It was over two decades ago when Vaelaa Iloa spotted Siva Afi Club founder, Leota Lene Leota, on the streets of Apia while he and his club members were practicing fire knife dancing. At twelve years old, Vaelaa was selling “ula lei” or fresh flower necklaces to help support his family but little did he know that moment would forever change his life.
Following his first encounter with the Siva Afi Club, his daily routine changed and he would travel from Tufulele on the 2pm bus to sell ula lei and head over to Siva Afi to watch the group practice. From a distance he started to learn some of the moves by watching the boys perform and later he would practice with a stick when he returned home.
Eventually Leota approached him and asked him if he wanted to join and with excitement he decided to participate. Every evening during practice, Leota would give him food and money for transportation for the next day.
“I started doing fire knife dancing when I was only 12 years old. I was very passionate to pursue siva afi. I danced on and off for about two years before I started realizing that being inconsistent was getting me nowhere. When I was 14 years old, I decided I would try one more time and my mother gave me some advice. She told me to give it another go but to leave my childish attitude and stubbornness behind.”
Vaelaa honed his skills and knowledge of fire knife dancing by observing every dancer, especially his mentor, Leota. At a very young age, he was selected to compete in a competition under the stage name “Ula Boy”, an ode to his humble beginnings.
“My first competition I didn’t get any placing, and from there I made up my mind that I needed to train harder, and so I did. I went back for my second competition and not only did I place but I came first and I continued this winning streak for another five years.”
Over his 20 year career, the Siva Afi International champion still had bouts of doubt in his abilities especially when he was unsuccessful in overseas competitions making him reluctant to compete internationally. However his mentor, Leota, wasn’t the type of man who would give up on his dancers and he continued taking Vaelaa to international competitions to help build confidence and experience.
“I told Leota that I do not want to go and compete in those international competitions anymore, I don’t belong there. This is where I belong – in Samoa. My biggest fear is failure, l I get discouraged and lose faith in myself. However I’m grateful for my family, friends, Leota, and of course my wife and kids, for their continuous support and always putting their faith in me when I am doubting my own capabilities,” he said.
The 33 year old is looking forward to performing in the International Siva Afi Competition in November and reveals he will be hanging up his fire stick for good this year as a competitor but will still continue to share his skills and help out Leota in developing Siva Afi in Samoa, especially amongst the children and youth.
“I’m hoping to go out on a high this year and become an instructor to teach the young ones who are willing and passionate about learning siva afi.”
“This is a very special year for me because it marks 20 years since I joined the Siva Afi Club. If there is one thing I’m thankful for, is the opportunity given to me to be a part of the Siva Afi and compete on the big stage. It has helped me look after my family, in fact I was able to build a house for my parents with my winnings and now that I have my own little family – I can now take care of them and put food on the table. “
“Siva Afi has taken me to places all over the world that as a young street vendor, I never even knew existed. I want to mentor these kids and impart my experience to them in the hopes that they realize that hard work does pay off when following your dreams.”
*This content was sponsored by Fexco Samoa’s No1 Currency and Western Union
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