Island Style Dance Studio & Performing

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ISLAND STYLE DANCE STUDIO & PERFORMING - STUDIO INFORMATION
Styles: Ballet, Jazz, Ballroom, Country & Western, Fitness-Influenced Dance (e.g., Zumba, Barre) Youngest Age: 1	Also Offers: Group Classes Competitive Classes

About ISLAND STYLE DANCE STUDIO & PERFORMING

Leilani Cancilla grew up dancing from the age of 8. Born on Waikiki Beach on the island of O’ahu—Leilani was introduced to Hula dance by her mother, Dorothy Matsumoto Thomas. Her love for dance took her to a studio in Santa Rosa, California that expanded her knowledge of dance to include ballet and jazz while still cultivating her talent for Hula. As Leilani spent more and more time dancing, her love for the art continued to grow. She and her sister Kealoha eventually made it to San Francisco where they attended classes at the San Francisco Ballet Studio for over seventeen years. They continued taking jazz classes but their forte was always Hula—having years of private instruction from the famous Kumu Hula and performer ‘Koochie’ Koons. By the age of twelve, Leilani and Kealoha were traveling and performing professionally around the United States under the name, “The Thomas Sisters.” By the age of 16 the Thomas sisters were performing Hula on a weekly television spot. By age nineteen, the Thomas sisters joined Johnny Pineapple’s famous South Pacific Review and continued to tour the United States, performing in venues alongside famous singer Frank Sinatra and famous Kumu Hula and performer Hilo Hattie.