The Moanikeala Hula Festival welcomed seven different halaus or hula schools to the Polynesian Cultural Center to honor the late Sally Naluai with hula performances in the Hawaiian Village courtyard on Jan. 16.
“Aunty Sally,” as she was known, was a masterful kumu hula or hula teacher who was renowned for her graceful dancing and for being a student of the famed kumu hula Lokalia Montgomery.
Aunty Sally taught several generations of young Polynesians both the kahiko or ancient and auana or modern styles of hula during her years at the Cultural Center, according to Polynesia.com
“She was so graceful when she danced. Her hands told the whole story so she wouldn’t have to tell you what she meant. You could feel it,” said Sunday Mariteragi, a niece of Aunty Sally’s and Laie resident.
“I think this [festival] really is a legacy in and of itself and I think it’s exactly what Aunty Sally would have wanted.”
Kala Reed from Hauula said, “The Moanikeala is a great way to show people what hula really is and its importance in remembering who we are and where we come from. These groups definitely stayed true to their respective styles of hula. The hand motions, the oli or chants, and the gestures were just spot on. It was an excellent day to showcase something as great as hula and I hope everyone who saw it enjoyed it and learned something new.”
On the microphone were festival hosts Telesia Tonga and Terry Pane’e who introduced all of the halaus to the field and presented each kumu with a gift bag after their 30 minute performance.
Lilinoe Lindsey’s halau from Honolulu, Ka Pa Nani O Lilinoe, was the first to perform, featuring four different groups ranging in age from 3 1/2 years old, all the way up to 71. Lindsey’s students danced to the singing of local performer, Sam Kaina, who sang of the different islands of Hawaii and their many beauties.
Lindsey came with her aunt, Joanie Lindsey, who has been a kumu hula for about 65 years and founded the Joan S. Lindsey Hula Studio. Joanie’s halau performed immediately after Lilinoe’s group finished.
About her halau, Joanie Lindsey said, “Our dancing is very simple. We just love to dance just as Aunty Sally did, and we’re so grateful to be able to honor her today.”
Following the Lindseys was Sunday Mariteragi’s PCC-based halau, Napuananionapalionako’olau, which was an ensemble mostly made of children aged 2-13. Mariteragi’s troupe started their segment dancing with baby dolls and stuffed animals to the songs “Baby Doll Lullaby” and “Dance out Baby Doll,” and slowly progressed into segments which focused more on nature and Hawaii.
Anela Kapu, a 5th grader from Laie, performed a solo hula about the mountains of Kauai and said, “I was very nervous, but I feel like I overcame my fear. Hula has really helped me get past being so shy.”
The last two songs of Mariteragi’s halau’s performance were Elvis Presley classics, specifically chosen to honor her father and Aunty Sally. They were sung by Tupua Ainu’u.
Aunty Sally was once asked to choreograph a hula for the song “This is my Heaven” for Elvis’ movie, “Paradise, Hawaiian style,” but she instead chose to assign Mariteragi to choreograph in her place, said Mariteragi.
“Many of the moves you saw today were the same ones we came up with for the movie,” Mariteragi explained. “The final song, ‘Blue Hawaii’, was for my dad and Elvis.” Her father was able to serve as Elvis’ bodyguard during the filming of “Blue Hawaii.”
After Mariteragi’s halau came Sensei Yuko Kawamoto and his group Puanani Aloha, who traveled all the way from Japan to dance at the PCC.
Aria Loh from Sunset, said, “It’s amazing how they’re from a completely different culture but still embrace ours so skillfully. I remember last year there were some Japanese guys at the fireknife competition and I was just as impressed then as I am today.”
After Puanani Aloha, Corrine Park’s Honolulu-based halau, Hui Park’s Hula Studio, danced.
The members were three children and the four senior dancers known as the “Gracious Ladies,” and then the slightly younger “Pre-Gracious Ladies,” making up seven dancers in total.
Park said, “The numbers the keiki did were all mostly fun numbers to make everyone happy, and our older ‘Gracious Ladies’ danced to love songs like Ali’i poi, a song about how a man describes his love for a woman.”
Park said her halau has performed at the PCC every year since the mid ‘90s and she fully plans to keep coming back in the future. The following act, The Men of Kawai’ulaokala seemed to be the crowd favorite, offering the only performance of male hula throughout the whole show.
Kumu Keli’i Puchalski chanted and played an ipu while directing 20 young men, the youngest was 13 years old and the oldest 21.
Puchalski’s team is based out of St. Louis School in Honolulu and has nearly 100 members made up of students and recent graduates. Puchalski said, “I want people to be able to appreciate men’s hula. I don’t know if a lot of people get to see the more athletic style of men’s hula. So we try to help people see it and know there’s more than just a song and dance, but a spiritual connection as well.
“Hula has a tie to a Hawaiian martial art called lua, which is where a lot of the movements in men’s hula come from. That’s what our halau is about, trying to perpetuate men’s hula as a very strong, masculine, powerful style that’s more athletic and vigorous than people give it credit for.”
Following the men was Hula Halau O Kekela under the leadership of kumu hula Kela Miller. The group of about 20 was a blend of seniors and youth from the North Shore community.
“I love how this group seemed to bring the whole community together. It’s nice seeing the kupuna and keiki dancing together. The only way to keep culture like this alive is by sharing it from generation to generation,” said Tami Mancebo from Ka’a’awa.
The scheduled final act of the day didn’t make it to the festival because its kumu was sick, so the PCC Hawaiian village dancers stepped in and delivered a grand finale hula to wrap up the show.
According to Mariteragi, the fact the festival was able to happen at all was a miracle. Since the festival was outside, rain would have canceled it, she said.
“Yesterday it was definitely a blue and gray Hawaii with all the rain. I’ve been praying all week we would be able to do this today and I just knew it would be sunny today.”