Hōʻike and Lā ʻOhana

Auliʻi and Kuʻumamo of Papa Mailalauliʻi

Hālau Kiliʻoʻopu

On Saturday, November 17th, Hālau Kiliʻoʻopu celebrated our 6 month mark with our first Hōʻike and Lā ʻOhana - Family Day!  It was a wonderful day of hula, ʻohana, music, food, and lots of aloha.  My hālau first opened on October 26th, 1995.  After teaching for over 10 years, I decided to take a break in August of 2006.  Well, that break ended up being 6 years long!  In May of this year, after much prayer and prompting, I re-opened Hālau Kiliʻoʻopu.  It was a memorable day seeing many of my former students who had waited 6 years to return to hula.

The women of Papa ʻŌhiʻa Lehua

Since the opening in May hālau has continued to grow and progress.  One of the new traditions in hālau is to have regular hōʻike, exhibitions of hula.  It is a time to share with our ʻohana the hula and oli that we have been learning.  It is a time to reflect on the progress we have made individually and collectively.  And, it is a time to enjoy together as a hula ʻohana.

The pictures below attest to the beauty of our first hōʻike and lā ʻohana!

Kamalani shared her hula with us as taught by her Kumu, ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes.  Even though she dances for another hālau, she is such an important part of Hālau Kiliʻoʻopu.  It is her hula foundation.

Hālau Kiliʻoʻopu is an ʻohana!  We are connected through our hula genealogy and many of our haumāna are connected through their family genealogies!  Cousins Lilinoe and Taj pose with Lilinoeʻs little brother, Kaua.

In hālau, the older girls are "Big Sisters" to the younger dancers.  Big Sis Kamlaani poses with Amira of our Papa Mailelauliʻi.