Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group, Inc. Hula Dancer from Brooklyn, MD

***Announcement*** ****Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group is now a member of both the Maryland State Arts Council’s Artists in Education Roster and Touring & Presenting Roster. We are now eligible to apply for grants to fund our programs for schools, libraries, senior centers & other 501c3 nonprofit organizations. Contact us for details & your next event could be at no cost to you! **** Aloha! Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group, Inc. is an award-winning Maryland based 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the music, dance & traditions of the Polynesian islands. We have served Maryland since 1969 through programs of education, entertainment & instruction. In January 2022, founders (the late) Meki & JoAnn won the Maryland State Arts Council’s Heritage Award for lifetime achievement in the traditional arts. We are proud to present live music, dancing & drumming from the islands of Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti & Tonga. Our current director, Meki J. also served as a Commissioner appointed by Governor Larry Hogan’s Office on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Meki was the first ever Pacific Islander to serve a Maryland Governor. He also serves as Chair of Pacific Fun Day Festival, Maryland’s only Pacific Islander festival & heads the Island Breeze band. Call now & experience Polynesia through education, entertainment or instruction as we offer luau packages, kids parties, library & school presentations with PowerPoint, dance classes, ukulele training, Oahu tour guide services, & much more. Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group, Inc. in conjunction with its affiliate band Island Breeze is able to provide anywhere from 10 minutes up to 5 hours of music & Polynesian dance entertainment for any event. Either way we can accommodate any budget to ensure you’re getting an authentic presentation for your money. In our 50+ years, we’ve performed throughout Maryland & surrounding states for a myriad of events, organizations & venues. From inaugural celebrations to major league baseball events to simple backyard parties, we’ve done it all. We have also supplied guest speakers to universities to talk about the traditional arts of Polynesia as well as our founders’ amazing story of overturning Maryland’s law & paving the way for interracial marriages. Meki & JoAnn own a small but significant piece of Maryland history. We cover topics on diversity, equality & inclusion with real life examples & our personal experiences. We also offer instruction on music & dance for both recreation & expressly to join our production. We’ve offered ukulele classes to several schools & held master dance classes at several high schools & universities. If you have an interest in learning to perform, we can provide your training. You can make money as a Polynesian traditional artist & ambassador. Our current director was practically born & raised in the Polynesian arts. His parents (group founders - Meki & JoAnn) performed in the 1960s in downtown Baltimore at the Hawaiian Room in the posh Emerson Hotel. His dad is from Western Samoa & immigrated to California to work a factory job but also was a musician & dancer. He & some Polynesian friends were able to put together a performing group that would tour the US in places such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas & of all places…Baltimore. Co-founder JoAnn was born & raised in Locust Point in South Baltimore & was always a dancer. She loved dancing & as Hawaii became our 50th state, she discovered the dance of Hawaii - the hula! She joined a local hula dancing group & became proficient enough to begin dancing professionally. She eventually went to the Emerson Hotel & saw Meki’s show at the Hawaiian Room. She ended up eventually dancing in his show. They fell in love & married. Meki’s contract with the hotel ended & he stayed. In 1969, as a married couple they formed Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group & shared the cultures with anyone & everyone. JoAnn trained the neighborhood Irish, Polish & Italian girls in Polynesian dance & the group continues to this day. Meki J. took over the group as director in 1992 after graduating from college. He took a work tour in Hawaii in 2011. While in Hawaii he worked with Tahiti Mana Tahitian dance group, Kalena’s Polynesian Ohana, Malu Productions as well as the bands Hotline & Island Storm. He performed all over Oahu in notable places such as Turtle Bay, Hilton, Hale Koa Hotel, Diamond Head Luau, Big Kahuna Luau, Hickam Officers Club, Pro Bowl Tailgate Party, & many more venues. Meki returned to Maryland in 2016 to resume directorship of Meki’s Tamure Polynesian Arts Group. With such rich history in Maryland & a 5 year training sabbatical in Hawaii, Meki is looking to provide more traditional arts events to further the Pacific Islander presence, representation & influence. The Pacific Islander demographic is a super-minority but looks to make big splashes in the coming years. We look forward to working with you! Aloha!

• Aloha Week Hula
• Blue Hawaii
• Drop Baby Drop
• Hanalei Moon
• Hanohano Hanalei
• Hawaiian War Chant
• Hawaiian Wedding Song
• Hoki Hoki
• Hoki Mai
• Hokulea
• Hokulea Otea
• Honolulu I’m Coming Back
• Hukilau
• Ka Pua U’i
• Kamate Haka
• Kuhio Bay
• La ‘Elima
• Manu Rere
• Margarita
• Maui Island Dream
• Mele Kalikimaka
• Nga Waka
• Otea Tane
• Pa Mai
• Pearly Shells
• Pili Me Ka’u Manu
• Samoa For Me
• Samoa Matalasi
• Somewhere Over The Rainbow
• Sophisticated Hula
• Tahiti E Mua Otea
• Take You For A Ride
• Te Tama Maohi
• Tiare
• Tiare Oe Note Tama Maohi E
• Tiare Otea
• Tiny Bubbles
• Tumatauenga
• Waikiki
• Waimanalo Blues
• Wave Rider
• White Sandy Beach of Hawai’i
• Wonderful World