‘A‘ohe Pau Ka ‘Ike
I Ka Hālau Ho‘okahi
Performed: Hawai‘i Theatre, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi; Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Maui, Hawai‘i; Tokyo, Japan
It is said, “‘A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okahi—All knowledge is not taught in one school” …and we, Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu are but one school of hula, one style of dance.
In all that we do and with what little we know, we humbly strive to bring dignity to the Hawaiian People and to the Hawaiian Culture through this art form called the Hula. It is through our mo‘olelo, our mele and our hula that we celebrate the spiritual and physical world of Hawai‘i… In its purer form, the hula requires special education and rigorous training in proper protocol, ritual, chant and dance. It is because of this religious connection of the hula in ancient times that it was guarded against profanation. Today, as my teachers before me and their teachers before them, we too hold this gift we call hula in high regard; and continue this spiritual connection, this tradition of respect, of preservation, of innovation, of creating, of sharing, of living this lifestyle. For it is a way of life for us, a way through which we have chosen to live our culture, to live the traditions of our ancestors. It is how we maintain our genealogies, our identity, our histories, and our stories.
