Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu

Midori Arai was introduced to hula watching her mother dancing hula. She then took a hula lesson and became immediately interested in learning the hula as well. One year later, in the fall of 2001, Midori took Kumu Sonny Chingʻs workshop for the first time. After completing the workshop, Midori received permission to join HNMOP in Honolulu. She resigned from her job, moved to Honolulu, and joined the hālau in January 2002. Midori says, “The hula I learned from my kumu in Hawai‘i was very deep and more than I could have imagined.”

In October 2006, Midori returned to Japan with Kumu Lōpaka when the hālau opened. She has been helping to transmit Hawai‘i’s culture, style and thinking to the students in Japan just as she was taught by the kumu in Honolulu. Although Midori now lives in Honolulu again, she has been fortunate to go to Japan to help with the hālau because of her parents amazing support.