Hula dancer and historian Michaela Larson will be this year’s Pa‘u Queen at the King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade in Historic Kailua Village on Saturday, June 14, 2014. For many years, Michaela was the solo dancer at the Mauna Lani Resort, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont Orchid. Currently, she is the resident historian for Body Glove tours in Kona.
Throughout her life on Hawaii Island, Michaela has ridden pa‘u in many parades in Kona and Kohala. A former elementary school teacher in Waimea, Micheala prides herself on imparting knowledge and Hawaiian cultural tradition to the keiki. Her theme for this year’s parade will be La‘akea Kealaka‘i O Kealoha (“guided by the sacred light of love”). Her choice of attire and colors will be reminiscent of the Victorian era of the Hawaiian monarchy, her way of paying tribute to Hawaii’s queens.
“The colors of my pa’u unit will be light and bright; to visualize ourselves surrounded by gold sheild of protection,” she said. “Our wahine will represent the strong and bold warrior women. I want to see that little girl or boy on the street feel awe when they see our unit. Those are the ones who we want to inspire because they are the future. I want to inspire them to strive to be a princess one day and ride in the parade.”