"Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha"

Aloha....I'm posting this flyer today of the movie my dear friend at Chameleon Productions created of Hawaii's dear Aunty Nona Beamer.  The premiere of the movie to be shown Saturday after the Merrie Monarch Parade.  For those that knew her or those that admired her from afar, if you can make it I highly recommend you see this film.  You can view some trailers here:
http://chameleon-chameleonproductions.blogspot.com/

    I haven't seen the movie yet, but you will see me among many who loved her.
Let me know what you think. This is a great time for the film to make its public debut during the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival week.

  Unfortunately on a sad note, another precious treasure has left us, Kumu Hula O'Brian Eselu of  Halau Ke Kai O Kahiki.
His halau from Waianae, Ke Kai O Kahiki, was among the leading halau in the past several years, taking first place overall at the Merrie Monarch in 2009 and 2010.  

Ke Kai O Kahiki swept the male categories in 2010, taking first place overall and first for male halau, for male hula kahiko (ancient hula) and male hula 'auana (modern hula).

  It was in 2010 that Kahula O Na Mamo O Mo'ikeha performed before Kumu O'Brian and his men at the Kalakaua Park during MM week. He was such a kind and gentle man and I wished I could have spoken to him, but we were all very busy with the events of the day.  He did mention to the audience that day about a young boy that was dancing with us to keep up the good work because he could see the boy had a lot of potential.  Well, that made the young dancer very happy.

A very gifted musician, but even a better Kumu so I have heard said. You can find O'Brian Eselu and his music on itunes.  He will be greatly missed.
         Have a great Merrie Monarch Week!

The Shattered Vase

Princess Kaʻiulani

This past Saturday evening I attended the hula drama put on by Kumu Hula Paul Neves. He is the Kumu for Hālau Haʻa Kea o Kinohi. He has students that dance in the hālau from Hilo, Washington and San Francisco.

In case you haven't been to something like this before, a 'hula drama' is a play that incorporates hula dances and a storyline. This type of play may or may not incorporate Hawaiian instruments as the percussion, contemporary songs, hula kahiko (traditional hula) and ʻauana (modern hula). Sometimes contemporary songs can be used as the music in which the hula is danced to. This can be a beautiful thing. I like to see these types of hula because it gives the audience an understanding into what it may have been like to witness a hula in the olden days. Nowadays, not everyone speaks ʻōlelo (the Hawaiian language) so unless you study hula you miss all of the richness that the lyrics bring through the dancer. When a Kumu choreographs a modern hula to a modern song, it can give us an experience of what it would be like to understand the Hawaiian Language as someone dances hula.

Knowing the Hawaiian language gives a deeper understanding into what the hula is about. The dancer becomes what it is they are dancing about. For instance, as with the play, the person who played Kaʻiulani had to "become" her. Her persona, aura, feelings and expressions come out through her performance and her hula. Just as actors embrace their roles in theatre, a hula dancer embodies the quality, character or traits they are dancing about. In addition to fully expressing the story, a hula dancer must know the general meaning of the dance as well as the "hidden" meaning of the dance. Hula chants and dances are very poetic. There are metaphors weaved throughout them. For example, pua, meaning flower, may also refer to a child or chief. There is an ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise saying) that states, "he lei poina ʻole ke keiki" which means "a child is a lei you never forget." I know you can picture the arms of a precious child clasped around a loved ones neck.

Kumu Paul Neves

In the Shattered Vase, Kumu Paul Neves was able to talk story at the beginning and end of the performance. It was beautiful because the audience was able to learn a little about his background, him growing up in California, and his move to the islands. This play was done to honor the statement that Queen Liliʻuokalani had given when the state was annexed, and also to honor the efforts of Kaʻiulani in demanding justice for the Hawaiian people.

This hula drama stuck to the traditional style of dance. I liked this play in particular because I got to learn something! Learning is one of my favorite things so I really liked that they included genealogy, moʻolelo,  hula, facts and Kaʻiulani's efforts. It was wonderful to see a play that was meant to inform the audience not just entertain.

Queen Liliʻuokalani

My favorite part of the whole play was when Queen Liliʻuokalani, Kaʻiulani's aunt, presented Ke Aloha o Ka Haku, also known as the Queen's Prayer. That was the time I began to cry! It was very moving and so relevant to today! She was so smart and I believe that that song can truly heal people. I was deeply moved by it. It is a song that sings about forgiveness. Queen Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned in her own home because she protested the Republic of Hawaiʻi (even though it sounds like it was a Hawaiian government, it wasn't- it was put in place by foreigners who wanted control over how business was run so they could make a bigger profit). When she was imprisoned in her palace, one of the songs she wrote spoke of forgiving all of the wrongs they have been done. (Did you know you can read her entire autobiography online? You can read it here).

I would like to leave this song with you now. Please use the song in your life to bring peace and love and to understand forgiveness. I know you will like it:

                                  Ke Aloha o ka Haku

ʻO kou aloha nō Aia i ka lani A ʻo Kou ʻoia ʻiʻo He hemolelo hoʻi     Koʻu noho mihi ʻana A paʻahao ʻia ʻO ʻoe kuʻu lama Kou nani koʻu koʻo     Mai nānā ʻinoʻino Nā hewa o kānaka Akā e huikala A maʻemaʻe nō     No laila e ka Haku Ma lalo o kou ʻēheu Kō mākou maluhia A mau loa aku nō     ʻĀmene

Your loving mercy Is as high as Heaven And your truth So perfect     I live in sorrow Imprisoned You are my light Your glory, my support     Behold not with malevolence The sins of man But forgive And cleanse     And so, o Lord Protect us beneath your wings And let peace be our portion Now and forever more     Amen

Preparation For Hula April Performance

Aloha kāua! This month is definitely busy busy. Lately my hālau has been preparing for Aunty Doreen's Lei Hulu Graduation performance on April 11th. Every 2 years Aunty Doreen holds a graduation ceremony for her students who have completed the necessary feather leis. This 2010 is the year for her latest graduates! Our hālau was invited to perform at this great event. It will be held at Sangha Hall next month.

For anyone who has thought about making a lei hulu, let me tell you those leis take a lot of patience and hard work! Each dancer in Kahula o Nā Mamo o Moʻīkeha are making a lei poʻo and it is tedious work! Along with making my own lei poʻo for this performance, we have also been spending a lot of time cutting, pinning and sewing our dresses- up for hours and feathers for days! The dresses are made of velvet and have so many panels to connect! I am so glad the hula girls are coming out to help! My boyfriend has been doing a lot of work too. Plus there is a lining to go inside the dress! Now I'm not a seamstress, but after all of this work I think I could make some cool shirts for myself easy!

I must say that I have finally completed my lei hulu and I'm so glad! I spent hours on it and had some really patient people helping me cut and crimp feathers. There is still an ʻulīʻulī to be made I have more dances to practice before the show. I will be adding more pictures as we get closer to the performance date! A hui hou kāua.