Hawaii

The tour started with a kind of welcome show, in which people from each island group came out riding canoes as an announcer said hello in their language and explained a bit about their culture.

The tour of the villages was a bit simplistic but fun. There were demonstrations of Hawaiian quilting, things you can make with coconut, wood carving, Maori games, and so on. The show was spectacular, with performers from all the major islands, although the dinner was nothing special.

The dancers and guides are students at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and appearing at the PCC is their work-study job.

You don't get proselytized, in case that's what you're worrying about.

Actually, I had a great experience on my second stay in Hawaii (a summer session at UH for language teachers).

We were staying in a dorm that also housed a group of high school students from Samoa who were on an Upward Bound program. On their last night, they put on a show of singing and dancing in the cafeteria. I was impressed at what a high-quality show these kids were able to put on.