Ori Fest is a Polynesian dance festival that is organized by the folks from the Tevakanui Dance Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many dance groups perform Hawaiian, Polynesian, and Tahitian dances during this event. I worked alongside Origin Apparel Company who hired me to create a unique design for their shirt. This design for this shirt is a memorial to Tevakanui's dancer named "Diva" who sadly passed away.

The overall design is based on images of the hats that Diva wore at the time combined with various cultural elements including the "Koru" (the white spiral). The Koru is actually an unfurling silver fern frond that is integral to the Maori in New Zealand. It can be seen in cultural art, tattoos, and even in carvings.

The Koru symbolizes new life growth, strength, and peace.

Using images of the dancer herself with wearing her hats is an easy mood board to assemble for the creative process.

This was Instagram content which was used to promote the event for Las Vegas.