Mahana Polynesian Dance Company visits Anaheim, CA on July 12, 2019

Published 2019-09-16

The Mahana Polynesian Dance Company came to Pearson Park Amphitheater in Anaheim, CA on July 12, 2019. The dance performers put on a great show, highly interactive with the audience! It included dance instruction on stage for kids with the traditional island song, "Hukilau", taught by the dancers. Kids were able to mimmick the moves as the dancers went through the steps and the music. Another interactive event was a dance off competition for anyone 12 and older (and most were mature adults!). I became a finalist runner up in the dance-off challenge, where the finalists had to dance and freeze when the music stopped! Even blinking was a cause for disqualification. The competition was tight so they decided to end with a sort of musical chairs game. When the music stopped, you had to grab a seat! Hard to do with three people and one seat! I was stuck behind the seat when the music stopped! Although third in place, I received a lot of support from the audience throughout the night, including support from the hula dancers themselves! It was a great! Another interactive event was a manly warrior dance (sorry, don't know the name of this dance) with instructions for male volunteers of the audience. It seemed only fitting that I convince the Polynesian male lead in the manly stand off challenge to grab my husband and get him up on stage! Everyone, amature and professional performers alike had a great time. The Mahana performed traditional dances from the Islands, along with several impressive fire shows, including a spectacular fiery performance by the Chief! The Island ladies handled balls 0 fire just as well! Everyone was very beautiful, sweet, and talented as they shared the friendly island hospitality with everyone. After the show, we were allowed on stage to meet the performers and have a nice selfie-photo time with them all! They were all so gracious and friendly! Reminded me of home in Hawaii! This show rivals any Polynesian dance show you would find on the islands anywhere! Highly professional and authentic, wonderfully entertaining, and exotic, we were swept away, if only for a mini fun vacation, with island hospitality and entertainment that we will remember for a long time!