2011 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Half-Time Show By Kumu Hula Tammy Ipolani Silva

On Saturday, December 24, 2011, Southern Mississippi played against the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in front of a crowd of about 19,500. It rained in the early morning hours, but at game time it was nice and sunny. Perfect weather for those in attendance. Many people in the stadium were talking about the low attendance and commented that if the University of Hawaii were playing, there would have been a better turn out. The winner of this year's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl was Southern Mississippi who came from behind to take the game 23-17.

At half-time, the mood of the crowd changed amid cheers, and excitement filled the air as 17 halaus filled the stadium field for their performance. I was invited to this event by Kumu Hula Tammy Ipolani Silva (photo above), who is a native Hawaiian, born and raised on O'ahu. She is a life-long student of polynesian dance. At age 4, she studied under Kumu Hula, Ku'ulei Clark of Honolulu. Ipolani studied under her primary Kumu Hula Darrell Ihi'ihilauakea Lupenui for 7 years until his passing in 1987. She then continued her studies under Chinky Mahoe until she relocated to Las Vegas in 1992. Her professional career as a dancer, lead performer, and choreographer included work with the Polynesian Entertainment Productions, Inc., in Las Vegas, Germaine's Luau in Honolulu as cast director, lead dancer, and Hawaiian Hut at the Ala Moana Hotel. She is also the founder and President of Ke'ala Productions, Inc. where she produces a polynesian revue she calls "Polynesia Alive."

This awesome half-time performance took many months of preparation, practice and coordination among all 17 halaus. Ipolani has choreographed and produced this large scale production of 500 plus dancers for the past few years. I was fortunate to have witnessed first hand the work involved, from sewing the outfits to creating the beautiful flowers for the dancers. The State of Hawaii, the Hawaii Visitors Bureau and the Aloha Stadium and its employees should be proud of the love, pride and dedication of these halaus. Thanks to Kumu Hulu, Tammy Ipolani Silva, Wayne & Evelyn Fernandez and the 17 halaus, it was an honor to witness their outstanding performance as a result of all their hard work. The designer for the headpiece (Moanikeala Fia Silva) was created by Mark Magallanes and took 5 hours to assemble. Click here to see candid photos of the rehearsal & half-time show and highlight video clips. "Happy Holiday to all."