Aloha!
It's been a week since Merrie Monarch, I finally got my shirt (thanks to Hilo connections - woohoo!), and I'd love to post some of my favorite performances. No videos are up on the official website, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
However, this year's competition cracked down on unofficial photos and videos, mostly out of respect to the halau and other participants, but I suspect it also had something to do with DVD sales. (Especially when every 5 minutes we were bombarded with the Japanese advertisement of their marketing company.)
I missed a few performances (which of course turned out to be the winners... go figure!) but managed to catch quite a bit of the whole thing! And this year, I found myself experiencing something different and shocking: I thoroughly enjoyed 'auana night.
Kahiko, ancient hula, is by far the more popular of the performances. Aside from being actually traditional and uniquely Hawaiian, it's much more energetic, shows off more of the dancers' intensity and athleticism, and has the more intricate, hand-crafted costuming and adornments.
'Auana, or modern hula, encompasses everything from Victorian-era to modern dances. It tends to be slower, romantic, and ever so graceful. And because it's Merrie Monarch, the songs are VERY long. If you have a short attention span (hello!), it's easy to lose interest after the first 4 verses. However, I found myself hanging on and only reluctantly pulled myself away to get enough sleep to work the next day.
I have a few favorites from Kahiko night, but I loved so many 'auana that I have a hard time choosing. (I think my favorite might have been Halau I Ka Wekiu's performance of 'Ulili E - a song about shorebirds, complete with bird-like steps and motions. Or any of the songs about Hilo.)
As a dancer, I've performed much more 'auana, although I've learned plenty songs in both and prefer to practice kahiko whenever possible. AND the Hawaiian is much clearer and easier to understand. I had worried about losing my Hawaiian in the past 4 years (yikes!), but it seems there's still quite a bit left, and I'm sure I have hula to thank for that.
So there you have it, a haole girl's review of this year's Merrie Monarch. (Heoli the Haole - new blog title? Of course there's a great debate on the word "haole", but that's another story for another day.)
A hui hou!
Friday, April 28, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Miss Aloha Hula
It's Merrie Monarch!
If I were in Hilo, I would be running around to craft fairs, stuffing myself with snacks and poi, and complaining about the rain. But I'm in Oahu, and all we got this year was the rain. (Which is welcome enough in itself, but makes my 60-degree workplace especially frigid.)
The order of competitions are: Miss Aloha Hula (Thursday), Kahiko (Friday), and 'Auana (Saturday). Kahiko is by far the most popular, but my favorite to watch is Miss Aloha. Why? Because of the oli.
Oli, or Hawaiian chant, is unique, powerful, and difficult to master. I have learned chants both in UH and in my own halau, and it's even in my Hawaiian name (HeOLImeleikalani)! Being a soprano chanter is tough - we don't have the same oomph as an alto - but it's always something I've wanted to study more.
I also love watching Miss Aloha because, as opposed to group hula, you can really focus in on a dancer's motions, facial expressions, and interpretation of a song. As a dancer, I watch it mostly for inspiration. In addition, seeing both kahiko and 'auana from the same dancer is fascinating, especially when considering all the different kumu and their different styles.
This year I was able to join in a text-based viewing party with my hula sisters back home - well past midnight for them! They accurately predicted the winner (Halau Hi'iakaikamakaenaena) and had some great insight into the songs, dances, etc. (My favorite was from Hula Halau 'o Kamuela, who came in second. Oh well.)
Round 2: Kahiko! Since there's no AHA (Mark Ho'omalu), I'm looking forward to Kahikilaulani and Kamuela's performances.
Anyone else?
A hui hou!
If I were in Hilo, I would be running around to craft fairs, stuffing myself with snacks and poi, and complaining about the rain. But I'm in Oahu, and all we got this year was the rain. (Which is welcome enough in itself, but makes my 60-degree workplace especially frigid.)
The order of competitions are: Miss Aloha Hula (Thursday), Kahiko (Friday), and 'Auana (Saturday). Kahiko is by far the most popular, but my favorite to watch is Miss Aloha. Why? Because of the oli.
Oli, or Hawaiian chant, is unique, powerful, and difficult to master. I have learned chants both in UH and in my own halau, and it's even in my Hawaiian name (HeOLImeleikalani)! Being a soprano chanter is tough - we don't have the same oomph as an alto - but it's always something I've wanted to study more.
I also love watching Miss Aloha because, as opposed to group hula, you can really focus in on a dancer's motions, facial expressions, and interpretation of a song. As a dancer, I watch it mostly for inspiration. In addition, seeing both kahiko and 'auana from the same dancer is fascinating, especially when considering all the different kumu and their different styles.
This year I was able to join in a text-based viewing party with my hula sisters back home - well past midnight for them! They accurately predicted the winner (Halau Hi'iakaikamakaenaena) and had some great insight into the songs, dances, etc. (My favorite was from Hula Halau 'o Kamuela, who came in second. Oh well.)
