Pop-up performances to premiere in Wailuku inspired by Queer Hawaiian moʻolelo

A new performance blending hula, contemporary dance and storytelling is set to premiere in Wailuku this June, created by acclaimed Native Hawaiian choreographer Christopher Kaui Morgan and inspired by queer Hawaiian moʻolelo.

Presented by Maui Public Art Corps in partnership with Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/Maui Historical Society, the County of Maui and the Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, the site-specific pop-up performance is grounded in personal narratives shared through the Hui Moʻolelo: Lei Pua ʻAla initiative.

Morgan’s work draws on the stories of Hōkū Pavao, Francis Taua, Sean-Joseph Takeo Kahāokalani Choo and William Haʻo, and features original music by TJ Keanu Tario and a custom garment by renowned fiber artist Marques Hanalei Marzan. The piece explores themes of resilience, presence and visibility—both personal and cultural.

“This work is about making space—for ourselves, for our stories and for each other,” Morgan said. “These performances are love letters to the moʻolelo and the people who trusted me with them. It invites us to see each other more clearly—and to honor the courage it takes to be visible.”

Two free public performances are scheduled:

• Saturday, June 14, 2025 – Market Street in Wailuku, presented in partnership with Aloha Maui Pride.
  
• Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 5 p.m. – Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, with Morgan performing in front of Eric Okdeh’s mural “Ma kāhi o ka hana he ola malaila.”

Hui Moʻolelo: Lei Pua ʻAla was launched to uplift queer stories and history. A cohort of 11 storytellers underwent immersive training under Sissy Lake-Farm, executive director of Hale Hōʻikeʻike and Kumu Hula of Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe. Their moʻolelo, recorded with partners of their choosing, are archived at the Maui Historical Society and the Library of Congress.

“Many voices create a more honest and complex history,” said Aiko Yamashiro, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities. “The Hui Moʻolelo Lei Pua ʻAla project helps us honor important community stories that have not been shared, and invites our community to actively create a safer and more vibrant future for all of us.”

Joe Wilson, co-director of the Lei Pua ʻAla project, said the initiative highlights both historic challenges and ongoing resilience.

“Not being able to see oneself reflected in one’s own family or community or one’s cultural history means you can never see yourself as a person of any value,” Wilson said. “This project is aimed at looking historically at what some of those challenges have been, but more importantly at what resilience has looked like. How do we lift up and make ourselves and these experiences across the various cultures of Hawaiʻi more visible?”

Event details and RSVP information are available at www.mauipublicart.org/seen.

Other June events

Maui Public Art Corps is offering additional free events in June, including a Wailuku Tour & Talk Story on June 13, and a Talk Story on the Land with Hawaiʻi Island Land Trust’s Scott Fisher on June 16 at the Waiheʻe Coastal Lands and Wetlands Refuge.

Visit www.mauipublicart.org for more information.