A 23-year-old registered nurse from Kauai was crowned Miss Aloha Hula 2025.

Jaedyn Janae Puahaulani Pavao of Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala on Thursday took home the most prestigious award that can be conferred upon a solo hula dancer. Thirteen young women vied for the honor on the first night of the Merrie Monarch Festival’s hula competition at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium in Hilo.

“I’m just thankful. I’m going to take it all in, soak it all up and like kumu said, go back and thank God,” the new Miss Aloha Hula said afterward.

Pavao is the niece of kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin, whose advanced hula training came dancing for the late kumu hula Rae Fonseca when she was a student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

“I’m so proud as a kumu but I’m so proud as aunty, too,” Pavao Jardin said. “I just asked her, ‘How long have you been dancing hula?’ She looked at me and I said, ‘Well, how old are you?’ And she’s 23 years old, so she’s been dancing since she entered this Earth.”

Pavao added, “Since I could walk. Since I could talk.”

Pavao also won the coveted Hawaiian Language Award, scoring a perfect 50 points for her use of ‘olelo Hawai‘i.

“It made me think of those that helped me get to where I am, especially Dr. Keao NeSmith, who has helped me in creating my ‘oli (chant) and has also helped me with my pronunciation over the years I’ve been training,” she said.

In recent years, the Miss Aloha Hula winner has generally also taken the Hawaiian Language Award. That isn’t always the case, however.

“I won the language award and I didn’t win Miss Aloha Hula,” Pavao Jardin said. “Anybody who competes in Miss Aloha Hula will tell you the language award is very special.”

Pavao scored 1162 points, 17 more than first-runner up Tiare-Jennings Iwalani Kamaluoluokaluahine Rebecca Ka‘aumoana Vaughan-Darval of Oahu’s Halau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine.

All four runners-up were from Oahu halau.

Taking third place was Emalia Pomaialoha KeleihanipikakeilaPa‘oaehulale‘aikalaninuiakea Dalire of Keolalaulani Halau ‘Olapa O Laka with 1123 points. In fourth place was Marina La‘akea Choi of Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua with 1110 points. Finishing fifth was Chloe Makanaleili‘ili‘i Rei Cummins of Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela with 1097 points.

Pavao’s hula kahiko (ancient hula) was a hula pahu, a drum hula. The mele was “He Wahi Mele No Kapualeilaha‘oleinapali.” Four drummers, including Pavao Jardin provided the back-beat for Pavao, striking a large pahu with the left hand and a much smaller drum with the right.

Pavao counts herself as a proud descendant of Queen Kapi‘olani, and hula ‘auana (modern hula) was “Ka ‘Ano‘i” in honor of the Merrie Monarch’s queen. She also honored the Merrie Monarch, King Kalakaua with is composition, “E Nihi Ka Hele” in which he expressed his devoted love for his queen.

The new Miss Aloha Hula is counting her blessings, both as an onstage storyteller via hula and in life.

“Every day I wake up as a registered nurse and I serve the public through public health nursing through the Department of Health,” she said. “We do all kinds of things for the elderly, children in schools, down to babies.”

Pavao Jardin revealed shortly before the hula competition began that she’s been undergoing treatment for cancer since last year after a CT scan found a spot on her pancreas and a biopsy confirmed the cancer.

The veteran kumu hasn’t taken it easy since her diagnosis. In addition to Miss Aloha Hula, she’s brought both wahine and kane dancers to compete in tonight’s group hula kahiko and Saturday’s hula ‘auana competition.

Asked what’s next, Pavao Jardin said, “I’m thankful. I’ll be going back to the beach house and pray.”

Lineage is extremely important in hula. Her kumu, Fonseca, was a student of hula master George Na‘ope — who, with Aunty Dot Thompson, founded the Merrie Monarch’s hula competition in 1971. Pavao said both were smiling down on the Merrie Monarch stage Thursday.

“Kumu Rae and Uncle George are probably having a party in Heaven.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com