Competition kicked off Thursday night at the 2025 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo with the soloist competition.
Thirteen contestants competed for the title of Miss Aloha Hula, including Jaedyn Pavao, representing Kauaʻi's only hālau in this year's festival. The Kukuiolono native grew up immersed in the hula.
"I’ve been dancing since I could walk and talk. And it's something that I hold a lot of responsibility for. I feel that it is my responsibility to carry on the stories of our ancestors," she said.
While much of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival is focused on a group of hula dancers moving in sync with the music and with each other, the soloist competition gives hula practitioners an opportunity to elevate the art of the dance without the constraints of synchronization.
"The overall goal is to transcend space and time. So, for me, I’m not going to be thinking about the judges or the people watching me. More so, I’m thinking about my home, my Kauaʻi, my lineage," Pavao told HPR before the competition.
Pavao said that preparing for the Miss Aloha Hula competition was grueling, from the extra hours at the gym to the meticulous research into her hula kahiko, or traditional hula number.
"In my hula kahiko there are many place names that Kauaʻi people donʻt even use anymore. So, that's another goal of mine is to bring life to those names, and the only way that I could do that is by knowing where these places are. One of the things I did was sitting down and looking at these really old maps and figuring out where these particular places are," she said.
Pavao is the niece and student of Kumu Hula Leināʻala Pavao Jardin of Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala — Kauaʻi's only hālau in this year’s Merrie Monarch.
"We come with much much gratitude because we know, like the other hālau, it takes a lot to get here to Hilo. It’s not only hours and hours of practice, right? But financially, it takes a lot," Jardin said.
Jardin estimated the cost to be around $5,000 per dancer. This year, she brought both her kāne, or male dancers, as well as her wāhine. The hālau was fortunate enough to secure the financial support of 50 Kauaʻi businesses.
"That really allowed us to focus on our hula, and not focus on selling cookies this weekend, selling chips next weekend. Car wash, right, I think a lot of people don’t realize what goes on behind the scenes. So, every hālau that takes the stage at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium, their journey has been more than just hula," she said.
For Jardin, this year's competition is the culmination of a tough year on the personal front.
"Last year, I was diagnosed with cancer, and I’m so, so happy to be healthy right now and doing really, really well. All glory to Ke Akua for that complete healing," the kumu hula said.
"And you know, you just look at life a little different, right? And you don’t waste time. You don’t take time for granted. I just, right now, for me, every day I want to create special memories."
Pavao is hoping to create special memories with her kumu at Thursday night's Miss Aloha Hula competition.
"Yeah, it’s a competition, but we all share that same love and passion for hula, and through the Merrie Monarch, hula lives on. I think even to the other hālau, let’s go out there and give it, because we all love hula, and we all have put in so much blood, sweat and tears into this weekend. So, let’s get out there, have fun, and just give it all we got."
Jaedyn Pavao was crowned Miss Aloha Hula on Thursday night, after this article was posted. Congratulations!
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