JANAE DEL CASTILLO
Living this little hula girlās dreams!
Aloha! My name is Janae and Iāve been dancing with the Academy since I was 5 years old.Ā In 2005 my mom and I joined her dream halau, and hula has been a passion and lifestyle of mine ever since. Soon later my mom and I would meet Uncle Kenny and his daughter, MaĢewa, who would then turn into my blended family as my step-sister and step-dad (and even later down the line would come the addition of my two younger brothers Dominic and Sandino). I grew up spending every Saturday at Foothill Square running through the breezeway, riding scooters, and playing house with all of my hula brothers and sisters waiting for my chance to practice and spend time on the dance floor. I remember the long weekday nights on Wednesdays and Fridays, cramming in homework so I could play with my friends while our parents were dancing and soon falling asleep to the bass of Sally and Uncle Markās voice until it was time to go home.
If anyone knows Uncle Kenny, youād know that heās a talker, and soon all my conversations with him would be about hula; his stories,Ā past experiences, advice, critique, and goals for not only him as a dancer, but for me too.
Hula was a shared love with the whole family and I am grateful that I was raised by hula dancers with a vast variety of experience and skill levels. Seeing and hearing their perspectives from different positions on the line and soon dreaming of when I could join the line as an adult when I came of age and skill set.
Ā ...I competed for the first time in 2007
As a keiki, I fell in love with performing and would be filled with excitement any time I had the opportunity to be on stage. Whether it was dancing for birthday parties, hula festivals, or competitions, I loved everything about what went into preparing for a performance. Competition season was my favorite. I competed for the first time in 2007 at Iāa Oe E Ka La in Pleasanton, Ca. It was the first taste of stage adrenaline I experienced. The jitters right before the curtain opens up, the roar of cheer after the announcer presents AHA, the clarity of hitting all your markers and performing the mele and choreography thatās been drilled into your head for the past months, to walking off the stage and taking that breath of relief with all your hula sisters knowing that the countless hours was all for that rush. After that I knew I was done for, I was hooked. I looked forward to every performance after and wanted to practice all the time to perfect the craft and match the line.
Ā
...I looked forward to every performance after and wanted to practice all the time to perfect the craft and match the line.
I recall all the times that my hula brothers and sisters would sit and watch the pro-team train, day-dreaming of what it would be like when weāre all grown up dancing together and doing what weāve seen our parents, aunties, and uncles doing for years. Itās such an honor to share the floor with the same keiki that Iāve grown up with and even the adults that I looked up to and aspired to dance like. Weāve seen each other through all of our awkward stages (it was rough lol) and have now sprouted into the dancers we are today. Even now, any performance I do, I always think back to that little hula girl and how Iām living her dreams and thereās still so much more to come.
Ā This would be my second time training for Merrie Monarch, but hopefully my first time on the actual stage, since 2020 was put on pause along with the rest of the world. Iām looking forward to the opportunity to train and to make it past āhoāiā ... as we all know āyou never know youāve made the line, until after you exit the floor.ā
Mahalo for your time and support, see you at MM 2024!
Ā
Ā
Ā
Ā
Ā