The son of a Tongan father and Filipino mother, Hale Motu'apuaka was born to a pair of entertainers. A young Hale would watch his parents perform at a former venue at the Ala Moana Hotel called the Hawaiian Hut. His mother was an emcee and dancer, while his father was a musician.
Motu'apuaka's desire to entertain was instilled from a young age. In addition to watching his parents, he found himself mystified by fireknife dancers. Home videos of Motu'apuaka at 18 months spinning his grandfather's back scratcher was just a prelude to his journey as one of the world's greatest fireknife dancers.
By 3, Motu'apuaka was already spinning fire. At 18, the Wahiawā native took home his first world fireknife championship. Now 25, Motu'apuaka has won four world championships, most recently in May at the Polynesian Cultural Center, taking home a $5,000 grand prize. He also won the 2021 and 2022 tournaments.
"Honestly, it didn't even feel real, but I was just so happy," Motu'apuaka told Aloha State Daily of winning his most recent crown. "I haven't had much time to practice in the previous years as I did this year. I definitely felt much more prepared this year. I really worked hard to get there, and this was definitely the toughest competition that I've ever competed in this year."
In addition to his fireknife dancing prowess, Motu'apuaka also happens to be an elite football player. The Punahou alumnus played collegiately at Utah State, where he started 40 games at defensive tackle for the Aggies from 2018 to 2023. Motu'apuaka won multiple world fireknife dancing crowns while he was still in college. He was a key member of a 2021 Utah State team that won the Mountain West Conference.
After earning All-Mountain West honorable mention as a redshirt senior in 2023, Motu'apuaka earned an invite to rookie minicamp with the Indianapolis Colts following the 2024 NFL Draft, although he did not make the roster.
Motu'apuaka did not play football last fall, but he has yet to close the door on his career on the gridiron. For the time being, he continues to keep himself in shape with workouts in the morning while working at multiple venues, such as the Mauka Warriors Lū‘au, Hale Koa and Sea Life Park. An entertainer like his parents, Motu'apuaka performs as a fireknife dancer and emcee, explaining the cultural significance of his performances to audiences.
With a clear understanding of the safety risks of engaging in fireknife dancing, Motu'apuaka also developed a deep respect for the history of it.
"The reason why we call it fireknife dancing is because what we're spinning is a weapon," Motu'apuaka explains. "It's a machete blade with a hook on one side, attached to a stick. It was a weapon called the nifo'oti, or the tooth of death.
"Warriors would come back from war with the head of their enemies on the hook. They would take it off, and they would spin the knife to show the mastery of their weapon. And then from there that that became a performance. ... So, this is more of a contemporary art form, but it comes from a traditional that was done a long time ago. So that's one thing to know, because I know a lot of people just call it fire dancing, but it's, it's fireknife dancing."
Motu'apuaka and his wife, Maile, have a 3-year-old son, Mafi, who he describes as "already spinning the stick."
"They're kind of a little too young to learn on their own," Motu'apuaka said. "But he's got a few moves down. It's amazing to see. I'm very proud, because as a father, seeing him do what I love to do as well, it's just a beautiful sight to see."
Motu'apuaka says he's not sure how much Mafi will get into football or fireknife dancing as he gets older, but he hopes his son gets into some type of sport for the life lessons.
Motu'apuaka's days are spent watching Mafi, while his nights are spent working six days a week. This weekend, he'll head to Anaheim, Calif. to be a special instructor for a fireknife workshop.
"I only have one day off (a week)," Motu'apuaka said. "But it's not really a job when you're doing what you love."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
