Building a Hula Legacy

What are some of your earliest memories of hula?

I can recall being about six years old and I remember being in our home. I would take my little ipu (gourd drum) and I'd sit in there and I'd chant. And I’ve got to say, most of the time, not singing the Hawaiian words correctly. But I pretended at a young age, that I was a kumu hula.

Tell us about your 21st anniversary show at the Kauaʻi War Memorial.

I've been blessed, for 21 years. Our hālau, has a little over 200 students – the youngest is three, the oldest is 89. I get very, very emotional at hōʻike. It's a time for all of my dancers to show off and show their love for the hula. No one is being judged. They're coming out to show.

“People say, “Is hula a past time? Is it a hobby? It’s my life.”

What is the water ritual your hālau does before competition?

The "hiʻuwai" is a cleansing ritual. Hawaiians, we really believe that water gives life. Water is cleansing. And so, for us, before any major event, anytime there is a competition coming up, we cleanse. We cleanse our body so that we make sure that when we take the stage to perform we’re ready to connect with the mele (songs) of old and deliver these stories in its purest form.

Why do you take your responsibility as a kumu hula so seriously?

Hula for a long time was forbidden. King Kalākaua is given much credit for bringing the hula back to the Hawaiian people. So, I always remind my students to never take the hula for granted. Never even utter the words, 'I'm exhausted,' 'I'm over this,' 'I want to take a break.'" Because, that's so disrespectful to the hula and to our Hawaiian people. Because, at one time, there were Hawaiians that hid, and they would meet in places in private just to practice the hula.  

Tell us about the special bonds that form in a hālau.

I tell my haumāna (students), we have to look at ourselves almost like a school of fish. Fish, they stick together. They voyage, they journey together. We learn together. We experience together. It's not about any individual person. That bond, that ʻohana (family) you find, and you feel in the hālau, is hard to forget. It's hard to replace. It's really special. It's about the group as a whole delivering the same story. So, we have to dance as one, be as one, think as one, our souls need to be as one.  

“At one time, there were Hawaiians that hid, and they would meet in places in private just to practice the hula.” 

How is your hālau perpetuating hula for future generations?

I look through my group and I wonder, ‘Who will carry on? Who will become a kumu hula?’ Maybe one of these kids are in their bedrooms at home with their ipu, chanting away, even if the words are wrong. The Hawaiians, we have a very, very strong connection to those that have already passed. They're never really gone. They still live through us. And so, it’s so important to live with aloha, to live with love the best we can, because we're continuing their legacy. We're walking in their lights.