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Championship Finals Continue Friday and Saturday Night

As the 18th Annual World Fireknife Championships reached its midway point at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), the top competitors tonight emerged to take the Junior and Open Duet divisions.

Today’s winning competitors are:

Junior Pacific Divisions
Ages 6-11: 
1st.    Preston Weber, 11
2nd.    Achilles Tafiti, 11
3rd.    Hale Motuapuaka, 9

Ages 12-17:
1st.    Rex Tiumalu, 16 (back-to-back)
2nd.    Keenan Chung, 15
3rd.    Malo MJ Matau, 16

Open Group Competition
1st.    Justeen and UaMana Castillo
2nd.    Hi Warriors (David Galeai, Iraia Bailey and Alii Pukahi)

Semi-Finals
Leading the individual adult division following the completion of the Semi-Finals competition are Defending Champion Mikaele Oloa along with Fili Mafiti and Joseph Cadousteau, but who will be the 2010 champion remains to be seen.

The World Fireknife Championships continues tomorrow with the first of two days of championship finals, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on both days in the Pacific Theater, home of PCC’s new night show, Ha: Breath of Life.
Competitive fireknife performances will be held during the show’s intermission, providing added spectacle to an already visually and culturally spectacular experience.

The 2010 World Fireknife Champion will be crowned at the conclusion of Saturday’s show in a prestigious victory ceremony held in the champion’s honor.

The modern fireknife dance stemmed from the Samoan ailao, a warrior's knife dance, performed with the nifo oti, or “tooth of death.” This dance was displayed before battle to frighten the enemy and afterward to celebrate victory. Today, the art of fireknife dancing has become one of the most intense, skillful and beautiful of Samoan traditions. The modern dance consists of twirling a sharp knife, with both ends on fire, at high speeds and requires acute precision and acrobatic finesse. The fire is very real, and dancers often make contact with the flames, some times intentionally.

In addition to the fireknife championship events, the Pacific Theater on Saturday will also serve as a venue for the annual Samoan Cultural High Schools Arts Festival where Hawaii students will demonstrate their own cultural knowledge of Samoan traditions with exhibitions in basket weaving, coconut husking and fire making, among other events. The festival will begin at 9 a.m.

The 18th Annual World Fireknife Championships and “We Are Samoa” High School Song and Dance Festival are sponsored by Henry S. Mataalii and Company, Hawaiian Airlines, Turtle Bay Resort, Bank of Hawaii, Edwards Enterprises, Pepsi, the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and Galumalemana Lester W.B. Moore.

To attend the final two nights of competition, visitors must purchase a reserved seating ticket to the Ha: Breath of Life evening show for each respective night. Kamaaina (Hawaii residents) are eligible for Aloha Friday Ticket prices, which are $25 for dinner at the Gateway Buffet and seating at Ha, all other tickets begin at $45. Advanced reservations are recommended. For more information or to make reservations, call the Polynesian Cultural Center ticket office toll-free at (800) 367-7060 or visit www.polynesia.com. In Hawai’i, call (808) 293-3333.

Founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization, the PCC has entertained more than 34 million visitors, while preserving and portraying the culture, arts and crafts of Polynesia to the rest of the world. In addition, the PCC has provided financial assistance to 17,000 young people from over 70 different countries while they attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. As a non-profit organization, 100 percent of PCC’s revenue is used for daily operations and to support education.

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