Maricel Evasco's Comments

my college graduation pic some 2 decades ago...

To be an angel, one need not have wings.
In giving love there is an equal grace.
Nor need one seek the aura in the face,
As love unveils the beauty of all things."
By Francois Couperin

I have a new puppy!

My Daddy

My Kids

My Mom

Such a beautiful gift is the loving spirit of one to another, Thank you Mari, Blessings, T

My daughter's supplemental college essay:

The Transformation
A warm, welcoming summer day brought me to my neighbor, Luana. The melodious tunes she strummed from her old wooden ukulele danced through the balmy breeze beckoning me to watch her and the beautiful halau of Hawaiian dancers. I was riveted by the halau’s eloquent synchronization of music and dance. Mounted on a makeshift, wooden platform, stood several women costumed in the traditional garments from the islands of Hawaii and Polynesia who were dancing for a primal audience: nature and themselves. I observed that the gentle and exquisitely graceful sway of their hands and hips seem to empower them physically and spiritually. Their faces radiated the serenity and beauty of the dance. Perhaps because Luana caught a glimpse of my enraptured expression from across the fence that divided our yards, she smiled and welcomed me into her private dance session. It was that same day she adopted me as one of her own dancers. She explained to me that hula was not just a dance, but a story of nature, love, and humanity expressed through movement particularly in the undulation of one’s hands. She claimed that I had a natural gift for dance, but in order to perform professionally, I would have to practice with great dedication and maintain my love for the dance, because in its essence, hula is a dance from the heart. I knew that day I was committed to be a hula dancer.

Throughout almost a decade of working with Luana, my kumu, the Hawaiian word for “teacher,” my dancing technique improved. I spent increasing amount of time each week practicing and performing both as member of her halau and her professional dance troupe (Hawaiian Artists). The amount of time I dedicated to learning not just hula, but most of the traditional dances of Polynesia, which include certain forms of fire dancing, taught me to value the discipline and perseverance required of a professional dancer. Without those hours into years of practice and performances, I would never have been able to execute the powerful Uwehe, a critical hand movement to hula, expressed in the intricate undulations of the arm and hand by professional hula dancers. My commitment to mastering Polynesian dances also deepened my love for its expression. There was nothing quite as exhilarating as swinging burning poy balls or fire lit wooden sticks to an audience avidly watching me pick up the swing to the staccato beating of the drums. I could almost feel their pulse quicken as the power of my dancing grew. My own spirit took flight as my energy flew! I swung and I swayed. As I spun and spun the fire, my movements expressed my life force within. I was at one with the audience and my world.

It was my wish to share my hula dancing experiences with others so that they too may experience its magic. “Hula is healing, it is powerful, you learn to make magic with your own self and gifts that you have.” (Coline Helen, Kaualoko Aiu) So, for the past couple of years, I have taught hula at the local library and community events particularly those designed to engender an interaction between mentally disabled kids with volunteer coordinators, such as myself. I found it immensely gratifying to connect with disabled kids at a spiritual level whereby I could teach them how to express their emotions in the slow, graceful, but deliberate movements of hula. It was those memories with the kids I helped along the way and the passionate energy remembered from past performances that sent a sudden surge through my body as I mounted the steps to the stage of the Waikiki Shell for the World Hula Invitational ’07 to execute my best hula performance ever. The limelight was centered on me then and just as those memories flitted through my mind, any remnants of uncertainty about my dancing ability vanished. On that world stage, I was transformed from a shy, uncertain girl, into a confident performer able to perform magic with the undulation of my hands

To the meaningful universe...

Warm Aggie hug!