Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 1, 1 January 1996 — "Holo Mai Pele": Hawaiian Drama Event of the Year [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"Holo Mai Pele": Hawaiian Drama Event of the Year

You won't want to miss Holo Mai Pele this month when it plays at Neal Blaisdell Center for just two performances, Jan. 10th and llth at 7 p.m. Thc colossal, yet simplc tclling of the epie story of Pele and Hi'iaka is a story of procreation, man's relationship to the land, to his family and to society. This is the First time the many Pele chants have been organized and presented in a way that highlights

ancient Hawai'i's literary art. First shown on Maui to mark the first anniversary of the Maui Arts and Cultural Ccntcr, its showing broke all attendance records. "The audience, whieh

was 80 percent non Hawaiian speakers, had no difficulty understanding and enjoying the ancient story,"

said director and kumu hula, Pua Kanahele. She a!ong with sister Nalani Kanaka'ole

prepetuate their mother s legacy through hula and the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation. The sisters

organized the many chants and hula telling of Pele's epie joumey from Borabora, northward to Hawai'i and Kaua'i and back to Hawai'i again. In the retelling, the audience sees portraits of pre-western Hawaiian life, such as the awa cerernony, depicting the important relationships between members in the 'ohana, and the kilu, a mating rimal played among the chiefs. Performed by the renown 60-member Hālau O Kekuhi, the dances reflect the power and majesty of the aiha'a style hula whieh keeps dancers low to the ground in an attitude of latent energy and strength. At intcrvals in the program, an English-

speaking narrator helps guide the audience through the upcoming scenes. The language, the paee, the staging all coaiesce to transport the viewer to Hawai'i long ago and aids our understanding of the remnants of culmre and tradition we celebrate today. The cultural integrity of Hālau O Kekuhi spans seven generations and has been saluted by many awards, among them the National

Heritage Fellowship Award, the most prestigious honor offered by the National Endowment for the Arts. k The group also pcrformed at President Clinton's inauguration celebration and

estabhshed cultural protocol for the 1992 healing ► ccremonies hcralding the release of

7 Kaho'olawe from federal domination. "Serious, funny, and sublime," are some of the

words used to describe this history-making pcrformance. "If you have young people in

your house, take ihem, they will never forget it," says A. Frenchy DeSoto, OHA trustee. Tickets for the 2 1/2 hour performance are $30, $40, and $50 with a handling fee of $.75 on all transactions. Procccds bcncfit thc Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation. Sponsors include Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa ColIege of Continuing Education and Community Service. Corporate sponsors include Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Ala Moana Center and Aloha Airlines. ■