Tongan Ballerina Making History ^Featured

Salt Lake City resident, Eliana Vaha’i is just 13 years old. Despite her young age, this descendant of Lord Nuku Penisimani Finefeuiaki has already graduated high school with highest honors and been accepted into college, all while training with the prestigious Ballet West Academy – the first Tongan girl to do so. She doesn’t plan to stop there.

Eliana’s future plans include dancing with Ballet West before returning to Tonga to establish the Kingdom’s first ballet school and company. She knows the odds are against her – no major ballet company currently boasts a Tongan ballerina in its ranks – something she hopes to change. She draws inspiration from Ballet West.

“Ballet West is one of the most diverse classical ballet companies in the United States ,” said Adam Sklute, Ballet West Artistic Director. “Our dancers hail from Haiti to Tokyo and that diversity nurtures the whole Company. Eliana Vaha’i represents where ballet is naturally progressing: an art form that looks like the rest of the world; after all, it is an art form that belongs to the world.”

Eliana agrees. “Telling stories through dance is already a part of Tonga . Now I’m bringing part of Tonga to ballet,” she said. “Every day I visualize building my ballet school in Tonga and picture what it will be like to dance for the King. I just know its going to happen. I was born for this.”

Representing Tonga in the elite world of ballet while honoring Tongan heritage and culture is of paramount importance to Eliana. In addition to her rigorous ballet and academic schedules, Eliana co-founded and co-directs Island Daughters, a community service organization for young Tongan women that focuses on a three fold mission: to honor the past, connect to the present, and build the future.

The year ahead is a busy one for the young ballerina. She has been invited to perform at an upcoming traditional Tongan wedding and at several Pacific Islander events through-out the United States this spring. She danced in every performance of Ballet West’s recent run of Swan Lake – the only Tongan in the cast. A historical first performance tour in Tonga, set to coincide with the King’s coronation is in the works, as well as a web series and documentary film that will follow Eliana as she strives to realize the huge dreams she has for herself and for Tonga.

For more information on Ballet West and Ballet West Academy

Contact:

Glory Vaha’i
Mother of Eliana Vaha’i
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801-502-9021

Joshua Jones
Ballet West
Associate Director of Press and Social Media
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801-896-6916