David Malo Pageant
Festive West Side
May Day Events

BY BUCK QUAYLE

David Malo Pageant

"Excellent, fantastic, great, wonderful." These were the one-word reactions heard on all sides during the first annual David Malo Pageant at Lahainaluna High School last Saturday.

Jimmie Greig beautifully emceed the festivities with the help of several students. When a dancer missed a step, or a singer forgot a few lines, his ad libs had the audience of 1,000 and the performers weak with laughter.

This is not to say that the mistakes were many. The entire program of Hawaiian chants, dances, songs and music were professionally executed.

The Boarders Chorus, the Hawaiiana Club, the Kamehameha III students, the Josephine Greig hula troup and the Court were all top notch. Countless hours of planning and rehearsal were apparent.

As the hula dancers carried the audience back to the reign of Kamehameha I and brought it forward to the early 1900's, Greig had to remind the males to "watch the hands". One young bachelor, overcome by a particularly active dancer, was overheard to say "I think I love her".

David Malo, in whose honor a moment was passed in silence, was a noted Hawaiian educator and leader, born in 1793. He received his first formal education at the age of 38 at the Lahainaluna school, which opened in 1831.

Presiding over the pageant were King Gerard Delatori and his Queen, Robyn Rickard, who danced an eye-catching hula titled "Lahaina".

The Court was composed of Wilfred Somoang and Joanna DeGracia, Kevin Ponce and Patti Nava, Damien Bailey and Michele Rodrigues, and Lincoln Kauhane and Jackie Kukahiko. Kahili carriers were Clayton Smith and Ted Secretario. Sam Keanini and William Laborte were spear carriers.

Special credit must be given to Lorraine Gomez, Hawaiiana Club advisor at Lahainaluna, and to Ralph Murakami, principal.