Master's intensity drives hula students

Cecily Burt, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND --

ANYONE expecting to see a languid, lovely hula is in for a surprise if they visit the advanced Wednesday night hula class at the Academy of Hawaiian Arts halau (hula school), tucked into a side entrance of the Foothill Square Shopping Center.Lovely and intense it is. Soft and languid it's not.

There's a unique, powerful style to the ancient Hawaiian hula, songs and chants choreographed by Kumu Hula (hula master) Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu that harkens more to Hawaii's warlike past and less to its loving Aloha present.

Which is not to say hula classes at the academy are not fun. Everyone is greeted with a kiss on the cheek, like a big family, even a visiting reporter. But once the music starts, the chitchat stops and rows of dancers -- all dressed in long, full, white cotton skirts and black T-shirts -- start moving in unison.

The advanced dancers are accompanied by the intense drumming and sonorous chants of Ho'omalu, 45, whose artistic and free-form interpretations of ancient Hawaiian music and dance have won him international acclaim and more than a little grief from some circles.

His choreography has raised hackles among Hawaiian hula traditionalists who do not like or appreciate his treatment of ancient legends and songs, including those he arranged for the animated Disney film "Lilo and Stitch," where he was also cast as the voice of Hawaii. His critics like it even less that his halaus are winning competitions and that he refuses to conform or bow to pressure.

"My kumu told me to do my best and do my own," he explains. "I took the basics and purged myself of what I was taught and forged my own identity."

Ho'omalu's choreography follows the ancient, sharper kahiko style rather than hula'auana, a more modern form that is softer and often performed to guitar music.

Students build from the four basic steps of hula: kaholo, four steps to the right and to the left; kao, figure eight done with hips; ami, circular motion with hips; and hela, feet out 45 degrees, right and left. More movements are added, intricate patterns are devised.

One part of the routine rehearsed Wednesday night incorporated wooden canoe paddles slapped by the dancers to produce a staccato sound and then thrown across the body and spun for effect. It is an innovative technique no other kumu had used before -- at least not until they saw Ho'omalu's dancers do it.

Ho'omalu demands attention and focus from his advanced students. That is critical because he doesn't write anything down, and students have to memorize steps and answer chants in class. A three-hour advanced class often lasts much longer.

"He pushes the students to a whole other level through intensity and drive," said Kahai Tate, a dancer and board member of the nonprofit academy. "When he walks in people straighten up and check their clothes."

A sign on the wall of the mirrored studio reminds students to: "Watch your lines, (keep) body straight, and sing loudly."

The freshness and intensity draws new hula devotees and inspires dedication from a core of dancers who have followed Ho'omalu since he was director of Na Mele Hula Ohana in the late 1980s and later opened his own halau, first in Monterey, and then in Oakland in February 2003.

Eight of those dancers commute from Monterey two to three times a week, another comes from Fresno, and countless others travel from all points around the Bay Area.

"It's been more than an honor to dance with this group," said Alohi Galicia, 34, of Monterey as she wipes beads of

sweat from her face during a short break in a three-hour class. "Kumu is unique, like no other person you will ever meet. He can make a song fresher ... he turns songs so the younger generation can appreciate and understand it, and he revives old, forgotten songs so people our age can appreciate it."

Some of the dancers learned hula as children but had not danced for years until they joined the academy. Karen Bringas, 28, of Fremont, moved from Oahu to San Francisco 11 years ago. She missed Hawaii so much she sought out a hula school. She's been dancing for Ho'omalu for seven years.

"This hula was completely different," Bringas said. "Maybe I (understood) it more than when I was little. When you grow up in Hawaii you maybe take it for granted, then you miss it and appreciate it more."

The Academy of Hawaiian Arts was established to serve as a resource for Hawaiian culture and arts, and everyone is welcome, from novice to expert to those just seeking fun and recreation. The Academy will present its first performance, "Ke Ao Hou," or a new beginning, at Centennial Hall in Hayward on Sept. 25.

The Academy is in the Foothill Square Shopping Center, 10700 Foothill Blvd., Suite 4, Oakland. Beginning hula classes for adults are held Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m, and 10 to 11 a.m. for keiki (children). The Academy also offers a Hawaiian music class on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., which features instruction in ukulele, guitar and singing. No experience required. For class schedule and enrollment information, go to the Web site: www.academyofhawaiianarts.org

Listings

- Tonight -- Woodminster Summer Musicals presents "Annie," based on Harold Gray's "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, 8 p.m., Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. $19 - $31. For tickets call 531-9597 or www.woodminster.com Show continues Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, next Friday and July 17 and 18.

- Tonight -- Jefe Salsa traditional Cuban song featuring Gary Davila, Michael Miller, Carol Belcher, David Freemand, Louie Flores Jr., Alex Rocha and Sue Matthews, 9 p.m., La Pea Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, $10 general, $8 students.

- Saturday -- Carl Sonny Leyland Trio Boogie Woogie Stomps and Rags! 9 p.m., Downtown Restaurant, 2102 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. Free.

- Sunday -- Demetrius Tolefree featuring guest host comedian J- Red, 1 to 4 p.m., Uncle C.J.'s Gospel Brunch at the Oakland Black Box Theater, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $25 adults, $15 children. Tickets at the door or in advance at www.unclecj.com

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