Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2004 — Celebrate Hawai'i people and land through hula Feb. 7 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Celebrate Hawai'i people and land through hula Feb. 7

By Manu Boyd On the heels of a standing-room-only performance on Maui by one of Hawai'i's premier hālau hula, Kumu Hula Sonny Ching is poised for a hana hou at the historic Hawai'i Theatre as he brings his Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu'uanahulu to the limelight Feb. 7. Using the 'ōlelo no'eau expression that "not all knowledge is found in one school," "'A'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi" will showcase 80 of Ching's top haumāna in a hula celebration exploring the eonnection of the land and its people. Aside from hula, Ching describes himself as a cultural activist. "There a lot of issues Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians are dealing with," he said referring to recent legal challenges to indigenous Hawaiian rights. He serves as a director of the 'īlio'ulaokalani Coalition where he is able to find a halanee to both politics and culture. "Hula is a way of life for us through whieh we have chosen to live our culture, to live the traditions of our ancestor."

Among notable hula students of Ching's is Jennifer Kēhaulani Oyama, who just two months after the Hawai'i Theatre appearance, will relinquish her title as the reigning Miss Aloha Hula at

the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo. Oyama's year has been filled with performances, appearances and frequent trips abroad, sharing her talent, grace and aloha. Singing for Oyama and the hālau will be Māhiehie - the longstanding trio of Sam Kaina, Mark Tang and Helene Kekāhili Woodward. After more than a dozen years of performing with

Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, Māhiehie is hitting the recording

studio for their debut showcase of nahenahe Hawaiian music. "'A'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi. All knowledge is not taught in one school, and we are

but one school of hula, onee style of dance," Ching said. "But in all that we do, and with what little we know, we humbly strive to bring dignity to the Hawaiian people and culture through this art form." Tickets are $20-$35 and are available at the Hawai'i Theatre Box Office, 5280506 (closed Mondays), and online at www.hawaiitheatre.com. For more

information on Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, visit www.sonyching.com. ■

Hanana Ki'iikawā

MISS ALOHA HULA 2003 — Jennifer Kēhaulani Oyama of Ching's Hōlau Nō Mamo O Pu'uanahulu will perform in her hōlau's hula production at Hawai'i Theatre, Feb. 7.