We are just weeks away from the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Hawaii. Dancers are preparing to represent the CNMI on the big stage.

About 60 dancers from Chamorro and Carolinian groups will represent the Northern Marianas in Hawaii for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in June. The CNMI will send 100 delegates to the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islanders.

KUAM met with two dance groups preparing for the big stage. One cultural dance group, Inapu, originally from Tinian, will be represented by 9 dancers and one vocalist.

Leanna Marie Borja, President of Inåpu said, "This is a great honor. As a dancer, I guess you could say there's different levels of things to accomplish in life and as a dancer, I think being able to represent the CNMI as an ambassador, it really is a great honor to participate in this prestigious cultural event."

And VP Stephanie Borja added, "This is my first time representing our culture somewhere else…And yeah, I'm excited for the experience and to meet people from other cultures."

They’ll also be accompanied by designers, weavers, and supporters. Simiyan Marianas will also be on stage. 9 of their dancers will be heading to Hawaii.

Dance leader April Repeki said, "We get to collab with other Pacific Culture, mingle, and we also kind of exchange arts and it was really exciting to see the similarities and also not only through the handicraft arts, right? Even through dance."

Another dancer with the CNMI delegation, Roberto Santos, shared, "I've never been to FestPAC before. Also being able to represent my heritage as Chamorro and Carolinian and being part of the Marianas delegation, that's big. There are so many other bigger conversations about our island nations, and this is a huge opportunity for us to bond and to get to know each other and to exchange our ideas."