Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club was well represented at the Annual Cerritos Festival of Friendship that was held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at the Los Cerritos Center. The Cerritos Festival of Friendship is sponsored by the City of Cerritos Let Freedom Ring Committee in conjunction with the Los Cerritos Center. The festival gave the community a unique opportunity to learn about the city’s cultural diversity through songs and dances performed by different groups on stages at the Los Cerritos Center Mall.
Members of Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club performed with three different groups on two stages at the Los Cerritos Center Mall, the stage in front of Forever 21, and the stage in front of the Sears building.
At the Forever 21 stage, the Na Kupunawahine (grandmothers) of Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club of Cerritos, performed three hulas, That’s the Hawaiian in Me, Nanina, and Waipio Paea’ea, which were announced by kumu (teacher) Hedy Anduha. Co-VP for Public Performances Carol Roxas chaired this performance assisted by Co-VP’s Pilar La Fuente and Liberty Santiago. They were dressed in colorful holomu’mu’s (long dresses) of purple or teal color. All the dancers wore long leis of white silk pikake flowers and lei po’o, (head leis). They danced both modern and traditional hulas.
The Sears stage was the site for two group performances. The Na Ipo (Sweethearts) Hula group and the Angklung Group. The Na Ipo Hula Group danced four modern hulas: Aloha Week Hula, Puka Pants, Sway It Hula Girl, and Hula Rock Mama. This group was led by Frances McCormick and the dancers wore Pa’u, skirts of different colors and orchid leis.
The Angklung Group was the group who performed three songs under the direction of their leader Ann Kho. The Angklung is an Indonesian bamboo instrument that is played by shaking bamboos. Each instrument has been created to produce one note, and the performers follow numbers on a chart to know when they play their note. The Angklung Group wore colorful purple batik sarongs and matching Indonesian necklaces. The group played three familiar songs: God Bless America, Edelweiss, and It’s a Small World. It was the first time that many spectators were able to see and hear the Angklung Group playing their bamboo instruments. They were the Grand Finale of the day.
All of Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club’s groups received appreciative applauses from their audiences as they performed their numbers. They thanked the City of Cerritos Let Freedom Ring Committee and the Los Cerritos Center for giving them the opportunity to share their traditional and modern Hawaiian dances and the Indonesian Angklung bamboo instruments.