Visit the islands in Surf City

Dave Brooks

One doesn’t have to fly across the Pacific to enjoy a taste of the

aloha spirit.

Through the end of August, a Costa Mesa Polynesian entertainment

troupe is holding a series of performances at the Hyatt Regency

Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach. Pete Mallory’s Surf City Sunset

Grille hosts the weekly event, which treats visitors to a

cross-cultural tour of the many islands of the Pacific through a

lively music and dance show, along with a Polynesian buffet and

Hawaiian gifts.

The entertainment is put on by Lokelani’s Rhythm of the Islands, a

group organized by Costa Mesa couple Roy and Kathy Asuega.

Roy Asuega has been on the big screen in such movies as “The

Flintstones” and “Demolition Man.” The bandleader plays guitar, drum

and ukulele during performances.

Kathy Asuega is also a lifelong Hawaiian enthusiast, having spent

most of her life in dance troupes that have performed all over the

West Coast.

“This is something I’ve dedicated my life to, and I like sharing

it with others,” she said. “Many people don’t realize that there is a

large population of Hawaiians and Samoans living in Orange County.”

The goal, she said, is to keep things as authentic as possible.

“She really tries to keep the tradition alive,” said dancer

Nicolina Santos, one of the 150 performers who work with the Asuega

family and one of five female performers who perform at the Hyatt

show on Saturdays.

“Every hula dance is a story, and there are many different

stories,” Santos said. “Some stories are about love, some are about

life -- each dance has a different meaning to a different person.”

The hula’s roots can be traced back to Hawaii, where generations

of young people performed the dance, passed down to them through

tradition and family. It went into decline at the end of the 1800s,

when many islanders were not allowed to publicly perform the hula due

to the influence of missionaries on the islands. In the 1920s and

1930s, the dance was popularized in nightclubs across Hawaii and

eventually made its way onto the big screen, capturing the

imaginations of millions of Americans.

“For me, it’s a chance to step out of my box and perform something

I love for people who might not have experienced this before,” Santos

said.

Santos said she enjoyed the Saturday shows because near the end of

the performance, the dancers invite audience members onto stage to

perform the hula.

“Some people are really scared, but others really get into it,”

she said.

Lokelani’s Rhythm of the Islands is performing through Sept. 3 at

the Hyatt. Tickets are $75 for adults, $35 for children and include a

buffet and an hourlong performance. Tickets can be purchased at Pete

Mallory’s Surf City Sunset Grille or Surf City Grocers.