Makana O Hula

OK - Ive come back to teach a hula workshop the beginning of next month!!! https://www.tickettailor.com//hlaumakanaohulaschool/289264

If you can help...please do...this is my direct hula lineage...my kumus kumu...mahalo nui, me ke aloha mau!!!!

My cousin is graduating from hula - and is scheduled to 'uniki in June...her siblings are hosting a hula workshop taught by her, under the direction of her kumu - Kumu Hula Pekelo Day. This workshop is a fundraiser to kokua (help) her parents and siblings fly out and attend her 'uniki....please if you're in the US/mid-west area, please come out and support...and grab some good mana'o too! Tickets can be bought here: https://www.eventbee.com/event?eid=176566522#/tickets... More info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/393324217739955/

Quite often a time I'm asked as a kumu (hula teacher), " When is it a good time to start my child in hula..." This is obviously an example of my general answer...hula starts with you, and for a child, it starts in the womb. Just hearing, feeling, tasting hula is where they get their intake in the womb. When born, they get to experience the physical aspect of hula...it is NEVER too young to start....the discipline will develop in time...enjoy!!!!

This moment frozen in time totally depicts the n'eau hula "Pili i ke kumu." - meaning "mimic your source." Although I did not have an ipu heke (the gourd instrument used by Kumu Keli'i), my hand position is the same....a perfect teaching moment for my own haumna (students)....

King Kawika La’amea Kalkaua said, HULA is the language of the heart...therefore the heartbeat of our people. A body without a heartbeat is a dead one...The early 1800’s was a time of excitement in the subject of religion. It was around this time that Christianity was spreading around the world, the Polynesian islands being part of that. Long story short, if the Hawaiians were to convert to Christianity, they were to denounce hula (for it looked at as a vulgar display of ...dance - for those that did not understand). So hula was banned from the Hawaiian people for about a period of 70+ years. It was about this time that the King saw that this was affecting his people in a negative way. They no longer knew who they were. The heartbeat of the Hawaiian people was dying. So as king, he restored hula to its proper place, but this time adding on new mana’o (knowledge), with the adding of stringed instruments, and a new melodic & harmonic voicing patterns....it also changed the way the Hawaiians performed the hula...thus giving us 2 styles of dance - Khiko (the ancient way - before Christian influence), and Auana (the changed way - or more modern contemporary)...with these two styles, the art, and culture of the Hawaiian people was preserved, and perpetuated throughout countless generations. Mahalo piha ia King Kalkaua...(Complete thank you to King Kalkaua).... See more

Hula Noeau Contd 3 - Paa Ka Waha [pah-AH kah wah-hah] - Close the mouth....this part is taught in a couple ways. Back in the "olden days," there was no room for the haumna to talk, ask questions, or talk about another. You just simply followed the first two (watch and listen), and just followed what the kumu did. Only the kumu asked questions, and the haumna would only respond when asked; otherwise - you dont speak. This is also taught to limit the difference in opi...nion from one lapa to another, as well as one hlau to another...by following this, the spirit of ALO~H is continued as expected. Unko George Nope taught that "Hula is ones most inner connections to a mele (song). Who are you to tell another how their body should move? Just shut your mouth, and enjoy the moment." Your body will move as the song leads it to. If the first two steps were followed, your body will move as the kumus. Which leads us to the next: 4 - Hana me ka lima [hah-nah meh kah lee-mah] - Work with your hands...this is also lab time...so once the first 3 steps are followed, you are expected to execute what was learned. You only did what was instructed, nothing more, nothing less. If more, or less was executed, you were swaying away from the instruction of the kumu. Which leads us to the last one (Ive added this to my own haumna - so it is not generally taught as neau) 5 - Pili ke kumu [pee-lee keh koo-moo] - Mimic the kumu (teaher). To me, this is very vital to the perpetuation of ones lineage of hula. Back in the "olden days," and still practiced by some today - you did not just one day join a hlau. If the kumu saw fit, you and your family were invited in. The kumu would only invite one to join because he/she saw that their lineage would be well perpetuated through the one invited. This has somewhat changed overtime. But as we see the importance of this step, I understand why things were done the way they were back then. Pili ke kumu means to do things as your kumu would do...not only during hula, but in all things. The kumu was one of your ultimate examples to follow in all things. So as you listen to a mele, and you start to receive inspirations on how to move...if the inspirations are right, they should be the same inspirations that your kumu would have. Thus the preservation of your kumus "STYLE." Quite often a time one would get inspirations but they would never contradict what your kumu has taught...so as one creates from within, it would be as if the kumu would create. Only in this way can the hula lineage of the kumu be preserved, and perpetuated....

Noeau Hula (hula proverbs)...in order to understand how hlau hula works...and to some continue to work...these proverbs are a general basis to keep everyone on the same page...These are proverbs of old, and are still commonly practiced...I will break this into a couple posts...there is a lot to learn from this... 1 - Nn i ka maka [NAAH-NAAH ee kah mah-kah] - observe with your eyes....in the past the kumu (teacher) is the source of knowledge. He/she knew everything...so i...t was the job of the haumna (students) to grasp as much as possible by watching how the kumu did things, how he/she executed each hula step, each motion, how they made their adornments, their chanting style, their hoopaa (rhythm style), and teaching style...observe, observe, observe.... 2 - Hoolohe ka pepeiao [hoh-oh-loh-heh kah peh-peh-yaoh] - listen with your ears....along with observing with your eyes, you also grasp as much as possibly by observing with your ears...listen to the things the kumu has to teach you. Listen to their chanting style. Listen to their lectures, their songs, their stories, their instructions.

Mahalo nui for all of your continued support...it has been quite some time since Ive posted on my page...so I will try my hardest to keep this page alive with manao... So first thing is lelo naauao (proverb)...Hookahi kou hana. Your family comes first. This is part of the reason Ive put hlau on hold...to practice what I teach my haumna...and put my family first above even my own passions... Center your life around divine deity. For me, its Jesus Christ. From t...here...draw several circles around him/her one, larger than the next. - The first circle is yourself (you cannot assist another if you are not taking care of yourself) - The next circle is your spouse/partner/significant other - once you build yourself...youre able to assist with another, and that other should be your significant other - The next circle are your children...if divine deity is your center...you cannot build a successful family with one leader. Divine inspirations has taught that a family consists of 2 adults and children under the care of both... - The next circle are your siblings, and extended family - we (parents) need time for ourselves...so we call upon our extended family for assistance. - The next circle are friends and extra curricular commitments As you may notice - the inner circle(s) consist of just family members. This is the meaning of that proverb...if you build your foundations in this way...you will learn NATURALLY the true meaning of ALO~H....

Come out and support us release the new Hawaiian born American Girl Doll - "Nanea Mitchel" at the Oak Park Mall. We will be joining in a joint effort of live performances every hour on the hour from 10:00-14:00.... My Auntie Dee [Dorinda Nicholson] esteemed author of [The Pearl Harbor Child] was an integral part of the research for the authenticity of Nanea. Enjoy!!!!

If you missed it last night, heres the live video (no longer live), broadcast from the Hike at MM2017 - N hana Kahikilaulani O Mexio - reppin Mexico like it should!!!! https://www.facebook.com/kaparadio/videos/10155332070113939/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

Its that time again: Merrie Monarch 2017 Miss Aloha Hula: Thursday, April 20, 6 to 11:30 p.m. Hula Kahiko (ancient style): Friday, April 21, 6 p.m. to midnight Hula Auana (modern style): Saturday, April 22, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m... Pacific Time Watch it here at this link: http://www.k5thehometeam.com//323774/2017-merrie-monarch-f