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This certainly isn't your typical hukilau
Oakland Tribune, Sep 24, 2004 by Catherine Schutz - STAFF WRITER
YOU don't usually think of "hula" and "intense" in the same sentence.
The dancers at Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu's Academy of Hawaiian Arts are changing that perception.
"Every performance has to make an impact -- powerful, emotional," says Aileen Que, who will be dancing Saturday at "Ke Ao Hou," the academy's inaugural concert that has sold out Centennial Hall in Hayward. (A student recital is scheduled for Nov. 21 in Alameda.)
Ke Ao Hou means "the new dawn" or "the fresh day," a celebration of the academy Ho'omalu opened in February, 2003, after relocating from teaching in Monterey.
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A "Kuma Hula" (hula teacher) who has been teaching since the 1980s, Ho'omalu is getting both praise and censure for his artistic, theatrical interpretations of ancient Hawaiian hula, songs and chants. There are lovely hula hands here, but also fierce, warlike steps and movements accompanied by passionate drumming and chanting.
You can almost see the dance from the descriptions of the songs. "Ke Kaua O Kawa'anui," in honor of King Kamehameha, is about a battle that traveled from Kohala to Hana. "Hoe Puna" describes the struggle of paddling against the wind and turmoil of a stormy sea. Another chant tells the story of Pele, the volcano goddess, and the shark god Kamohoali'i and their journey to find Hawai'i.
Ho'omalu has recorded two CDs, "Po'okela Chants" and the 2003 release "Call It What You Like," which spent several weeks high up on the Billboard world music chart. With Alan Silvestri, he co-wrote "Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride" and "He Mele No Lilo," the opening theme for Disney's "Lilo and Stitch."
Traditionalists object to his treatment of ancient legends and songs, a point made clear in the 2003 PBS documentary "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i" that featured three California hula teachers.
"We're still doing the basic two hula steps -- left and right, a two-count and a four-count -- but everything is powerful, original," says Que, who has been dancing the hula for more than 20 years and joined Ho'omalu four years ago. "What makes it different is Mark's choreography and his interpretation of the words of the song.
"I still believe that his chants, his background, are traditional," Que says. "It's the style of chanting that's more modern. You move with the times but you still keep your basics. The words are Hawaiian. The chant, the art form, is traditional. The dancers interpret his creativity."
The academy has around 150 students from all over the Bay Area and beyond; some dancers travel from Monterey to keep working with Ho'omalu. About 50 dancers and musicians will take part in Saturday's show.
The company had 10- and 11-hour rehearsals last weekend and will dance every night this week. They are also finishing their costumes.
"It's intense," Que says. "It's very, very intense."
The Academy of Hawaiian Arts is at the Foothill Square Shopping Center, 10700 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 4, Oakland. Call (510) 635-2160 or visit www.academyofhawaiianarts.org for class information and student recital details.
You can e-mail Catherine Schutz at cschutz@angnewspapers.com or call (925) 416-4844.
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