Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu

Born and raised in Kāhala, Oʻahu, Jennifer Kēhaulani Oyama-Kemfort married the love of her life and together have a son. She’s employed by the Hilton Waikīkī Beach Hotel.

When Jennifer’s mother took her to her first class with the Lehua Dance Company, under the direction of Kumu Hula Kaulana Kasparovich, at five years old, she fell in love with hula. At age 13, she joined Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu, under the direction of Kumu Hula Sonny Ching. In 1995, Jennifer represented HNMOP at the Hula ʻOni Ē competition where she tied for second place. In 2003, she was honored with the title of Miss Aloha Hula at the annual Merrie Monarch Festival. On October 8, 2011, Jennifer furthered her hula knowledge by being part of Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu’s first ʻūniki and became an alakaʻi.

For Jennifer, hula is not just something you do, “it becomes a part of you, and you make sacrafices that revolve around that part of the Hawaiian culture. Through hula, I have learned many values in life and live those values through out my everyday activities. Dancing hula is my pu‘uhonua, or my place of refuge away from life’s difficulties.”