Tahiti Heiva in Japan

No. 1

2023 Event Report
Tahiti Heiva in Japan, Japan’s first full-fledged
Tahitian event, began in 2005. After a longfour years, this year we were finally able toinvite judges and musicians to Japan andsafely hold Heiva i Tokyo. The audience grew
wild taking in first-hand the dynamic
competition accompanied by the powerful
drum performances!
We look back at the year 2023, beginningwith the Tokyo and Osaka Competitions, andincluding our workshops and the release ofan album of original drum beat.

HEIVA I TOKYO

Event Outline
Date/Time

10/21/2023 (Sat)10:30 doors opened, 11:00 performances began,
19:45 performances ended

Venue

Tachikawa Stage Garden

Entrance Fee

Reserved seating ¥8,800 (¥9,600 at the door)

EventsʻOri Tahiti Japan ChampionshipSolo Competition
Group Competition
Group Exhibition
Garden Stage Mini Exhibition

Number of Spectators 1,500
Sponsored by

Under the Auspices of

Air Tahiti Nui (airtahiti.com)
Tahiti Tourisme (tahiti-tourisme.com)
Mitsui Foods, Corp. (mitsuifoods.co.jp)
and three others
Hula & Tahiti (hula-tahiti.com)

JudgesManouche Lehartel

Makau Foster

Karl Brillant

Number of Participants 400
ʻOri Tahiti Japan Championship: 70
Solo Competition: 210 (Finalists)
Group Competition: 2 group
Group Exhibition: 1 group
Garden Stage Mini Exhibition: 7 group

No. 2Highlights
1. A competiton on the grandest scale in the world judged by apanel of discerning experts.
This Tahitian dance competition boasts the largest number of solo
participants in the world. This year, because performances were limited
to one day, the preliminary competition was held beforehand. The final
round was live at the venue on the day of the competition, and thejudging was carried out by a panel of judges invited from Tahiti. They
decided on each competitor’s ranking only after careful consideration.
The solo competition winners in each category received a trophy andcertificate as well as a supplementary prize such as black pearl jewely
or a shell medal. Second- and third-place winners received a certificate
and a supplementary prize. The grand prize winner was awarded withround trip tickets to Tahiti.

2. A beautiful and heated competition amongst selectdancers, ʻOri Tahiti Japan Championship.
ʻOri Tahiti Japan Championship is the most illustrious solocompetition held in Japan. It is organized by Tahiti Heiva in Japan.
Participation is limited to soloists who won first- to third-place in thepast three years at Tahiti Heiva in Japan competitions. This year, fromapproximately 110 who were eligible, 70 competed. They vied inmehura and otea performances, and this year’s champion wasNagisa Takizawa! As the grand prize winner, Nagisa was presented
with round trip tickets to Tahiti.

3. 300-inch monitor for ease of viewing.
With a 300-inch monitor placed before the stage, the dancers’
expressions and movements were clearly seen from each and every
seat in the audience.

4. Garden Stage Mini Exhibition and Craft Workshop
This year we added an outdoor stage and put on a Garden Stage Mini
Exhibition! We were blessed with good weather that day, and thanks
to the performances of the many groups, there was much excitement.
Under the tent adjacent to the outdoor stage, there was a stencil craft
workshop where everyone from children to adults enjoyed themselves
creating their very own works of art.

5. Shopping.
While the main feature of this event no doubt is the dancing, that was
not the only thing to be excited about! People also enjoyed shoppingat the booths offering items all the way from Tahiti as well as fromright here in Japan.

No. 3HEIVA I WEST

Event Outline
Date/Time

4/22/2023 (Sat)10:15 doors opened
10:30 performances began
18:30 performances ended

Venue

Namikiri Hall

Entrance Fee

Reserved seats ¥7,700 (¥8,500 at the door)

EventsSolo Competition
Group Competition

Number of Spectators 500
Under the Auspices ofJudges(online from Tahiti)

Hula & Tahiti (hula-tahiti.com)
Manouche Lehartel
Taiana Mahinui

Number of Participants 200
Solo Competition: 153Group Competition: 4 groups

HEIVA SAKURA

Event Outline
Date/Time

2/19/2023 (Sun)14:30 doors opened
15:00 performances began
18:40 performances ended

Venue

Sakura Hall, Shibuya Cultural Center Owada

Entrance Fee

Reserved seats ¥4,400 (¥4,900 at the door)

EventsSolo Competition
Group Competition

Number of Spectators 400
Under the Auspices ofJudges(online from Tahiti)

Hula & Tahiti (hula-tahiti.com)
Manouche Lehartel
Tahia Cambet

Number of Participants 80
Solo Competition: 71
Group Competition: 1 group

No. 4Workshops
We invited artists from Tahiti to come to Japan and put on dance workshops.
From 2012 to 2019:
Moeata, Taiana, Teruria, Hinavai,Makau, Tahia, Tuarii, Tommy
2023:
Tahia Cambet
Taiana Mahinui
Lesly Poerava Kia

Tahia Cambet

Taiana Mahinui

Lesly Poerava Kia

Production of Original CDs
Continuing our efforts to introduce the people of Japan to Tahitian music, we are assisting in the production ofCDs of original instrumental music, as well as CDs of vocal music by various artists.

Ori Tahiti Lesson
A collection of short selections of drumming for Tahitian dance practice

Ori Tahiti Lesson

Ori Tahiti Lesson 02

Ori Tahiti Lesson 03

Ori Tahiti Lesson 04

Ori Tahiti Lesson 05

Ori Tahiti Lesson 06

NEWOri Tahiti Lesson CDs
are now up to
number ten!
Ori Tahiti Lesson 07

Ori Tahiti Lesson 08

Ori Tahiti Lesson 09

Ori Tahiti Lesson 10

Artist SeriesAlbums of live performances in Japan by Tahitian artists and CDs made in cooperation with Tahitian artists.

Sabrina & Grace Live in Tokyo TEREHE (Sabrina)

To'u Fenua (Sabrina)

Hine Tapairu(Maruarii ATENI)O TAHITI TO ‘U ‘AI ‘A HERE(Maruarii ATENI)

Tahitian Drum Lesson Series

TAHITI HEIVA V.A.

Instructive CDs for Tahitian drum practice (recordings
done locally by artists invited from Tahiti).

A compilation album of traditional
Tahitian music.

Tahitian Drum Lesson vol. 1

Tahitian Drum Lesson vol. 2

Tahiti Heiva in Japan Series
Original albums of recordings done by artists invited over from Tahiti.

Tahiti Heiva in Japan vol. 1

FARA ETE REO(Tahiti Heiva in Japan vol. 2) (Tahiti Heiva in Japan vol. 3)

Tahiti Heiva in Japan

3-9-15 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan

Tel: 81.3.6277.1746 Fax: 81.3.6277.4458

https://tahiti-heiva.com