Halau O Kekuhi Performs on Maui in Holo Mai Pele Sequel

Halau O Kekuhi presents a sequel to their famed Holo Mai Pele at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center Saturday night, January 30, 2010.  The show continues the epic journey quest of Hiiakaikapoliopele, the youngest sister of Pelehonuamea, in her undertaking to fetch Lohiau, the chief of Haena Kauai.

Click to enlarge. Image Courtesy: Maui Arts & Cultural Center

Halau O Kekuhi will act out the fall of Panaewa the moo god from Hawaii; delve into the subconscious realm of Kapoulakinau from the island of Maui; and defer to the forest goddesses Koiahi, Mailelaulii and Kaiona of the Waianae 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.

The performance provides insight into to how we may deal with eruptive/cleansing cycles like with the fall of Panaewa the moo god of Panaewa forest, said (Nalani Kanakaole) Kekuhi Keliikanakaole.  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.

Keliikanakaole recounts, Kapoulakinau deals in the depth of the subconscious, the concept of trance dance, the kii (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.  Nalani 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.

Halau O Kekuhi has been adding to their repertoire mele hula from Pele and Hiiaka to be able to present a well-rounded view of ancestral Hawaii.  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 Halau O Kekuhi were Kamehameha Paiea and Hanau Ka Moku.

The power in the language bears fruit, the epic mele of Pelehonuamea and Hiiakaikapoliopele 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, and the resulting global issues.

Tickets to Holo Mai Pele – Hiiaka: Wahinepoaimoku are available through the MACC box office at 242- 7469.  TICKETS: $40, $25, $12 plus facility fees (808-242-7469 or www.mauiarts.org)

(Placeholder image courtesy MACC)