WAIPOULI —Pualani Kanahele will be on Kaua’i Friday for a special presentation on Ka ‘Aha Hula ‘0 Halauaola in the Plumeria Garden Court at the Holiday Inn SunSpree. The program, from 6 to 9 p.m., is free and the public
WAIPOULI —Pualani Kanahele will be on Kaua’i Friday for a special presentation
on Ka ‘Aha Hula ‘0 Halauaola in the Plumeria Garden Court at the Holiday Inn
SunSpree.
The program, from 6 to 9 p.m., is free and the public is invited
to attend.
The highly acclaimed hula master will present a lecture on the
topic of hula goddesses and their roles in the traditions of hula. She will be
joined by Leina’ala Kalama Heine, kumu hula of Na Pualei 0 Likolehua on O’ahu
and Kaua’i and Hokolani Holt-Padilla, kumu hula of Pa’u-o-Hi’laka on Maui.
Other accomplished hula practitioners will assist with the evening chant
workshop and conference orientation presentation.
Kanahele is one of the
organizers of the 2001 World Hula Conference to be held in Hilo July 29 to
Aug.1, 2001. The goal of the conference is to heighten the awareness of hula,
elevating the native practice beyond entertainment.
For the first time
ever, hula practitioners and enthusiasts from all over the world will be
invited to participate in the conference.
More than 100 kumu hula,
masters, teachers, cultural practitioners and artisans will come together to
teach and share their experiences and expertise in all aspects of hula.
Prior to the conference, a three-day workshop, No Ponohula, will be held from
July 26 to July 28. Those attending will learn to make traditional hula
implements, clothing and adornments.
Kumu hula Pualani Kanakaole Kanahele
is a product of a rich, deeply rooted hula tradition that has literally
involved a lifetime of learning. Together with her sister, Nalani Kanakaole,
Kanahele leads and directs the highly celebrated hula school from Hawai’i
Island known as, Halau 0 Kekuhi.
The Halau is celebrated for its mastery
of the ‘Aha’a style of hula – a low postured, vigorous, bombastic form of
hula—as well as for its expertise with different styles of oli (chant).
Their repertoire of hula springs from the eruptive volcano persona, Pele and
Hi’iaka.
Through generational transmission, the responsibility of
continuing the classic hula and oli tradition was sustained through matrilineal
descent. The rank of Kumu Hula for this halau is passed to the next generation
after the preceding generation has died.
Both Kanahele and Kanaka’ole are
the successors of their mother, the late renown hula master, Edith
Kanaka’ole.
Kanahele’s in-depth knowledge and experiences of traditional
hula have long provided the basis to her personal and professional success. In
addition to her distinguished role as Kumu Hula of HaIau 0 Kekuhi, she is an
assistant professor of Hawaiian Studies at the Hawai’i Community College In
Hilo. She is also a highly sought after lecturer and consultant of Hawaiian
culture, education and leadership who has been recognized time and time again,
for her valuable contributions and achievements.
She also serves as
president of the Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation and the Lalakea Foundation. Both
are cultural based nonprofit organizations dedicated to Hawaiian cultural
education and the preservation of the art of hula and other Native Hawaiian
customary practices.
Friday’s presentation is made possible through the
assistance of General Manager Ronald Kikumoto of the Holiday Inn SunSpree Hotel
In Wailua and the Kaua’i Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture & The
Arts.
