Halau O Kekuhi Presents Holo Mai Pele Sequel At MACC

Halau O Kekuhi presents a sequel to their famed Holo Mai Pele, it is Hi‘iaka: Wahinepo‘aimoku on Saturday January 30, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center Castle Theater.

Image Courtesy Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

The show continues the epic journey quest of Hi‘iakaikapoliopele, the youngest sister of Pelehonuamea, in her undertaking to fetch Lohi‘au, the chief of Ha‘ena Kaua‘i.

Hālau O Kekuhi will act out the fall of Pana‘ewa the mo‘o god from Hawai‘i; delve into the subconscious realm of Kapo‘ulakina‘u from the island of Maui; defer to the forest goddesses Ko‘iahi, Mailelauli‘i and Kaiona of Wai‘anae mountain range.  There will be some familiar hula from the original dance drama Holo Mai Pele, however most will be new interpretations of the mele.

“Pele and Hi‘iaka in mele form may be our ancestral/geological tradition, an insight as to how we may deal with eruptive/cleansing cycles like with the fall of Pana‘ewa the mo‘o god of Pana‘ewa forest,” said (Nalani Kanaka‘ole) Kekuhi Keli‘ikanaka‘ole.  “There is a lepa dance that describes the marking off of land boundaries by ti leaves and white tapa flags to protect the land area from inundation,” she said.

Keli‘ikanaka‘ole recounts, “Kapo‘ulakina‘u deals in the depth of the subconscious, the concept of trance dance, the ki‘i (image) dances. Most of us (hula people) never go there.”

New areas of departure are the hulihia chants, when an eruptive phase changes the landscape physically, socially and psychologically.  Nālani says, “Hulihia is a term that also refers to the overturning of the traditional in that it becomes revolutionary like the overturning of government, business, the environment, the value system.”

Hālau O Kekuhi has been adding to their repertoire mele hula from Pele and Hi‘iaka to be able to present a well-rounded view of ancestral Hawai‘i.  Holo Mai Pele, another MACC premier, had a long run with its recent sold out appearances in Mexico, Japan, and Greece.  Other supportive collaborations that Maui Arts & Cultural Center have also premiered by Hālau O Kekuhi were Kamehameha Pai‘ea and Hānau Ka Moku.

The power in the language bears fruit, the epic mele of Pelehonuamea and Hi‘iakaikapoliopele is a testament to that power.  Understanding the hulihia, the overturning eruptive phases, becomes a reflection upon the issues happening today with the on-going eruption cycle, the radical changes in government, the resulting global issues.

Tickets to Holo Mai Pele - Hi’iaka: Wahinepo’aimoku are available through the MACC box office at 242- 7469.  TICKETS: $40, $25, $12 (808-242-7469 or www.mauiarts.org)