Hālau Hula O Kekuhi

Hālau Hula O Kekuhi Hālau Hula O Kekuhi is a renowned hula school rooted in Hawaiian cultural practice, known for its distinctive footwork, vocal chant, and commitment to kūpuna protocols. The halau has shaped contemporary presentations of hula kahiko and hula ʻauana while interacting with institutions such as the Bishop Museum and festivals like the Merrie Monarch Festival. Its influence reaches educational settings including the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and community centers on Maui, Oʻahu, and beyond.

History

The halau emerged during a period of Hawaiian cultural revitalization contemporaneous with the statehood era and the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s, paralleling developments at the Bishop Museum and efforts by leaders linked to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Performances and teachings have intersected with events such as the Merrie Monarch Festival, collaborations with groups like the Royal Hawaiian Band, and cultural exchanges involving the Smithsonian Institution and the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation arts initiatives. Over decades the halau navigated relationships with organizations including the Hawaiian Civic Club and educational programs at the Kamehameha Schools.

Founding and Leadership

The halau traces its lineage to kumu hula with ties to families and practitioners associated with the Nā Kumu Hula community and to figures connected to Hawaiian sovereignty discussions and cultural stewardship. Leadership has been a succession of kumu who engaged with agencies like the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and collaborated with artists from the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. These leaders have interacted with scholars from institutions such as the University of Hawaiʻi System and cultural advisors linked to the Bishop Museum and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate.

Training, Repertoire, and Cultural Practices

Training emphasizes kapu, chant, and mele drawn from aliʻi lineages and legendary narratives like those of Pele and Laka, integrating instruments such as the ipu and pahu used in ceremonies at ʻāina sites on Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi. Repertoire spans compositions by composers linked to the Hawaiian Renaissance and mele preserved in archives at the Bishop Museum and the Hawaiʻi State Archives. Pedagogy engages with protocols shared among halau that collaborate with cultural institutions like the Queen Emma Summer Palace and community programs at the Kapiʻolani Community College and Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Performances and Tours

The halau has presented works at venues including the Merrie Monarch Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival cultural nights, and civic events with the Royal Hawaiian Band and the Honolulu Museum of Art. International tours have connected the halau with audiences at the Festival of Pacific Arts, exchanges hosted by the Smithsonian Institution Folkways, and performances in regions represented by delegations to Polynesian Cultural Center events and Pacific partnerships involving Aotearoa New Zealand and Tahiti. Engagements have also included academic appearances at the University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and the East-West Center.

Awards and Recognition

Recognition includes accolades from festival juries at the Merrie Monarch Festival and commendations from cultural organizations like the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Hawaiian Civic Club, and honors presented during celebrations at the Iolani Palace. Individual kumu associated with the halau have been featured in publications by the Bishop Museum Press and received invitations to contribute to exhibitions at the Honolulu Museum of Art and programming by the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Native Hawaiian dance Category:Hula groups