Mrs. National US Leilani Soon Expands Youth Confidence Work Through Dance-Based Coaching in Hawai‘i
Leilani Soon, 2024–2026 Mrs. National US and 2024–2026 Mrs. Hawai‘i National US, built her public platform around a method she already practiced long before a national title required a stated mission. From Honolulu, Soon leads dance instruction and pageant coaching that focuses on confidence development for keiki, youth, and women, using structured repetition and performance training to build measurable skills in presentation, communication, and stage readiness.
“Correct repetition breeds success,” Soon says, describing the same principle used by elite athletes, applied to confidence and performance.
A Training Model Built on Repetition and Performance Fundamentals
Soon started dancing at age three and began choreographing at age seven, later adding hula and sign language dance choreography at age twelve. Her early training took place in settings where performance was tied to purpose and audience connection.
She credits New Hope O‘ahu with teaching her that the arts can be used to worship God and communicate meaning, and she continued teaching and choreographing at New Hope Mililani through high school.
That long runway of teaching is central to the system she uses now. Students learn a sequence by breaking steps down, repeating correctly, and refining expression until it becomes consistent.
Soon applies the same process to pageant preparation, especially in talent, walking, and interview, where confidence often rises or falls based on preparation quality.
“The more reps you do, the more confident you will become,” she says. In her coaching sessions, that translates into practice plans, performance run-throughs, and the discipline of repeating under conditions that mimic real competition pressure.
Soon’s view of confidence is practical, not abstract. She has seen skilled competitors struggle with self-critical thinking and hesitancy, even when they have strong talent or interview ability.
Her coaching emphasizes what can be trained: posture, pacing, clarity of answers, facial expression, stage movement, and consistent habits leading up to performance.
A Platform Shaped by Cultural Pageantry and International Stages
Soon’s pageant background spans cultural, local, national, and international programs. Early titles, including Narcissus Second Princess and Narcissus Miss Congeniality, came through a cultural pageant environment in Hawai‘i that emphasized community representation and cultural education.
Required training included Chinese arts and traditions such as knotting, paper cutting, tea ceremony, lion dance, and related cultural studies. That structure supported a shift in how she understood her own identity as someone of mixed Chinese and Hawaiian heritage.
Her pageant trajectory continued through Miss Hawai‘i Chinese Queen, Miss Talent at the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant, Miss Hawai‘i International, and later into the Mrs. division, including Mrs. Hawai‘i Globe and a Top 5 placement at Mrs. USA Globe, where she finished 4th Runner Up.
She currently holds the titles 2024–2026 Mrs. Hawai‘i National US and 2024–2026 Mrs. National US.
A pivotal stage moment came during Miss International programming in China, where Soon performed a ballet and sign dance routine to “Power of the Dream” in a village square with thousands present.
The performance connected culture, hope, and pageantry in a single setting and reinforced a principle she teaches now: performance can communicate across language when structure and intention are clear.
“My mission is to share aloha around the world through dancing, pageantry, and building bridges of intercultural understanding,” Soon says.
Alohalani Productions LLC and the Scope of Her Current Work
Soon’s work is organized through Alohalani Productions LLC, where she offers custom dance performances, choreography, instruction, and pageant coaching. Services range from technical training to presentation development, including wardrobe styling and interview preparation.
Her stated focus is transformation from the inside out, using skills such as public speaking, personal presentation, and performance practice to support confidence development.
Outside formal coaching, Soon uses her visibility to support local Hawai‘i businesses, including restaurants, wellness spaces, fitness centers, and culturally rooted experiences.
She creates collaborative content and has worked with Hawai‘i Creators and Collab Hawai‘i, organizations that elevate local talent, small businesses, and events.
Soon also describes her role as a cultural representative through dance, particularly as a professional hula dancer and instructor, where public appearances function as both performance and education.
Looking ahead, Soon plans to expand educational access through YouTube, sharing what she has learned across 18 years of pageant experience to help others win faster and avoid unnecessary setbacks.
Her long-term plan includes an in-person and online academy that teaches dance and pageant training for keiki, youth, and adults.
“My life motto is ‘Love and be loved,’” Soon says. “In the end, it won’t be what you achieved that matters most, it will be those you loved, those who loved you, and did you fulfill the calling and destiny God placed on your life that will be most important.”
“Find your dream, hold onto it and never give up until it comes true.”