Kumu Kenneth Aloha Victor
Halau Kala'akeakauikawekiu All Rights Reserved Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
"Its kind of amazing to see my son pick up the ipu heke and beat rhythms some adults can’t master. Sometimes he corrects my mistakes on the beat of the songs, " Victor shared. Shayne is not the only one in the family active in the halau. Daughter Shyla is the ‘hands and feet’ of the dance when inspiration hits. "Never knowing when inspiration might come, she has done hand and foot motions for me in the middle of the night, while shopping, or before school so I could better visualize my inspiration," Victor commented. In November 2005 at the age of 8, Shyla won her first solo keiki hula competition, Miss He Lei Hiwa O ‘Iolani in Kailua-Kona.
Core to kumu Aloha’s desire for his halau and others is to see more Hawaiian hula practitioners self sufficient and able to make the things necessary for themselves as a dancer including lei, hula implements and costuming. In hula, one must move their hands, feet, hips and head all at the same time to precise motions that replicate nature like the wind and water, sky and birds while smiling and displaying emotion. "I don’t know everything or have the ability to make everything, but I don’t hesitate to ask our kupuna (elders) and friends for help, " Victor asserts. "Our community is great and there are many knowledgeable people here. I am humbled and grateful for everyone’s help, including Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, for me, for our kids, our future. We must teach them now, before it’s too late."
Halau Kala’akeakauikawekiu conducts hula practice three days a week at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa. Currently, they are preparing for their second trip to the invitational Queen Lili’uokalani Keiki Hula Competition held annually in Honolulu, O’ahu. Last year was their first opportunity to participate; they attended with 12 girls and 6 boys. It has been nearly 20 years since a halau from Kailua-Kona has participated in Keiki Hula. This year they will return with 17 children, again a combination of boys and girls.
Training for such a competition includes monthly field trips for all of the families to learn to gather the foliage that will be used and learn the art of lei making. They will visit the area on the island that the songs speak of to get a better understanding of what the mele or song is about. They will translate their mele from Hawaiian to English. They will learn who wrote their mele, why it was written, and for whom it was written for; all of this is done before learning any hula steps for these mele. It is most important for the children to understand the true meaning of the mele so that they are able to share their hula from their heart and then finally, tell this story through their hula performance. This process is not only very educational about learning and perpetuating things Hawaiian, it brings their families together.
A commitment of this nature also comes with considerable financial responsibility. To travel to this competition with 17 children, 8 adult helpers and chaperones, and 3 musicians for airfare, room, board, transportation, costumes, adornments, and musicians’ fees it will cost $20,000.00. Fundraising efforts are underway to afford such an opportunity. Halau Kala’akeakauikawekiu is seeking financial sponsors to assist them in this venture.
Included are photos taken last year during the Halau’s preparation performances "stage practices" at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa’s weekly luau show. They were allowed to perform prior to the luau show commencing to give the children some stage practice. Photos are also included of their first Keiki Hula performance in Honolulu, Oahu.
History