2008.04.06, Picture of the Day, Big Island of Hawaii
MERRIE MONARCH HULA FESTIVAL, 2008
ALOHA! These are pictures of the April 2 ho'ike (in essence, a show or exhibition) from the 45th annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, March 30 to April 7, 2008. I have many lovely ho'ike pictures here for you to enjoy, from both 2008 and 2007 — to see them all, just click the "hula" category tab in the sidebar to the left.
This is my second set of photos of the evening's events. Here are more pictures of the traditional hula kahiko, performed by Halau O Kekuhi:
The kahiko is the ancient hula with mele, or chant, which are records of cultural information. By contrast, the 'auana (not pictured here) is the modern, song-accompanied hula. Kahiko portrays the raw life force. Highly primordial, kahiko conveys power, sensuality, sexual prowess, and a deep reverence for natural balance. It is a worship of the gods.
Above and below, we see the 'olapa, who execute the dance movements. They are accompanied by the ho'opa'a, who chant the text and provide the percussive accompaniment for the dancers.
This group is Halau O Kekuhi, who also opened the ho'ike at the 2007 Merrie Monarch Festival; my pictures of that ceremony (with better lighting!) are HERE.
The kumu hula (source, origin, teacher of hula) of Halau O Kekuhi are Pualani Kanaka’ole Kanahele and Nalani Kanaka’ole. You can learn more by clicking HERE — it's a lovely site.
I have also found a summary of the evening's show, which you can read HERE. (You may have to register to view the summary. But the pictures are right here!)
This continues my series of photos from this year's Merrie Monarch Festival. If you enjoy this blog, please check back, or sign up for email updates (using the sidebar element beneath my picture and bio) to see what's new.
[PLEASE NOTE: I respect the cultural traditions of indigenous dance forms and strive to provide accurate information and context regarding those traditions whenever possible. If you feel I have made any errors of fact, or wish to supplement my posts with additional information, feel free to leave a comment with any suggestions, corrections, or enhancements. MAHALO NUI LOA!]
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Bill Brent
[this page last updated: 2008.04.05, 3:35 p.m. Hawaii time]
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