This year, Moana Loa Performing Arts Centre will be holding their second term recital at the Japan ICT Theatre in USP.
Co-founder Ateca Ravuvu says she hopes to give both the students of Moana Loa and the audience a much better experience of the show they have put together.
The recital is themed ‘Tales of Disney’ and is based on five different Disney stories: Cinderella, Frozen, Snow White, Moana and Alice in Wonderland.
It is an integration of dance, drama, music and aerial.
There are 17 young aerialists from ages six to 15, who will be performing at their skill levels of beginners to advanced levels and 16 dancers, musicians and actors within the show.
The show is for both children and adults alike.
Children and adults may come dressed up as their favourite Disney characters, if they like.
The show is on Saturday June 17 and opens at 6:30pm. Moana Loa Performing Arts Centre was established in 2015 by co-founders Glenville Lord and Ateca Ravuvu.
The arts centre initially focused on growing a theatre and dance company but turned its focus towards aerial arts when the Suva scene saw a healthy growth of contemporary dance groups at the end of 2016.
It was then that the two decided to merge aerial arts into their curriculum.
In mid-2017, Glenville Lord received an amazing opportunity and left our shores for Samoa to begin running SPACE Samoa with Valentino Maliko and so Ms Ravuvu continued running the Moana Loa Performing Arts Centre in Suva at the Playhouse where they had begun classes.
In early 2020, Ms Ravuvu found the old Lami theatre in Lami Town empty and was able to secure the property, which she revamped into the studio it is today, with the support of her husband and family.
After COVID-19, Ms Ravuvu found getting Moana Loa back on track very challenging but with a wonderful group of aerial instructors and performers such as Maleina Molia, Jed Taylor, Ledua Peni, Paulini Bautani, Benjamin Matairakula, Vika Tuisawau, Matthaias Taukave, Liti Lagibalavu, and Bernadette Tunidau she was able to continue the work of providing performing arts classes with some ease.
Today, the company has grown with 15 performers who are musicians, actors, dancers and aerialists.
Over the years, Moana Loa has had as many as 80 plus students who have had training in Aerial silks and lyra hoop from beginners to advanced levels.
Every term, these students get to put on a recital for their families and these recitals have always been held at the Playhouse on Selbourne St or the Moana Loa Studio in Lami.
