Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2009 — All the world's hula on one stage [ARTICLE]

All the world's hula on one stage

ByT. Ilihia Gionson Publications Editor Eho'i mai i ka piko hula - a eall for the hula faithful to eome to Hawai'i, the birthplace of hula, for a week of celebration and sharing at the World Intemational Hula Festival. Head down to the Waiklkl Shell for a pienie on the lawn, peruse the Hawaiian-made products in the marketplaee and take in the sights, sounds and smells of hula. Now in its 18th year, and with the support of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the festival will bring together about 400 participants from Japan, Okinawa, Mexico, France, Guam, India, the Netherlands, the continental U.S. and Hawai'i. The international nature of the gathering comes through in the program booklet, with weleome messages in languages from all corners of the globe. "We have a mission to spread the spirit of aloha throughout the world," says Paulie Keākealani Jennings, executive producer

of the festival. Although it may look like a eommon contest, this festival is more about the sharing than the competition, Jennings says. A Ho'olana Hula workshop for dancers and judges will be held the Sunday before, where participants will receive a book with performers' songs and chants and theirmeanings. In between the Sunday workshop and the performances, participants are encouraged to mingle and get out and enjoy O'ahu. "(The workshop) is something done in the unified spirit of aloha," Jennings says. And with that comes an aloha for hula, something shared by the organizers and the board, whieh reads like a who's who of hula. At the end of the festival, achievement awards recognize the dancers' study and practice leading up to the performance. The event has made such an impression on hula aficionados worldwide that a sister festival might be launched in 2012 in Paris by Kilohana Silve, a kumu hula there. That is, if the World International Hula Festival ean survive the tough eeon-

omy right here at home. But Jennings is committed to making it happen. Her belief in the mission to celebrate and educate people from all over the world about Hawaiian culture and arts, customs history and language comes through to everyone she talks to. "We offer a venue for people to have pride in who they are," she says. Sometimes there's also a more personal connection between participants - two couples who met at the fest have since married. "We're not just a hula eompetition," says Jennings. "We're making a difference in people's lives." ■ World lnternational Hula Festival Nov. 12-14 Waikiki Shell, O'ahu Tickets, $10-35, discounts available Waikiki Shell box office, Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-877-750-4400 lnformation: 486-3185 or worldhula.com

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