Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu

Born and raised in Pālolo, O‘ahu, I grew up around hula and Hawaiian music. As a child, I was always interested in the Hawaiian culture and loved hula. My grandmother, the late Josephine Leilani Kuhau, was the foundation and pillar of my love for the Hawaiian culture, music, and hula. She was a hula dancer at a number of shows in Waikīkī, a singer at the Hawai‘i Calls broadcast and traveled and performed with Nina Kealiʻiwahamana and ‘Iwalani Kahalewai. From a very young age my grandmother taught me to embrace who I was and to always live a life that was pono.

My hula experience started as a young boy with Kealiʻikaʻapunihonua Keʻena Aʻo Hula under the direction of Kumu Hula Leimomi Ho. I also learned hula at Kaimuki Intermediate School from Mrs. Lau, who took us to Moloka‘i to witness and experience Ka Hula Piko presented by the late Kumu Hula John Kaʻimikaua. My passion and love for hula continued to grow and I wanted to further myself even more. At the age of 17, I joined Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu under the direction of Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching. It was with Kumu Sonny that my love and understanding of my culture and hula grew, flourished, and deepened. He took everything I had already learned and furthered and deepened my knowledge.

In 1996, after two years of dancing with HNMOP, Kumu Sonny recognized my passion for hula and desire to advance in the hālau and allowed me to

‘ūniki as an ʻōlapa and become an alakaʻi. During the next several years I continued to learn and grasp everything Kumu Sonny shared about our culture, hula and leadership as I trained as a hoʻopaʻa. In 2005, Kumu Sonny felt that I was ready to further my knowledge and start training to become a Kumu Hula. Over the next six years of my hula training, I learned about myself physically, spiritually and mentally while continuing to learn ʻike Hawaiʻi, hula, oli, music, haku mele, and choreography. There was so much to learn both directly and indirectly from Kumu, myself, my family, my friends, my co-workers and my environment.

On October 7, 2011, myself and six others presented our training to a panel of Luna Loiloi. All seven of us were deemed worthy by the panel to join them in the realm of Kumu Hula and entrusted us with the kuleana of our Hawaiian culture and hula. On January 4, 2012 I opened Hālau Nā Mamo O Ka Liko Maile O Kohala in Maunalaha, O‘ahu. On November 10, 2012 I expanded and opened Hālau Nā Mamo O Ka Liko Maile O Kohala on the island of Molokaʻi in Kaunakakai.

I teach and share my love for my culture and hula with all of my haumāna and will one day entrust them to share and preserve our culture through hula. It is with the love and support of God, my wife Haunani Francisco, my son Laʻakea Kekokooalapaʻinuiakauauanuiamahi Nuʻa Francisco, my family, my Kumu Hula, my haumāna and my friends that I am able to be who I am and live and share my legacy with everyone.