Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu

Born and raised in Mililani, O‘ahu, Tasha Nālei Asuncion Valenzuela is a College Opportunities Program program coordinator at UH Mānoa. In her free time she designs handmade shell jewelry for her side business.

Nālei always loved dancing. At a young age, her mom enrolled her in many different genres of dance, including jazz, ballet and tap, but it was hula that she enjoyed the most. Nālei has been dancing hula for over 22 years, since the age of six. Her first kumu hula was Hōkūlani DeRego of Hālau Hula O Hōkūlani where she was given the opportunity to represent the hālau as a soloist in Keiki Hula Competition and King David Kalākaua Hula Festival in Kona. When Nālei moved into the dorms at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, she took a break from dancing hula to focus on her studies. But it wasn’t very long until Nālei had the itch to return to her passion—hula. Nālei enrolled in hula courses at UH Mānoa, but longed to learn more.

In 2003 Nālei joined Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu to further her skill and deepen her passion for hula. Since then, she was given the opportunity to participate in many festivals with the hālau, including Merrie Monarch, Honolulu City & County performances, family lū‘au and numerous hula concerts in Japan. Her favorite song to hula to is Ho‘onanea—it reminds her of her first Merrie Monarch with the hālau in 2008.

On October 7, 2011, Nālei, along with 10 other hula brothers and sisters, was bestowed the honor of being alaka‘i of HNMOP. On becoming an alaka‘i, “I realize it is a big responsibility and I will continue to do my best to bring dignity to my kumu and the hālau. Humbled and blessed to be a haumana of Sonny Ching and Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera; I am grateful for their influence and inspiration that resonates throughout my life beyond hula. To be able to learn from them and dance alongside strong, yet graceful, and beautiful hula dancers that I truly admire, is a blessing. I am the person and hula dancer I am today because of them.”