Hundreds of nonprofit arts groups across the country, including those in Hawaii, received notice in May that their funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, previously granted, had now been withdrawn or terminated due to a shift in priorities.

The cuts run deep, amounting to tens of millions of dollars.

For the Asia Pacific Dance Festival, news of the withdrawal of $25,000, about a quarter of its total budget, came just two weeks before it was scheduled to begin, according to Associate Director SheenRu Yong.

She decided to move forward, as the two-week festival, which wraps up today, had been planned for the past year and a half. Attendees from all over the world had already registered, she said, and their plane tickets booked.

“The show absolutely must go on,” Yong said. “We kno

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