{"id":136472,"date":"2021-03-02T12:05:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T22:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=136472"},"modified":"2021-03-02T12:31:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T22:31:20","slug":"hula-bowl-halftime-director-uh-alum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/03\/02\/hula-bowl-halftime-director-uh-alum\/","title":{"rendered":"Hula Bowl halftime director is proud <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr>  Hilo alumnus, employee"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_20415\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NFF8NRRnVZE?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"2021 Hula Bowl Halftime Show\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tracey Niimi<\/strong> put aside his student support specialist hat at University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu\/\">pharmacy college<\/a> to direct and film the 2021 Hula Bowl halftime show. The coveted college all-star football game on January 31 was the final one scheduled to be played at Aloha Stadium.<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_136494\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136494\" style=\"width: 180px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-niimi-t.jpg\" alt=\"headshot\" width=\"180\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-niimi-t.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-niimi-t-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-niimi-t-93x130.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136494\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tracey Niimi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_136492\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136492\" style=\"width: 180px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-kubo-r.jpg\" alt=\"headshot\" width=\"180\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-kubo-r.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-kubo-r-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-kubo-r-93x130.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136492\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reid Kubo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_136493\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136493\" style=\"width: 180px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-fujitani-k.jpg\" alt=\"headshot\" width=\"180\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-136493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-fujitani-k.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-fujitani-k-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-fujitani-k-93x130.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136493\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kevin Fujitani<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>The opportunity came as a surprise to Niimi who received a call from a Hula Bowl representative about his video skills. The Hilo native owns a local photography company, but filming for a living is a fairly new field.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My wife and I both graduated from <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr>  Hilo\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/business.uhh.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Business and Economics<\/a> back in 2011 before starting our photography business,&rdquo; Niimi explained. &ldquo;When COVID-19 hit this past year I had to pivot our business and I started doing video production as well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Because no spectators were allowed to attend the game, organizers asked Niimi to film the halftime show ahead of time.<\/p>\n<p>The four-and-a-half-minute segment was shot at Kahilu Theatre on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and featured iconic Hawaiian fashion designer Manaola Yap and H&#257;lau Manaola. The award-winning hula troupe falls under the direction of Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap, the designer\u2019s mother. The young trendsetter narrated a poetic monologue on what hula means to him while dancers performed <em>A <span aria-label=\"Koaekea\">Koa&#699;ekea<\/span> I Pueohulunui<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone in hula has their own perspective on what hula is so I wanted to respect that and share what hula is to me through what I was taught while growing up,&rdquo; Yap said. &ldquo;Around the world, the view of what hula is has been different. This halftime show is about taking back that cultural narrative and helping the audience to experience the true meaning, essence and power that hula is.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>To help capture the culturally charged production Niimi assembled an entire team of local videographers including <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo alumni, <strong>Kevin Fujitani<\/strong> and <strong>Reid Kubo<\/strong>, an information technology specialist at the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island campus\u2019 pharmacy school.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think we all felt that weight of responsibility to our community to create a piece that not only properly represented the Hawaiian culture, but was a piece that our entire state would be proud of sharing with the rest of our country,&rdquo; Niimi said.<\/p>\n<p>The 75th Hula Bowl aired in January on <abbr>CBS<\/abbr> Sports Network and streamed on the <abbr>CBS<\/abbr> Sports App.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/chancellor\/stories\/2021\/02\/05\/alum-heads-film-crew-for-hula-bowl-halftime\/\">For more go to <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo Stories.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo Stories<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_136495\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-136495\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-1.jpg\" alt=\"hula dancers\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-1.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-1-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-136495\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Miss Aloha Hula 2006 N\u0101makana Davis-Lim, Manaola Yap and Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-2.jpg\" alt=\"person filming hula Halau\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-136502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-2.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hillo-hula-bowl-haftime-2-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Due to COVID-19 the four-and-a-half-minute segment was filmed ahead of time on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and featured iconic Hawaiian fashion designer Manaola Yap and H&#257;lau Manaola. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,679,499,52,14,907,56],"class_list":["post-136472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-college-of-business-and-economics","tag-college-of-pharmacy","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-hilo-stories","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136472"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136515,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136472\/revisions\/136515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}