Kekuahiwi Woods

Occupation: Professional dancer
What school you grad? Pāhoa High & Intermediate School ‘19
Location: Las Vegas

Hawai‘i Island native Kekuahiwi Woods is a professional dancer based in Las Vegas, currently performing with Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil, where he has been a cast member for the past four years. Raised in his family’s dance studio, N2Dance in Hilo, he trained extensively in hip-hop, breaking, contemporary, jazz, ballet and more—developing a dynamic and versatile movement style that continues to define his work today.

In Michael Jackson ONE, he performs multiple roles, including “Warrior” dancer, one of four featured breakdancers, and understudy and backup for several lead roles such as “Sneaky” and the wushu arts character “Shy,” becoming the first male performer in the show’s history to do so. His career also includes performances at Rock-A-Hula, AREA15, and collaborations with major brands such as Toyota and the MGM franchise. He has performed internationally with the Brown Bags to Stardom All-Star Team in China, starred as a featured dancer at New York City Hall and is a National YoungArts Honorable Mention recipient. Grounded in his roots and driven by growth, Kekuahiwi continues to push the boundaries of his artistry on global stages.

Woods attended Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, Haili Christian School, Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Technology Academy and Pāhoa High & Intermediate School. 

Q: Briefly describe your journey after high school.
A: I began working as a dancer right away in the Rock-A-Hula show featuring “Legends in Concert” in Waikīkī while teaching hip-hop and breakdancing at Honolulu Dance Studio over the summer to earn money for college. I later moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University and planned to major in marketing. While there, I auditioned and became a part of the BYU Dunk team and also won a dance crew cup competition. During the pandemic, I moved back home to Hawai‘i, and worked in sales. I knew of a few dancers from Hawai‘i that made a living as a professional dancer in Las Vegas so after finishing up my sales contract in Los Angeles, I took that leap of faith to make a career as a dancer in Vegas. With the support of a few specific local braddahs from Hawai‘i, I was able to start booking corporate dance jobs and gigs. Not too shortly after, I booked my first dance show, Rated Red Burlesque & Dance Show at AREA15. Soon after, I booked Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil at Mandalay Bay, where I perform today.

Q: What are you up to these days?
에이: I’m performing at Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil. I now back up two of the main characters in the show doing wushu and clowning dance. I perform 10 shows a week as a warrior (executing Michael Jackson style and hip-hop choreography). I’m also one of the breakdancers in the show. Recently, I just purchased my first home with my wife, whom I also met dancing in the show. She is originally from Chile and did her dance training in New York.

Q: Why did you choose this career path and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: I come from a family of performers. Dancing is our passion and it’s what we do for fun. Growing up in my family’s dance studio in Hilo, I was born for this. All of my training has prepared me and led me to where I am. I love that we always have a full audience at Michael Jackson ONE and I get to inspire them with my moves. I enjoy bringing joy to the older generation who have an appreciation for Michael Jackson’s music and style, but I also enjoy performing more for the younger generation. I want to share the same feeling that I got as a kid whenever I saw a killer performance and thought, “wow that guy is so cool! I wanna be like that!” I hope I do that for them and inspire them to be greater. 

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?
A: While attending Pāhoa High, I was proud of where I was from. Even though our dance studio was always elsewhere, I grew up my entire life out in Pāhoa. I am proud to say I’m a Pāhoa graduate. I love the friends and people I surround myself with. I love the people within my own community from school and church. That is why I’m #PublicSchoolProud.

Q: Favorite subject in school?
A: The easy answer is fitness, dance or ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. But if it had to be a core subject, I always enjoyed history.

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
A: Up until high school, I tried it all—track, cross country, soccer, rugby and basketball. By the time I was in high school, I dedicated all my time to dance classes—practicing hip-hop, jazz, ballet, contemporary, breakdancing and even took voice lessons.

Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?
A: My dad, Maika Woods, who has mentored me in weightlifting, dance and ʻōlelo Hawai‘i. He currently teaches physical education and dance at Waiākea High School.

Q: What advice do you have for students?
A: Take school seriously. But also take your crafts and hobbies seriously, because if you take it far enough, you can build and create the life you want out of it.