Northwest Stories are told in many ways— through words, song, music, and dance. In Hawai’i, hula is story.
To learn hula, one attends a halau, or school, whose founder has been officially designated as a qualified teacher of hula. Northwest Folklife visited Moodette Kaapana and Gloria Nahalea to talk about the importance of hula to the Hawaiian community. Moodette is the founder of the Halau Hula Pulamahia I Ka Liko Lehua, a school that teaches the old-style hula, or kahiko, which is danced to chants and drumming. Gloria Nahalea is the founder of the Halau Hula O Napualani, which teaches the new-style hula, or ‘auana, which is danced to the accompaniment of stringed instruments such as ukulele and guitar.
Watch what we learned from these ladies in our 3rd installment (out of 8 ) of the Northwest Stories videos by Doug Plummer.
For more information on hula, each halau will perform at the 2011 Northwest Folklife Festival. Don’t miss the Northwest Stories Showcase on Friday, May 27, 7:00-10:00 PM in the Charlotte Martin Theatre, and the Hawaiian Showcase, Sunday, May 29, 11:00AM-1:30 PM in the Bagley Wright Theatre.
