Drums and dance fill weekend for Kiki Raina in Merced

Drums pounded and dancers shimmied all weekend during Merced’s 36th annual Kiki Raina Tahiti Fete, a dance competition and a celebration of Polynesian culture.

The event known to attract about 1,200 filled the Golden Valley High School gym with spectators who came from many parts of California, and some from out of state.

Competing in separate age groups, the dancers ranged from age 4 to older than 45. They performed to live drums while judges looked on.

Gabriella Valdivia, 27, of Richmond competed in the solo competition for her age group, wearing a leafy crown, a bikini top and a skirt, the uniform for female dancers.

She said the event is all about family. Her three children dance and her husband is a drummer. “It’s about the spirit of love and just expressing your love of dancing,” she said.

Also on hand were vendors of Polynesian dress and food.

They sold Tahitian wraparounds called “pareus,” jewelry, musical instruments and flowery hair clips. Island-style eateries offered kalua pig, teriyaki chicken, Hawaiian shaved ice and even Spam musubi, a slice of canned meat wrapped in rice and seaweed like a sushi roll.

The dancers and drummers all came with their local dance clubs or nonprofits. Some danced solo and others competed in teams while wearing colorful skirts and decorated headdresses of feathers, flowers, straw and seashells.

Valdivia, who is a member of Te Fare of San Francisco, said dance groups become tightly knit and might as well be family.

She said she participated in the dance circuit around the state for many years, and Merced’s gathering is the most consistent.

That consistency is thanks to the Merced group Te Mau Ta’ata Anuanua, or “People of the Rainbow,” which organizes the festival.

Organizer Becky Manandic, who is called “Aunty Becky” by those at the festival, said her group estimates the event pumps $250,000 into the local economy through food, gas, hotels and other sales to dancers and their families.

So the event gives Merced an economic boost while it carries on the Polynesian cultural traditions.

This story was originally published March 21, 2015 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Drums and dance fill weekend for Kiki Raina in Merced."