Dance teacher brings Hula and Ori Tahiti to Imperial Valley

IMPERIAL COUNTY Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - A dance teacher from Mexicali is bringing the Pacific Islander culture to the Valley by teaching the Hula and Ori Tahiti dance to children and adults.

Viviana Luna said she started dancing Hula and Ori Tahiti when she was 15 years old. 

She said she fell in love with the Pacific Islander culture and started her own dance studio in Mexicali. 

She opened her studio "Noelani Dance Academy" a year ago.

“When you dance Hula, you can speak without words, you dance with your hands so you can share the love for the dance and the love for the nation because Hawaiians are very respectful for the world and all the things that it gives us. So I love everything about the culture," said Viviana Luna, Noelani Dance Academy.

In 2018, Luna and her Mexicali students won a Hula dance competition in Hawaii. 

She said she wants her Imperial Valley students to start competing soon. 

Their first showcase will be at Southwest High School on Sunday, June 2.