The sounds and chants of Hawaiian dance filled Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday night with the dance team Hālau O Kekuhi. The free hula workshop led by Nalani Kanaka’ole and Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, gave about 100 guests not just a dance lesson, but a piece of Hawaiian culture.
“This is how stories were told before; it is older than written language in Hawaii,” said Sig Zane, a former member of the team.
Hālau O Kekuhi are celebrated for performing one of the oldest traditions of Hawaii. It integrates both the ‘aiha’a style of hula and oli chants. What makes this form of dance distinctive from other hula styles across the Hawaiian islands is its bent-knee postures, stout poses and pompous style.
The tempo is maintained by beats created by utilizing instruments passed down through the generations like the paku, made of coconut and shark skin, and the ipu heke, a double gourd drum originating from this tradition.
Hālau O Kekuhi's show is filled with traditional stories, a glimpse of Hawaiian culture and phenomenal hula dance performances.
Hālau O Kekuhi will perform Saturday, April 28, at ASU Gammage. Purchase tickets for $20 online or at the box office.
More Arts, humanities and education
New K-pop and Korean film classes launch at ASU
The Hallyu, or “Korean wave,” has made its way into Arizona State University classrooms with the arrival of a new professor who…
New book aims to change how anthropology is introduced to students around the world
With a combination of over a century of experience, five Arizona State University anthropologists wrote a new textbook that they…
Students host gun culture storytelling event with an intergenerational audience
According to Bobbie Reed — a resident of Arizona State University's senior living retirement community center, Mirabella — guns…