SIMONE HUFANA
Aloha kakou, my name is Simone!
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I am a daughter, big sister, story teller, creative, and entrepreneur. Raised on occupied Ohlone territory, also known as āDeep East Oaklandā, I am the eldest sister and middle child out of my other three siblings. My ancestors hail from both Mexico and the Ilocos and Visayan regions of the Philippines. Growing up with a mixed identity didnāt feel too out of the ordinary for a Bay Area baby, all my cousins and friends growing up were mixed as well.
I am a true Bay Area girl at heart, we have it all here! Outside of dancing hula, I am currently a Program Manager at Young Womenās Freedom Center in Oakland as well as the founder and creator of Color Herstory, where I make coloring books about influential Black, Brown, and Indigenous women of color to bring liberation through art and education.
"I am a true Bay Area girl at heart"
My hula journey began at 9 years old with the Academy of Hawaiian Arts! Like almost every little brown girl, I loooved the movie Lilo & Stitch, especially the hula dancing scenes. It was one of the very few mainstream movies in the media where the characters looked like me. I was in awe of the art form from a very young age. I begged and begged my mom to sign me up for hula classes for the longest.
She did some research to find out that AHA was located in Foothill square, only a few blocks from where we lived (who would've thought!? A halau right on the corner where all the local sideshows in Oakland are LOL)!
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On Christmas morning in 2008, my mom gifted me a little red box with a bow on top. Inside there was a folded up sheet of paper that I was confused about, and when I opened it up, it was a print out of hula classes for my sister Zariah and I. Yāall...I was so ecstatic and thankful! I jumped up out of excitement to finally fulfill one of my dreams of learning hula.
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As a child of the diaspora, itās interesting to understand how dancing hula has helped me build a bridge to better understand the history and traditions of my own ancestors in their homelands. More than learning the physical movements of hula dancing, diving deeper into learning the language and storytelling made me curious about my own peoples histories, storytelling, and dances. This curiosity led me to continue not only being a student of Hawaiian culture, but to my Mexican and Filipino roots as well.
Dancing hula starting at a young age taught me discipline and culture keeping all in one. Not to be ~corny~, but I really do believe that it was my ancestors who put me on this path as a hula dancer to better understand myself, my peoples, and to support in continuing the legacy of Hawaiian dance. To this day, I continue to draw power from my cultural lineages. We truly do stand on the shoulders of giants.
It has been such a rollercoaster dancing with the academy from a little girl to now, as Iām growing into my young womanhood. Iāve dealt with all the life things in between- graduating schools, launching my business, pausing dancing at one point to wrestle competitively for a few years, first loves, heartbreaks, moving out of my parents house, new love, grief, loss, and lots of sweetness through it all.
While navigating through all of the things, I have always found myself to be extremely grounded through physical movement and song.Ā Hula has always given me that space to release, be present, learn, and grow in ways I didnāt think I could. Though we dance as a group, it will always feel like me vs me on the floor- always continuing to push myself to be better and greater.
This is my very first Merrie Monarch that Iām training for, and Iām hella excited to step foot on that stage to pound and make an impact in the stadium. My first competition was at the 2010 Ia Ź»Oe E Ka La, and I think about lil baby Simone and know sheās rooting for me and us all on this journey.
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I couldnāt have made it this far without all of the support from my community and loved ones, especially my mom and dad- making sure that I always had what I needed and taking me to every practice, performance, and competition. Iām excited to continue putting it on for Oakland and my family.
Extending my deepest gratitude to our community for your continuous support, energy, and love as we embark on this journey to Merrie Monarch 2024!
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Your local hula girl, Simone
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