REYNA IWAMOTO
STAFF WRITER
The petite figure at the head of the class was not one the Moanalua High School dance students tuned out. There was no daydreaming today. The students were rapt with attention because Tiara Rapp, a former Moanalua student came back to teach.
Technically, Rapp is not an alumnae. Rapp attended Moanalua from the 9th to 11th grades and moved to California at the end of her junior year to pursue her career in dance on the big stage.
Rapp began her dance career as she followed in her older sister’s footsteps and began dancing and doing gymnastics at a young age. During her time at Moanalua, there was no dance program; however, Rapp competed on the MoHS cheerleading team.
At age 23, Rapp is now a professional dancer who has competed in various dance competitions and performed on multiple competitive dance TV shows. Some of her most notable accomplishments include that of her performance on Season 7 of “America’s Best Dance Crew” with the group 8 Flavahz in 2012, as well as on “World of Dance” Season 2 with her twin sister Tamara Rapp which is currently airing.
Despite her well-earned stardom on stage, Rapp has not forgotten her roots in Hawaii. She returned to Moanalua High in August to teach one of teacher Jill Tengan’s Creative Dance classes.
Rapp shared her journey from dancing with her friends for fun at I-building during lunch, to performing on popular dance competition television shows. Students in the class sat in awe, as they listened to Rapp, captivated by her stories of hard work and perseverance that ultimately led to her dancing on the big stage in front of millions.
Rapp explained how meaningful it was to come back to Moanalua and give back to the community.
“Teaching a class for the program lifted my heart because I could really see how many students loved dancing and were pushing to get all the steps,” Rapp said.
In the dance class, Rapp not only shared her journey to becoming a professional dancer, but she also taught the students new choreography sequences and danced with them.
Tengan expresses her gratitude to Rapp for volunteering her time to give back to the dance program.
“I think it was very kind of her to come back because of how well known she is...the fact that she feels a connection to Moanalua and is so invested in us as her former school is very gracious of her,” Tengan said.
Sophomore Alexandra Dishmon said was very thankful to her for what she learned.
“Having her teach our class was amazing,” Dishmon said. “I could tell she was experienced because her choreography was nice and smooth. And [as she taught us new moves] she always asked if everyone was on board.”
Dishmon added that she learned “even though you may be known for many achievements, you should never forget how you got there...having Tiara Rapp be an alumni [of Moanalua] and learning from such an amazing dancer like her made me open my eyes to all of the possibilities in dance.”
Senior Bethany Lapitan also had the opportunity to learn from Rapp and shared how meeting her has impacted her life.
“I was truly inspired by her personality and passion for dance and it reminded me why I also dance till this day. Like her, I will continue to seek opportunities to grow and become a better dancer and person!” Lapitan said.
Although the dance program at Moanalua has attracted many students like Dishmon and Lapitan who have a deep passion for dancing, the program is newer and Rapp explained that she did not have the opportunity to participate in a dance program while at Moanalua as the school did not have any dance classes. Rapp expressed just how grateful she is that students of this generation have the opportunity to dance in school.
“Having a dance program helps students with the passion to dance, to actually get out there and do it,” Rapp said.
“I really love and appreciate the dance program because that's what my friends and I wanted when we were in school. It's heartwarming to see that they have dance now and it's really nice to see that the kids are enjoying and loving it,” Rapp said.
Tengan explained that from this experience and hearing Rapp’s journey in the world of professional dance, she wanted her students to understand that despite the rejection that they may face, it is important to persevere.
“It's about putting yourself out there and taking risks...anybody that is in entertainment knows that you will get a hundred or a thousand “no’s” for one “yes”. The fact that Tiara has gotten “yes’s” does not mean she has not been rejected in her life. It’s all about resilience, grit, keeping your hopes up, and never giving up to finally get that “yes,’” Tengan said.
“I hope them being dancers and hearing the things she has accomplished is encouraging to them [and shows them] that it doesn't matter who you are or where you are from especially if it’s from a small place like Hawaii. You can still make it big,” Tengan said.
Lapitan learned much from having Rapp teach the Creative Dance class and shared her appreciation for the opportunity to learn from such an accomplished dancer like Rapp.
“It was a humbling experience to learn from someone I look up to as a dancer myself. I learned a lot about how passion and love can drive you to accomplish a lot of things in life,” Lapitan said.
Rapp’s visit back to Moanalua not only gave Tengan’s students the opportunity to learn new dance moves from an experienced professional dancer, but also to hear what it takes to take their dance careers to the next level. Rapp left the students inspired and encouraged to continue to dance and to never give up on their dreams.
“Dance is a beautiful way to express oneself, so to all the students that are in the program or that want to be a part of the program I would say keep pushing, dance from the heart, and be yourself,” Rapp said.