Miss Aloha Hula 2011 Farewell Performance
October 17, 2014 6:01 PM Subscribe
I looked up Miss Aloha Hula to see if it was a beauty pageant , and it turns out it's a dance competition, rather than a pageant. I was also delighted to see the mix of body types among the winners from the past few years. Dancing is one of those things fat girls are usually told they shouldn't do, so it's nice to know that at least in Hawaiian society, it's acceptable for big girls to get their (very mellow) groove on.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:34 PM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:34 PM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
For those not in the know, the Merrie Monarch Festival is the biggest annual event in hula. Held on the Big Island, the festival celebrates King Kalākaua, the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. He revived hula, which had been banned by Queen Ka'ahumanu upon her conversion to Christianity, so it's only right that the premiere hula festival is named after him.
There are basically three nights of competition between different hālau, mostly from the Hawaiian Islands, though there have been a number of mainland U.S. and international hālau in recent years.
The first night of the competition is Miss Aloha Hula. Participating hālau can have one of their top dancers compete for the title. The chosen dancer performs both hula ʻauana (modern) and hula kahiko (traditional). Miss Aloha Hula 2011, Tori Hulali Canha from Maui's Hālau Ke‘alaokamaile under the direction of the amazing Kumu Hula Keali‘i Reichel, competed with this hula ʻauana but I can't find her hula kahiko. She's fabulous.
The current Miss Aloha Hula is Ke'alohilani Tara Eliga Serrao from Ka La ‘Onohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e. This is her hula kahiko and this is her hula ʻauana. She's just amazing.
Anyhow, the second and third nights are for group hula ʻauana and group hula kahiko. I'm partial the the hula kahiko, but your mileage may vary.
If you enjoyed Ms. Canha's performance in the main link, I encourage you to search for videos from the Merrie Monarch Festival. Watching it is an annual tradition out here. Its really worth your time.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on October 17, 2014 [19 favorites]
There are basically three nights of competition between different hālau, mostly from the Hawaiian Islands, though there have been a number of mainland U.S. and international hālau in recent years.
The first night of the competition is Miss Aloha Hula. Participating hālau can have one of their top dancers compete for the title. The chosen dancer performs both hula ʻauana (modern) and hula kahiko (traditional). Miss Aloha Hula 2011, Tori Hulali Canha from Maui's Hālau Ke‘alaokamaile under the direction of the amazing Kumu Hula Keali‘i Reichel, competed with this hula ʻauana but I can't find her hula kahiko. She's fabulous.
The current Miss Aloha Hula is Ke'alohilani Tara Eliga Serrao from Ka La ‘Onohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e. This is her hula kahiko and this is her hula ʻauana. She's just amazing.
Anyhow, the second and third nights are for group hula ʻauana and group hula kahiko. I'm partial the the hula kahiko, but your mileage may vary.
If you enjoyed Ms. Canha's performance in the main link, I encourage you to search for videos from the Merrie Monarch Festival. Watching it is an annual tradition out here. Its really worth your time.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on October 17, 2014 [19 favorites]
I was also delighted to see the mix of body types among the winners from the past few years.
Yeah, its all about the dance, though the kāne tend to want to make sure they're cut before performing in their malo. Men can be so vain.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:42 PM on October 17, 2014
Yeah, its all about the dance, though the kāne tend to want to make sure they're cut before performing in their malo. Men can be so vain.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:42 PM on October 17, 2014
Nice synchronization between the dancers. (I'm all mellow now.)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:46 PM on October 17, 2014
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:46 PM on October 17, 2014
Yeah Joey Michaels, I've totally fallen down a youtube hole of Merrie Monarch videos, now. Thanks for the information!
posted by Mizu at 6:47 PM on October 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Mizu at 6:47 PM on October 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
Charming! Thanks for the link.
posted by puddinghead at 7:13 PM on October 17, 2014
posted by puddinghead at 7:13 PM on October 17, 2014
After a bit, I muted the sound and played a live version of Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie" in another tab. That was more pleasing.
posted by the sobsister at 7:37 PM on October 17, 2014
posted by the sobsister at 7:37 PM on October 17, 2014
The current Miss Aloha Hula is Ke'alohilani Tara Eliga Serrao from Ka La ‘Onohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e. This is her hula kahiko
Wow, the control is amazing. At the end, I watched her feet while she executed those terms. The dance seems "mellow," but her feet are doing some fast magic to make her appear to glide like that.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:37 PM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
Wow, the control is amazing. At the end, I watched her feet while she executed those terms. The dance seems "mellow," but her feet are doing some fast magic to make her appear to glide like that.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:37 PM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
Definitely a huge part of the calming and mellow effect is the meticulous precision needed to execute everything so flawlessly that you only notice the flow.
posted by Mizu at 7:50 PM on October 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Mizu at 7:50 PM on October 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
After a bit, I muted the sound and played a live version of Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie" in another tab. That was more pleasing.
