Tonga's Queen Nanasipau'u will travel to Hawaii on 1 August with a group of Kanokupolu dancers who will perform at the Asia Pacific Dance Festival in Honolulu.

This morning the Kanokupolu Dancers performed a short tau'olunga and group dance for the Queen and local media, at Polata’ane Royal Residence.

The Queen accepted the invitation from the University of Hawaii to be the Special Guest at the 2017 Asia Pacific Dance Festival to be held from August 1-8, under a theme 'Beyond Borders'. 

The performances are scheduled to take place on August 5-6.

This is the first time Tonga has been selected as the Pacific nation to participate as resident artist alongside the Republic of Korea from Asia, said the Office of the Lord Chamberlain today.

"Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau'u was pleased to select the Kanokupolu dancers' group to represent Tonga at the festival and to perform the traditional dances of the ‘Otuhaka, Fa’ahiula, Tau’olunga, Ma’ulu’ulu, Me’etu’upaki and the Lakalaka."

Under the guidance of the Queen, the family group was trained by Kotoni Siale of Kanokupolu, a local traditional artist who will be a guest lecturer on the art of Tonga traditional dancing at the university from July 25-30, before the festival officially starts.

The festival co-produced by East West Centre and the University of Hawaii is bi-annual, showcasing and displaying a range of traditional and cultural dances and art forms from Asia and the Pacific region.