Tributes have been pouring in for one of Samoa’s and the Pacific’s best choreographers and artists, Seiuli Allan Alo Vaai, fondly known as Allan Alo.
Alo, who is President of Samoa Arts Council, passed away after a battle with cancer on Tuesday.
The council’s Vice President, Vanya Taulelo says it is a great loss for the council and Pacific as a whole as Alo worked hard for arts and Pacific culture.
“Allan (Alo) worked tirelessly for the arts and especially for the performing arts as he was passionate about his Samoan culture and the culture of the Pacific people.”
“This was at the core of everything he created and performed. His works were richly researched and finely detailed as he created songs, scripts and performances and dance,” she said.
Alo directed and choreographed original Pacific productions that took him to places like China, South Africa, Singapore, Japan, the eastern continents as well as places like Cuba, South America, Central Americas and around the Pacific region.
Alo opened the first Samoa Performing Arts and Creative Excellence centre, known as SPACE, in Samoa late last year.
Samoan designer Cecilia Keil, who worked with Alo when he hosted Samoa Fashion Week last year says Samoa has lost a great artist who was passionate about the arts in Samoa.
“Allan devoted so much time to arts in Samoa and we all are going to miss him.”
“This time last year we were busy preparing for the Samoa Fashion week,” she added.
Before coming to Samoa, Allan worked as the Pacific Outreach Coordinator – Polynesia for
Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture & Pacific Studies at USP Campus in Suva, Fiji.
Allan’s legacy can be best captured by those who worked with him in Fiji, his co-workers at USP Oceania Centre and past students says Taulealo.
“Coming to Samoa, Allan had made several successful achievements and brought performing arts to a new level in Samoa,” added Taulealo.
“Samoan culture came alive on a large scale with performances with the Dream Shows at the Teuila Festival 2014 and 2015, and the opening and closing performances at the SIDS conference in late 2014, and performance at the Commonwealth Youth Games 2015,” she said.
“In these works Allan wanted to reveal the ‘soul of our nation.”
He always encouraged and empowered youngsters to follow their dreams and keeping the Pacific cultures alive.
Alo was born and raised in Samoa but spent most of his young years in New Zealand and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in the Expressive Arts and Literature as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Literature.
He would have celebrated his birthday yesterday.