Round 2: Kahiko! Since there's no AHA (Mark Ho'omalu), I'm looking forward to Kahikilaulani and Kamuela's performances.
Anyone else?
A hui hou!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Waikiki Adventures!
Aloha!
I am still sick, which between sneezing, coughing, subsequent asthma attacks and dehydration means I spend a lot of time resting - a perfect time to write a blog post!
My work occasionally receives offers of free tickets to Blue Note Hawaii, a very fancy jazz club in Waikiki. I was able to drag the boyfriend with me a few weeks ago to see a jazz trio featuring an amazing pianist, Hiromi.
Here's a very short video:
The Blue Note club itself is located inside a Waikiki Hotel, which meant much confusion and yelling through one-way streets. (We were terribly late, but no one really cared - it is jazz, after all.) Boyfriend hates Waikiki, and I hate finding parking, so it was not an adventure undertaken lightly. The concert, however, was fabulous and well worth it, and there was creme brulee involved, so everyone went home happy.
Afterwards, we explored the surrounding area, since we were already there. We found the International Marketplace - completely unrecognizable from the place I visited years ago - and headed to the beach. Thankfully most of the crowd were inside battling over restaurant space, so we were able to enjoy a short walk. Then we happened upon this:
Royal Hawaiian Hotel was one of the last dances I learned in my halau before I left, so the hula dancer in me was thrilled. I have yet to find a halau here.
And speaking of hula, it's Merrie Monarch this weekend! I am looking forward to being in the same time zone so I can watch it online! (You can watch it with me here, or they occasionally have recordings available after the event.) The Miss Aloha competition is my favorite. A few of the halau are in my neighborhood, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with! (No Academy of Hawaiian Arts this year - sorry everyone.)
A hui hou!
I am still sick, which between sneezing, coughing, subsequent asthma attacks and dehydration means I spend a lot of time resting - a perfect time to write a blog post!
My work occasionally receives offers of free tickets to Blue Note Hawaii, a very fancy jazz club in Waikiki. I was able to drag the boyfriend with me a few weeks ago to see a jazz trio featuring an amazing pianist, Hiromi.
Here's a very short video:
The Blue Note club itself is located inside a Waikiki Hotel, which meant much confusion and yelling through one-way streets. (We were terribly late, but no one really cared - it is jazz, after all.) Boyfriend hates Waikiki, and I hate finding parking, so it was not an adventure undertaken lightly. The concert, however, was fabulous and well worth it, and there was creme brulee involved, so everyone went home happy.
Afterwards, we explored the surrounding area, since we were already there. We found the International Marketplace - completely unrecognizable from the place I visited years ago - and headed to the beach. Thankfully most of the crowd were inside battling over restaurant space, so we were able to enjoy a short walk. Then we happened upon this:
 |
| The pink is a little lost in the dark, but it's there! |
Royal Hawaiian Hotel was one of the last dances I learned in my halau before I left, so the hula dancer in me was thrilled. I have yet to find a halau here.
And speaking of hula, it's Merrie Monarch this weekend! I am looking forward to being in the same time zone so I can watch it online! (You can watch it with me here, or they occasionally have recordings available after the event.) The Miss Aloha competition is my favorite. A few of the halau are in my neighborhood, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with! (No Academy of Hawaiian Arts this year - sorry everyone.)
A hui hou!
Friday, April 14, 2017
Happy Good Friday!
I have a three day weekend, so I finally have some free time! I have three half-finished blog posts waiting, which I will post eventually. Most of my free time lately has been spent sleeping, eating potato chips, and drinking massive amounts of tea. It's that time of year, and I am sick.
I am still excited for having a Sunday off, for two reasons. One, because Sunday is my busiest and most stressful day of work, and two, because I finally get to go to church! We are planning to get up early and walk (just down the road!) to Sunrise Service. This was, shockingly enough, Boyfriend's idea.
My church put on a play this week: A dramatization of The Last Supper, the famous painting. All the actors were frozen into their respective gestures, and each had a soliloquy before freezing back into position. We went to see a friend, who played Philip. As you can see from the painting below, his pose was quite impressive.
I have a three day weekend, so I finally have some free time! I have three half-finished blog posts waiting, which I will post eventually. Most of my free time lately has been spent sleeping, eating potato chips, and drinking massive amounts of tea. It's that time of year, and I am sick.
I am still excited for having a Sunday off, for two reasons. One, because Sunday is my busiest and most stressful day of work, and two, because I finally get to go to church! We are planning to get up early and walk (just down the road!) to Sunrise Service. This was, shockingly enough, Boyfriend's idea.
My church put on a play this week: A dramatization of The Last Supper, the famous painting. All the actors were frozen into their respective gestures, and each had a soliloquy before freezing back into position. We went to see a friend, who played Philip. As you can see from the painting below, his pose was quite impressive.
(I've got a pesky error message popping up, so if there is no picture, picture standing completely off-balance with arms half-raised in protest. For an hour.)
It was a quite powerful performance.
Happy Easter, and have a wonderful weekend!
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