The Samoa Performing Arts and Creative Excellence (S.P.A.C.E.) will host the Allan Alo Arts Festival from 2–5 November 2022 which will bring in international dance groups and artists.

The Allan Alo Arts festival is a celebration of the late Seiuli Tuilagi Allano Alo Va'ai's legacy and work as pioneer and vanguard of the performing arts not only in Samoa, but the regional and the world. 

Seiuli who is the founder of S.P.A.C.E. was well-known for his unique choreography, artistic and creative performances in Samoa and across the region. 

In honor of the legacy he has left behind the Samoan-owned and based S.P.A.C.E. dance company is continuing the work through this festival. 

S.P.A.C.E. hosted a successful Allan Alo Arts Festival last year, but this time around they have expanded the show by hosting and bringing in international artists who will perform alongside with local artists in celebration of performing arts in Samoa. 

The Co-Director of S.P.A.C.E. Glenville Christopher Lord, better known as "Glen", said in an interview that they are excited for this year's festival as it promises to be "bigger and better". 

"We are excited to announce that we will have two international dance companies which are Samadhi Hawaii and MATA Dance Fiji," Glen told this newspaper. 

"We are also fortunate enough to have on board the Vaiala Youth Choir participating in this year's festival and they will be performing during the show. 

"This year we have expanded the show with international artists joining us and we are honored to have them join us for this festival."

But that's not all according to Glen, as the festival this year will also feature a few tracks and music by renowned Samoan music guru, Tuilagi Dr. Igelese Ete. 

"We are so grateful for Mr. Ete's support who has given us permission to perform some of his tracks for the festival this year. 

"This festival is a celebration and honoring the performing arts in Samoa and so to have Samoan artists support us in making this festival a reality is such a great honor and we are so grateful for the support we have received so far. 

"The festival this year is even a better way to celebrate with the host nation the 60 years of freedom and independence which makes the show this year even more special. So we are blessed to have received the support from our wider community here and abroad."

Guided by the theme "Bollywood, Polywood and Hollywood", Glen said the festival will be a celebration of the diverse cultural groups in the country. 

"We have different ethnicities in Samoa and there is a diversity in terms of culture and we want to pay tribute and acknowledge all those different cultures we have here through the performances for this festival

"This year, we are going bigger and better in terms of our performances. For us at S.P.A.C.E., we focus on the quality of our performances and we try to improve what we produce for our audience all the time. 

"On that note, we hope that this year, the quality of our performance will be three or four steps ahead of what we displayed last year. Last year, we honored the work of Seiuli Tuilagi Allan Va'ai and his passion for arts in Samoa, Pacific and internationally. 

"His legacy continues to expand and we honor him through our performances and this festival."

The S.P.A.C.E. Co-Director also revealed that they are working with the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) to make the show a success this year. 

With the borders now opened to the world, Glen said the festival is also an opportunity to not only showcase the talents of local artists born and bred and taught in Samoa, but it also offers an opportunity to bring in people to see what Samoa has to offer for visiting friends and families. 

"The majority of international artists coming for this festival this year have never been to Samoa before. They have seen some of the amazing tourist sites in Samoa through different social media platforms, so they are keen and are excited to come to Samoa not only for this festival, but also to experience what Samoa has to offer for our visiting friends. 

"So we have come up with a schedule where we will set a date for them to go out and enjoy the beauty Samoa has to offer in between rehearsals and preparations for the festival. 

"We are also excited to use this opportunity to show them around and make sure that they will have a good time while they're in Samoa so that when they go back to their destination they will tell their family and friends about this beautiful place, Samoa. Furthermore, we want to make them feel the spirit of hospitality we have in Samoa. 

"It's an amazing opportunity to have them come and celebrate a Samoan-owned and based festival and to also enjoy the beauty Samoa has to offer."

Glen said that they had hoped to have more international artists and dance companies on board for the festival next month. However, they understand that things have been difficult since COVID-19 hit with most companies trying to get back to normalcy. 

He further reiterated that the festival is also a way to support and to empower local artists to come out and showcase what they are passionate about and capable of. 

"Allan Alo isn't just a festival showcasing the talents and the beauty of Samoa's culture through the performing arts and the diverse ethnicities we have here. 

"But it is also a way to support the performing arts in Samoa. Too often we say that the performing arts does not get enough support here in Samoa. 

"However, it is up to us to find a way to support ourselves as artists. We cannot just wait around for support to come, we have to come up with ways in which we can move forward and support ourselves."

Glen then used the opportunity to acknowledge the continuous support of the parents and families of their students. 

"We would not be where we are now and we would not have been able to achieve our goals without the support of our student's parents and families," he said. 

"We can never thank them enough for their continuous support and assistance. It's hard to find children with parents who support them well especially if they choose to pursue a career in performing arts. 

"That is why we are so grateful to the parents of our students who have been so supportive and assisted us in a lot of ways.

"People do ask us whether we make any profit, and for us, it isn't always about making profit. Never. At S.P.A.C.E., it has always been the performance and the quality of the performances we do. 

"In order to achieve our objective which is the excellence of our performance we never focus on making profit and I believe that if we had focused on that, we would not have been where we are now."

The Co-Director declared that the show this year will feature original performances for the three nights of the festival. 

"People can expect live original performances from our local and international artists," Glen added. 

"These are numbers that had never been performed and never seen in Samoa before and we are excited for it. The show will not be aired on tv so you cannot watch it on television. 

"Everything that will be performed are originals and this is a great way for our community to come out and support our local artists.

"There are also other international artists coming for the festival aside from the ones we have announced already, but all will be revealed in due time."

Glen used the opportunity to acknowledge the continuous support of the local community and businesses who offered assistance making the show possible. 

"It's not always easy to get sponsors and we are so blessed to have the support of the business community who have offered their assistance in order for us to execute this festival and have this festival honoring the performing arts in Samoa. 

"Especially around this time with businesses slowly trying to get back to normality and back on their feet after COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions."

S.P.A.C.E. hopes that through the Allan Alo Arts Festival it will promote the importance of the arts as a means of physical, mental and spiritual development for our youths and celebrate our cultures, heritage and the resilience of the Pacific island spirit to persevere and continue with life despite this pandemic. To stage the Allan Alo Arts Festival annually and hopefully open our doors to our pacific island brother and sister countries. 

Create networking opportunities for artists to earn a living and establish a sense of community and support network for the artists in Samoa. Strengthen partnerships with hotels and resorts to create a viable plan/approach to combat the economic effect that Covid has had on both parties.

The programme is as follows: 2 November: press release night (mainly for sponsors as well as ministry/government officials), 3 November: opening night. Bollywood night: 4 November. Polywood night: 5 November Closing night. Hollywood night.