To each their own, but for the record hula is a storytelling form. The movement is specifically chosen to reinforce both the surface and hidden meaning of any given chant or song. To whit, were a kumu hula tasked with setting a hula to Satch Boogie, I'm not sure what they would do since there's no words. To put in another way, the dance and song are part of the same whole and removing the song would likely be considered highly culturally inappropriate out here.
But, like I said, to each their own.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:30 PM on October 17, 2014 [6 favorites]
To each their own, but for the record hula is a storytelling form. The movement is specifically chosen to reinforce both the surface and hidden meaning of any given chant or song. To whit, were a kumu hula tasked with setting a hula to Satch Boogie, I'm not sure what they would do since there's no words. To put in another way, the dance and song are part of the same whole and removing the song would likely be considered highly culturally inappropriate out here.
But, like I said, to each their own.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:30 PM on October 17, 2014 [6 favorites]
We used to live in Hilo, just a few blocks from this auditorium! This brings back some great memories. On nights when we didn't actually attend Merrie Monarch, we could follow the competition by standing outside and listening to the audience screaming.
Here's one of the men's Kahiko (traditional hula) performances. You don't have to be a native Hawai'ian to understand the screaming.
posted by helpthebear at 8:31 PM on October 17, 2014 [7 favorites]
Here's one of the men's Kahiko (traditional hula) performances. You don't have to be a native Hawai'ian to understand the screaming.
posted by helpthebear at 8:31 PM on October 17, 2014 [7 favorites]
I remember watching this short video on my local PBS station not long after 9/11, when everything was so sad and stressy, and it was so lovely and calming I always had to watch it all the way through.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 9:15 PM on October 17, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 9:15 PM on October 17, 2014 [4 favorites]
Thank you, potsmokinghippieoverlord! I was just about to search for that to post here! You saved me the trouble. It remains one of my very most favorite things I've ever seen on television.
posted by trip and a half at 7:04 AM on October 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by trip and a half at 7:04 AM on October 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Dang, don't I feel even more like a galumpy bastard than I am after watching that. :)
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:13 AM on October 18, 2014
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:13 AM on October 18, 2014
Definitely a huge part of the calming and mellow effect is the meticulous precision
I think this is true and it comes from just so much damn practicing the same basic foot movements and patterns over and over again (they each have names, like lele uwehe and kawelu o) to the point that it becomes muscle memory and you don't even have to think about your feet anymore and can focus on your hands.
It's hard though because at Merrie Monarch the judges are so focused on basics precision that you have to practice them even more going into that competition. And you can't just focus on your hands because the judges are sitting right in front of you at eye level with your feet. So where ordinarily at my halau we practice basics half the time and songs the other half, we have to increase basics training for Merrie Monarch because they will see any tiny mistake in your feet and take points off.
Here's one of the men's Kahiko (traditional hula) performances
As a kane dancer I really respect Ke Kai O Kahiki and feel they are the best representation of kane hula on the Merrie Monarch stage at this point. We don't emulate their style but certainly respect it. I was really sad at the passing of their kumu O'Brian Eselu - he was an amazing kumu and chanter. But to see how one of their dancers La'akea Perry has stepped up to lead them this year has been an inspiration.
posted by osk at 11:23 AM on October 18, 2014 [9 favorites]
I think this is true and it comes from just so much damn practicing the same basic foot movements and patterns over and over again (they each have names, like lele uwehe and kawelu o) to the point that it becomes muscle memory and you don't even have to think about your feet anymore and can focus on your hands.
It's hard though because at Merrie Monarch the judges are so focused on basics precision that you have to practice them even more going into that competition. And you can't just focus on your hands because the judges are sitting right in front of you at eye level with your feet. So where ordinarily at my halau we practice basics half the time and songs the other half, we have to increase basics training for Merrie Monarch because they will see any tiny mistake in your feet and take points off.
Here's one of the men's Kahiko (traditional hula) performances
As a kane dancer I really respect Ke Kai O Kahiki and feel they are the best representation of kane hula on the Merrie Monarch stage at this point. We don't emulate their style but certainly respect it. I was really sad at the passing of their kumu O'Brian Eselu - he was an amazing kumu and chanter. But to see how one of their dancers La'akea Perry has stepped up to lead them this year has been an inspiration.
posted by osk at 11:23 AM on October 18, 2014 [9 favorites]
« Older "Provocative" Christmas tree rasing eyebrows in... | Ladies and Gentlemen: Power Coffee Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Mizu at 6:11 PM on October 17, 2014 [1 favorite]