Hey fam, I know that it's been awhile. I hope that all is well with my extended family?...my readers! As you all may know my birthday is June 7th. I share this with Prince, Allen Iverson, Nicki Giovanni and Kym Whitley just to name a few. Any who, enough of my Gemini semi-arrogance.
I've always loved culture. Culture from all over the world. One of my favorite cultures, one I have great affinity for, would be the Polynesian culture. Polynesia consist of New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. One group I grew up listening to was The Jets...a musical family of the 80's that were like a Tongan Jackson 5. I saw the lead singer, Moana Wolfgram, and felt like she could have been someone from my extended family. Recently, I found a picture of Hawaiian princess Nahi'ena'ena. I was shocked that she was a doppelganger of my daughter!...like wow! We truly are all connected.
Polynesian culture is very similar to Indigenous American culture. The dances, the drums, the feathers.
My talented and beautiful sister as well as my talented and beautiful daughter are aware of my admiration for the Polynesian people. That being said, they decided to surprise me with an awesome experience at a Polynesian venue. The chosen place is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was my first time visiting this city in Florida. I must say that it is very beautiful and the people were very friendly. Don't believe the fabrication about so called black people being under attack in Florida. It simply isn't true from my observations. It's a ploy propagated by the Democratic Party to instill fear into our demographic to keep us voting for them. This method has worked for centuries when they first terrorized our Republican ancestors into voting Democrat, no questions asked. (Look it up!!!) But that's a conversation for another time. I don't like to talk politics publicly too often. I want to respect everyone's liberty and free will...that means respecting their political affiliations.
The venue is adequately named Polynesian Fire Luau. When you first enter, you are greeted by beautiful Polynesian women that place a lei around your neck, as this is custom.
We took pictures with a couple of the performers, then we were taken to our seats. My family got us seats close to the stage!!! That alone added to my excitement. They started the show by singing a few Hawaiian folk songs. They even sung Somewhere Over The Rainbow but the version sung by Hawaiian singer Israel Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole; who passed away at 38. (R.I.P) His version always stirs my emotions. I love Patti's version, believe me! Her version seems happier though. For some reason, Israel's version make me want to cry. I'll attach his video below.
The dancers then performed several dances from several islands around Polynesia. They even performed the Haka dance. It's a warrior dance performed by the Maori people of New Zealand. That got me so amped!!! I found myself throwing up the Shaka 🤙🏾hand sign every few moments through out the entire show. It was truly an epic and spiritually moving experience. And if things couldn't get any better, the show included an open buffet. We had grilled teriyaki chicken, steamed veggies, fresh salad, fresh fruit, fried veggie rice, beef meatballs, assorted soft drinks and desserts.
I was sad for the show to end but the performers did such an impeccable job. They gave a great show and I'm sure that they were exhausted afterwards. None the less, they still took the time to chat and take pictures with the audience that decided to do so. I chatted with the lead performer to express my gratitude. I mentioned how much I loved The Jets in my youth, he then informed me that his uncle was a member of the group!
I rarely write about my birthday experiences. I hold to the ideology that somethings in life should remain sacred. Not all life lessons, fun times or situations should be shared via social media. In my opinion, that kind of takes the soul out of life. It wreaks of seeking validation from the masses. What did society do before the advent of social media? We enjoyed our lives and let memories be the compass to guide us to a fulfilling, peaceful, joyous old age. Our elders relished in telling their grandchildren about their favorite concerts or life on the farm. Today we seem so disconnected...we post it on social media and dare not engage in real time, real life. This isn't the way god intended it to be. What a spurious experience! I'm somewhat of a rebel. I'm fighting against the superficiality of it all.
However...when I have such a transcendent experience, it's only righteous that I write about it, I'm compelled to do so. I show love back to such laudable people...this is my official shout out!!!
Below I have compiled some clips from the show...if ever in the Daytona Beach area...definitely check this place out!!! Peace Always~ Shakira
I've always loved culture. Culture from all over the world. One of my favorite cultures, one I have great affinity for, would be the Polynesian culture. Polynesia consist of New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. One group I grew up listening to was The Jets...a musical family of the 80's that were like a Tongan Jackson 5. I saw the lead singer, Moana Wolfgram, and felt like she could have been someone from my extended family. Recently, I found a picture of Hawaiian princess Nahi'ena'ena. I was shocked that she was a doppelganger of my daughter!...like wow! We truly are all connected.
Polynesian culture is very similar to Indigenous American culture. The dances, the drums, the feathers.
My talented and beautiful sister as well as my talented and beautiful daughter are aware of my admiration for the Polynesian people. That being said, they decided to surprise me with an awesome experience at a Polynesian venue. The chosen place is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was my first time visiting this city in Florida. I must say that it is very beautiful and the people were very friendly. Don't believe the fabrication about so called black people being under attack in Florida. It simply isn't true from my observations. It's a ploy propagated by the Democratic Party to instill fear into our demographic to keep us voting for them. This method has worked for centuries when they first terrorized our Republican ancestors into voting Democrat, no questions asked. (Look it up!!!) But that's a conversation for another time. I don't like to talk politics publicly too often. I want to respect everyone's liberty and free will...that means respecting their political affiliations.
The venue is adequately named Polynesian Fire Luau. When you first enter, you are greeted by beautiful Polynesian women that place a lei around your neck, as this is custom.
We took pictures with a couple of the performers, then we were taken to our seats. My family got us seats close to the stage!!! That alone added to my excitement. They started the show by singing a few Hawaiian folk songs. They even sung Somewhere Over The Rainbow but the version sung by Hawaiian singer Israel Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole; who passed away at 38. (R.I.P) His version always stirs my emotions. I love Patti's version, believe me! Her version seems happier though. For some reason, Israel's version make me want to cry. I'll attach his video below.
The dancers then performed several dances from several islands around Polynesia. They even performed the Haka dance. It's a warrior dance performed by the Maori people of New Zealand. That got me so amped!!! I found myself throwing up the Shaka 🤙🏾hand sign every few moments through out the entire show. It was truly an epic and spiritually moving experience. And if things couldn't get any better, the show included an open buffet. We had grilled teriyaki chicken, steamed veggies, fresh salad, fresh fruit, fried veggie rice, beef meatballs, assorted soft drinks and desserts.
I was sad for the show to end but the performers did such an impeccable job. They gave a great show and I'm sure that they were exhausted afterwards. None the less, they still took the time to chat and take pictures with the audience that decided to do so. I chatted with the lead performer to express my gratitude. I mentioned how much I loved The Jets in my youth, he then informed me that his uncle was a member of the group!
I rarely write about my birthday experiences. I hold to the ideology that somethings in life should remain sacred. Not all life lessons, fun times or situations should be shared via social media. In my opinion, that kind of takes the soul out of life. It wreaks of seeking validation from the masses. What did society do before the advent of social media? We enjoyed our lives and let memories be the compass to guide us to a fulfilling, peaceful, joyous old age. Our elders relished in telling their grandchildren about their favorite concerts or life on the farm. Today we seem so disconnected...we post it on social media and dare not engage in real time, real life. This isn't the way god intended it to be. What a spurious experience! I'm somewhat of a rebel. I'm fighting against the superficiality of it all.
However...when I have such a transcendent experience, it's only righteous that I write about it, I'm compelled to do so. I show love back to such laudable people...this is my official shout out!!!
Below I have compiled some clips from the show...if ever in the Daytona Beach area...definitely check this place out!!! Peace Always~ Shakira
RSS Feed