements.
The fourth part of the dance was also a K-pop song called “Pink Venom.” The lights dimmed as the dancers took their places on the stage. Pink LED lights across their chest illuminated in the dark while they danced along to the beat of the song.
Wi said some people think modern dances are not part of their culture because they are not old like the traditional dances they have. But, she said, “K-pop is also part of our culture.”
Rory Pilkington, president of Cook Islands Club, said their club focused on ancestors who have gone before in this year’s Culture Night. He said the club’s performance also commemorated pioneers who were influential in preserving the islands’ culture around the world.
“It amazes me how a small number of people from the Cook Islands on campus can create a big community and club for Culture Night,” said Pilkington, a freshman majoring in business management from Australia. He said he was impressed by the people from the Cook Islands who helped the club through their practices, music and drum beats. The drummers started off the performance with heavy beats, setting the stage for the dance’s leader to call out chants to both the audience and the performers.
Tawrie Cecil, the Cook Islands Club choreographer and a freshman from the Cook Islands majoring in psychology, said the songs in the performance talked about sailing through the waters, finding lands to live in and becoming voyagers all their life. The dancers’ movements mimicked paddling through water and the crashing of the ocean waves to reflect this focus on voyaging. The dances they did reflected chants from Cook Islands culture, she said.
Cecil explained that their costumes, which were composed of brown and blue, represented their home country and ancestors. The women wore hip bands and headdresses made of dry leaves and necklaces and armbands made from shells. The men also wore accessories made from dried leaves, including leg bands and thick, triangular lei-shaped necklaces.
Gina Escalante, a senior majoring in psychology and social work from Peru, said watching the club perform at the previous Culture Night made her want to join them this year. She said the Cook Islands dances had beautiful and graceful steps that relate to deeper stories and symbolism. Some dance steps reminded her of her own culture, she shared, which made her feel loved and connected to the Cook Islands.
Aotearoa
Remembering Christ through song
By Winslette Quiray-Santiago
The Aotearoa Club combined a chorale, synchronized poi dancing and the traditional haka dance in their performance. Aotearoa Club members said they hoped the audience felt empowered during their performance at Culture Night.
Starting the performance with a harmony of blended voices, their entrance song was called “Whakaeke,” which means “going onto,” said Darian Settle, the performer in charge of leading the chorale.
Hearing the song at practice and knowing its deep meaning encouraged Sophia Rolie, a junior from Oregon majoring in political science and intercultural peacebuilding, to perform with Aotearoa Club. She said, “There is a part in the song where it tells us to go after our dreams, accomplish what we want and become something, but always remember to bow your head to the mountain,” said Rolie. “The mountain represents Jesus Christ. It is an empowering song but is also a humbling song,” she added. “Honestly, it was a spiritual experience.”
Aotearoa Club President Maui Kinikini, a sophomore majoring in psychology from New Zealand, said most of the club’s previous performances were predictable but this one is different. “We can all connect to the song by thinking that each of us has challenges to face and to climb,” he said.
Settle, a sophomore majoring in social work from New Zealand, said some club members were challenged during the practice because, “It is not only a test of their coordination and singing. There are other factors as well.” One of these factors is to have the right facial expressions while performing, Settle said. “There are more expressions than just smiling,” he explained. “We have to learn to show the right expression to be able to get the message across.”
The dancers shared these varying expressions during the loud chants of the haka as they stomped their feet, bared their teeth and kept their stares focused on the audience.
Samoa
Dancing for culture and a cause
By Myco Marcaida
Wearing red dresses and yellow feather boas in their hair, painted lava-lavas and ti leaves and red marks on their cheeks, the Samoa Club was ready to perform.
The club's members lined up on stage, but before the performance began, Norman Uili, a sophomore majoring in information technology from Samoa, said the club was dedicating its performance to raise awareness for and support those who fight mental health "battles every day."
Their performance composed of a sasa, ma'ulu'ulu, fa'ataupati and a taualuga, said Linda Laulu, a junior from American Samoa majoring in elementary education. According to Laulu, the first dance, the sasa, is a traditional dance with men and women that starts from sitting down, demonstrating different motions that represent the daily chores in the islands.
The second dance, the ma’ulu’ulu, is usually performed to celebrate important occasions, honor guests and tell stories from Samoan mythology and history, she said. Laulu explained the song for this year’s ma’ulu’ulu, called “Lalelei tofaina oe,” by Annie Graceis, is a farewell to a woman who is compared to a rose no one can resist.
The fa’ataupati, which was the third dance, is a rhythmic dance where performers create percussive beats by slapping their thighs, chest and arms, Laulu explained. “This dance is often performed by men, showcasing their strength, coordination, and skill,” she said.
Laulu shared the taualuga danced at the end of the club’s performance is performed by a male or female and is traditionally danced by a high chief’s daughter or son. This dancer usually has a traditional crown on their head, and their intricate movements are accompanied by rhythmic singing.
Samoa Club President Alexander Galea’i, a junior from Laie majoring in business management, said he saw Samoan culture celebrated by club members as they gathered and participated in activities this semester.
Logan Williams, a junior majoring in elementary education from New Zealand, shared, “Being here at BYU–Hawaii and immersing myself through Culture Night alongside a supportive community allows me to stay true to my roots.”
Photos by Ke Alaka'i photographers
Compiled by Abigail Harper