“The WORLD is my classroom” is what kumu hula Keala Ching could very well say about teaching his hula students. Knowing that he was going to be on Kaua’i for EKK Monday, he set a rendezvous time and place for this students to show up for a weekend hula retreat. “Meet me at 9:00 a.m. on Friday at Sack ‘n Save Foodland in Kapa’a” were the directions; thirty hula students showed up from everywhere for a weekend of hula at various sacred hula sites - Ke’e Beach in Ha’ena, Wailua, and Kalalau lookout in Koke’e - where culture was shared with his students through the dance.

Keala had written the words about the twining of mokihana and maile, but there was no music yet. As the dancers brought the lyrics to life overlooking the breathtaking beauty of Kalalau, the music followed. This was the hula that 13 of Keala’s students shared with us at E Kanikapila Kakou. As they swayed and moved in unison to the music, one could imagine the mist-covered mountains, the wind, the trees and the inspirational splendor of Koke’e in their hula.

The Way of the Hula

Rolinda Bean - remember that name! What a voice she has as she led the ukulele gang in familiar songs during the instrumental hour. The ukuleles were strumming and everyone sang with gusto...one could hear it all the way over to the college campus.

Kumu hula Keala Ching stands tall and proud, a handsome gentleman with his full long pony tail framing his Hawaiian features, soft spoken and funny, he took us through the paces of learning Hawaiian words, movements, and culture pretty much the same way that he teaches the children in the Hawaiian immersion charter schools.

He opened the program with a chant he wrote to honor the sun, dedicating the chant to the beloved Genoa Keawe as she moved on to take her place with the ancestors.

He stressed several things over and over: Look to the source (the kumu); understand the cultural significance; learn by repetition. He repeated all the body parts with accompanying motions. After a number of repetitions, we all sang the song to the tune of “Ten Little Indians” as Rolinda helped us keep our beat with her ukulele. The Hawaiian language lessons continued with basic words such as right, left, in, out, etc. sung to the very familiar “Hokey Pokey”.

We then moved on to ka la’au -- ka (strike) la’au (sticks) - stick hula. He quoted a Hawaiian proverb: “Where your hands are pointed, your eyes should follow.” He took us verse by verse through “Keo Ao Nani” with all the motions of the stick hula, repeating the verses and motions over and over until everyone got it. Just when we thought we had learned it well and could put down our sticks, he had everyone stand up to perform the stick hula. It was quite impressive to see a hundred sticks waving in the air and clapping in unison....felt like May Day. He emphasized that ka la’au are precious and need to be treated with respect.

He then shared a very fresh song written just two days earlier. It was a song about the fragrant mokihana berry and the maile li’i li’i found only on Kaua’i. As the mokihana lei is entwined with the maile lei, so was the culture of the two native plants woven into the words of the song.

When he met his students on Friday, he gave them the words of the chant about the sun and told them to learn it. After dancing at the hula mound at Ke’e beach and stopping in Wailua to learn a hula about Pihana Kalani heiau high above Wai’ale’ale, the group proceeded to Koke’e. The rains came pouring down and when they got to the top of the lookout, Keala asked them to chant Hiki Mai Kala about the sun coming out. As they chanted, the rains stopped and the sun came out.

At the lookout the students put motion to the words; Keala played the ukulele and started to sing and the tune emerged. Along with the learning of the hula and the song, Keala showed his students how to gather the maile, wili the maile into a lei, and after it was completed, they placed the lei back into the forest as it is the tradition to always return the first lei from whence it came.

To share this experience with us, Keala stood on the catwalk and invited his thirteen students to the front. Rolinda sang the song which she learned just today, and the most gentle and exquisite hula came to life before us...you could call it the world premiere of “Wili i’a i ka maile”. To see Keala dance the hula was treat enough but to see him dance it with his students was a gift indeed.

One of the two Japanese students from Japan who accompanied Keala to Kaua’i caught my eye because of her exquisite carriage. He later shared that she was formerly playing the part of the “monkey” in the “Lion King” in Japan, but chose to come to Hawai’i to study hula with Keala.

When Keala held a hula competition to honor all the composers of Hawai’i, he composed two songs for hula - the “kai” (entrance song) and “hoi” (exit song). He wrote a song for Rolinda about all the things for which Kona is famous. This song will be the title tract for Rolinda’s first CD which has been four years in the making...but it will happen very soon (she promised).

The last part of the evening was time to jam as Rolinda and Keala sang “Papa Lina Lahi Lahi”; up came the hula dancers -- snowbirds Jane Cole and Judith Vale, Uncle Verne, Fran Nestel and Barbara Prigge. They also sang “Share A Little Aloha” and “Koke’e”. Their final song was sung first in Hawaiian, then in Italian and then in Japanese.

Hmmmmmm? Wonder how many Hawaiian songs are translated into other languages?

What do people say about EKK?

At the half way point of the 2008 season, we review the comments that folks leave with us: Wonderful program - look forward to it every year. Molly; Thank you for having this wonderful program - Leslie Ann; We love it! - Marilynne; What a wonderful taste of the culture and opportunity - June; Come every year; love it! - Andrea; Great weekly event! - Joan and Lewis; Thank you for special time! Arigato! (in Japanese characters) - Kazumi; Love this program! - Sharon; Thank You! - Bill; I’ve never attended a concert or gathering that wasn’t absolutely wonderful! - Cindy; I just love it. Thank You! - Jerry Ann; Loving all about this, Congratulations! Thank you! Aloha! -Marjanka; Congratulations with your success. - Carolee; I’m excited to participate! - Jody; It’s so fun! Mahalo! - Mie; The best kept secret - Marjanka

Upcoming in March and April:

March 3 - Napua Greig of Maui, together with Sean Naleimaile and Kamakoa Lindsey-Asing of BI; March 10 - Kauai’s wonderful old-timers “The Kama’ainas” -- David Sproat, Ambrose Smith, Gabby Manintin, Edward Punua, and Mark Faye.

March 17 - CHANGE IN TALENT! We will have Stephen Inglis and Makana instead of the Taro Patch Band.

March 24 - Ozzie Kotani and Danny Carvalho; March 31 - Paul Togioka, Dolly Kanekuni and Brent Eynon.

April 7 - Aaron Sala, known as The New Traditionalist, will be our last Monday EKK presenter. April 13 - EKK ends with a Finale Concert at KCC PAC featuring Aaron Mahi, Dennis and David Kamakahi, Natalie A’i Kamau’u with Iolani Kamau’u and Chad A’i, and the Ladies of Kapu Kinimaka’s Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani.

(s) Carol Kouchi Yotsuda, www.gardenislandarts.org -- “Celebrating 31 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

E Kanikapila Kakou 2008 -- EKK Silver Anniversary -- Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, and Garden Island Arts Council supporters. Space made available by Island School.

Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of Hawai’i and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.