Island Style Furniture

Keeping tradition alive: Polynesian dancing family

For Lani Podzikowski and her family, there isn't a single memory without hula.

From as early as age 2, Podzikowski's five children have been taking Polynesian and hula dance lessons from her and have performed in countless shows together exhibiting traditional dances from the islands of Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand.

Podzikowski remembers having taken Polynesian dance lessons as a child from her own mother, Leilani, who performed Polynesian and other dances professionally around the country for several years. After her career, Leilani organized a small home-based studio and a community performing group in California, where Podzikowski and her sisters learned to dance.

"It's part of their culture," Leilani said. "I loved it so much that I wanted to be able to pass it on to them."

As a young girl, Podzikowski hated practicing and taking classes from her mom.

"If you talk to my mom, she'll probably tell you that I'm the reason she quit," she said. "I cried every week and I was a nightmare."

However, Podzikowski did enjoy performing but never felt like she was a gifted dancer like her sisters.

After her mom stopped teaching lessons and doing shows, Podzikowski realized how important dancing was to her and how much she loved it. "Looking back I realize I had a gift in being able to teach, in being able to put on a show and an eye for presentation and choreography," Podzikowski added.

At the age of 18, Podzikowski pulled the small performing group back together, started teaching a few small classes and organized performances under the direction of her mother, who is a Kumu, or master teacher of Hawaiian dance.

For the past 24 years, Podzikowski has been teaching Polynesian dance out of her home in Utah, first in Provo and now in Orem. At first she kept her class sizes small, only teaching her family and few close friends; however, once the word got out, more and more students began to show up each week. After a month there wasn't room in the house to teach everyone. Podzikowski remembers having to rearrange furniture to accommodate all her students.

Eventually the family decided to tear down the carport, build a small dance studio and establish the Island Style Dance Studio.

Today, the Island Style Dance Studio offers a variety of beginner, intermediate and advanced classes for all ages. Podzikowski's mother has even attended one of her classes recently. "Seventy-eight years old and she was dancing with women in their 40s," Podzikowski said, praising her mother.

All-Weather Furniture Done Island-Style | Hawaii Renovation

Island Style Furnishings of Kaneohe is the exclusive dealer for Australis Leisure brand all-weather furniture, which was developed in the land down under to withstand the country’s harsh environment.

The key to the furniture line’s success has been choosing durable and appealing materials. Merbau wood (also known as kwila) is regarded as one of the most durable and stable timbers in the world. It grows in Northern Australia and across Southeast Asia. It is well-known as the wood of choice for building docks, decks and flooring. Merbau is the perfect wood for outdoor furniture. It is twice as hard as teak, which makes it resistant to abrasion, pitting or roughening.

Prior to manufacture, merbau is kiln-dried to a moisture content of 12 percent. This stabilizes the structure of the timber so it doesn’t warp or crack. The furniture contains reddish-brown tannin, which gives it its characteristic color. This tannin makes the wood naturally rot-resistant and insect-proof. The furniture is constructed using mortise and tenon joints with cross doweling. This prevents loosening of the components over time. All the hardware is corrosion-resistant 304-grade stainless steel and nickel-plated brass.

Island Style Furnishings offers competitive pricing and a comprehensive five-year warranty. Visit the company during the Home, Garden & Remodeling Show at Blaisdell Exhibition Hall June 10-12, or at the company offices, located at 46-212 Kahuhipa St. Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For more information, call 234-1129 or visit the company’s online catalog at www.AustralisLeisure.com.au .

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