This year’s Polynesian Luau features cultural dances, roasted pig. Here’s how to attend
A group that once practiced Chamorro dance in a three-car garage will return to the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma as one of many groups to perform at the APCC’s 24th Annual Polynesian Luau.
Joel Larimer, founder of Guma’ Imahe, said his group will present dances from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The luau starts at 3 p.m. Aug. 28. Those who are unable to attend in person can watch the event unfold through the center’s Facebook Live and YouTube page.
Tickets to the luau can be purchased online. It costs $12.50 for children ages 4-11 and $50 for people 12 and up. Attendees can also purchase a table for 10, which costs $500.
You can expect to see cultural dances and hear traditional music from islands like Fiji, Tonga and Guam. Roasted pig, coconut salmon and teriyaki chicken will be among the food served.
Chanting and singing will also be heard with songs that talk about topics like the mythical creation of Guam.
“I wouldn’t say we perform … we present,” Larimer said. “It’s more of a learning experience for the audience.”
Guma’ Imahe started in March 2012 in his sister’s three-car garage, Larimer said. Only one student showed up at the first dance practice, but that number grew as time passed.
“I ended up with 24 dancers,” Larimer said. “We outgrew the garage — we even had them dancing on the outside portion of the driveway.”
When July came around, Guma’ Imahe partnered with APCC so dancers could have a larger space to practice, Larimer said. The group has continued to grow.
The luau is one of APCC’s main fundraiser events, said Faaluaina Pritchard, APCC’s executive director. The organization started in 1996 and had its first luau in 1997, when it raised $5,000.
“That was the first income stream for the organization,” Pritchard said.
Last year’s luau raised $78,000, Pritchard said. Although funds collected from the luau are not enough to sustain the whole organization, it helps cover other expenses APCC might incur down the line, she said.
“It’s only $50 … but you’re getting food, you’re getting a full show and a great time to be with others,” Pritchard said. “It’s a wonderful way for you to support the organization and what we do, and we do so much.”
Larimer said one of the most important things the luau does is it helps preserve cultures and emphasizes cultural awareness.
“A lot of people here — and I hate to say it — are very ignorant to different cultures. Some of them have never even left Washington,” Larimer said. “We want them to learn the different identities (and) the cultures of the Pacific.”
