...Emily's Luau

Members of the audience went on stage to learn the hula.

Emily performs the hula with the instructor on stage.

A dancer with bulging eyes and a huge tongue which was used to intimidate enemies in days past.

Dancers perform on stage.

The fire dancer takes the stage.

A slow exposure captures the fire trail.

More fire dancers.

After the luau dancers lined the exit allowing for photos to be taken with them.

Emily poses with one of the dancers after the luau.

More than anything else, Emily wanted to go to a luau during our trip to Maui.  So we got reservations to attend one on our first full day in Maui.  Then, the morning of the event I received a phone call from Jennifer saying the luau had been canceled due to inclement weather...in Maui!  We all got a good laugh out of that.  It was a bit windy and there were some occasional rain showers, but it was above freezing.  Go figure.

At any rate, we rescheduled for the next evening which meant our luau would follow our Haleakala sunrise/biking adventure, which you might recall started at 1:30 AM.  Made for a big day.

We arrived a few minutes early and received shell necklaces while we waited in line.  When we got to our seats we were greeted by a man with a big tray of fruity Hawaiian drinks and it wasn't long before Master of Ceremonies, Warren Miliani, took the stage and the show began.  The roasted pig was brought out and lifted into the air for all to see while the band played Hawaiian music.  Warren soon asked all the people wanting to learn how to perform the hula to come up on stage. Emily jumped right up and made her way through the crowd to a spot right next to the instructor.  It was her dream come true and she was ecstatic!

We went through the food line next where we piled our plates with pulled pork (of course), mahi mahi, and other Hawaiian foods.  Then, I was lucky enough to sit next to a man from Missouri who asked if I knew Sarah Palin.  I told him I didn't, which he couldn't believe because he thought everybody in Alaska knew everybody and so on.  He had lots of ideas about politics which he was more than happy to share.

Luckily, it wasn't long before the show began in earnest and we watched as dancers performed traditional Hawaiian dances as Warren interpreted their meaning for us.  He said the movement of the dancers hands was very important as they told the story being conveyed by the dance.

Then it was time for the fire dancers.  Evidently fire dancing is not traditionally Hawaiian.  It was performed on other Polynesian islands and eventually made its way to Hawaii--mostly for entertainment at tourist luaus.  In any event, we were looking forward to this and watched as the fire dancers twirled fire batons and threw them into the air.  It was great!

All too soon the show was over and we made our way to the exit.  Along the way many of the dancers waited to greet the crowd and Emily got her photo taken with several of them. It was a great evening and we were glad we attended...Emily's Luau.