Merrie Monarch - Ho'olaulea and Hō'ike

This year I was lucky enough to go to the 49th Merrie Monarch, but first I attended all the events around MM.  First up on Sunday was the Ho'olaulea where local groups performed and it's kind of like a big recital. (If I can find the newspaper insert - I'll update with the actual names of the groups)

There's always some Tahitian:

I loved this little guy.  He really seemed to love what he was doing, traveled well across the (huge) floor and has so much energy and charm while dancing all by himself!

The 2nd girl from the bottom is a student at my school and the daughter of a colleague.  She's a sweet, talented girl.  I laughed when I reviewed the pictures because the girl to her left looked MISERABLE the whole time.  Once I saw those pictures, I just wanted to say...didn't any one tell her "Mino aka!!!" (Smile!!!!)

This is a group of students from Kamehameha Schools.  Kamehameha Schools is a private school in Hawai'i that is for students who are part Hawaiian.  They have campuses all over the state and the kids are always crazy talented and smart.  You probably can't see her, but the girl in the second row from the right, five girls up is my friend's niece.  She's a spectacular volleyball player (and crazy tall) and even traveled this year to Colorado for a youth national team.

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOL

This little one was just SO cute! She was so tiny, but definitely loved dancing.  The first keiki number was these little girls that were probably all under four dancing a hula with their baby dolls (although one girl had a stuffed bunny). 

Then there's the Hō'ike or Free Night on Wednesday.  This year it was not as great as last year (which would be a recurring theme I'd utter all week).

First up was a dynamite local hālau: Hālau o Kekuhi.  A little background...Merrie Monarch is held at the Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium...this is her hālau as it is now run by the hālau is now helmed by her daughters and granddaughters.  They specialize in hula kahiko (a traditional hula). 

HĀLAU O KEKUHI

Next there was a hālau whose kumu hula (hula teacher) has hālau in Hawai'i and Japan.  Hālau Hula O Lima Nani performed their first dance in a beautiful red number...unfortunately I can't say any of them were very beautiful. Mean. I know.  When someone (not from Hawai'i) asked me what kind of hula this was, I responded, "Haole Hula."  When they looked confused I said, "This is the hula you see at hotel luaus and on cruise ships."  I was very bored during their performance.

HĀLAU HULA O LIMA NANI

The ladies of Hālau Hula O Lima Nani then came out in their green dresses and their kumu hula - Nani Lim Yap sat on the stage and sang.  The whole time I kept thinking, "This is so dumb - no one can hear her!" I will give them credit though because while I didn't understand why they did this during the show, later I found out that the sound system failed. As they say in show business, the show must go on and the ladies never looked rattled.

   HĀLAU

HULA O LIMA NANI WITH KUMU HULA NANI LIM YAP SITTING

I enlarged this next picture of Hālau Hula O Lima Nani so you could better see this monstrosity of gold lamé.  Like all annoying things...this hālau's performance never seemed to end.

GOLD LAMÉ...LAME!

Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap also has a hālau in Kohala (on the Big Island).  Nā Lei O Kaholokū came out next.  First they brought out their pahu (drums) - including one of the biggest ones I had ever seen! Then they did a purification ceremony which I thought was really nice.

PAHU & THE PURIFICATION RITUAL

 Then the wahine (ladies)of  Nā Lei O Kaholokū and stormed the stage with a spectacular performance. I LOVED them! They were so sassy and really just rocked it out.

WAHINE OF NĀ LEI O KAHOLOKŪ

WAHINE OF NĀ LEI O KAHOLOKŪ

They did this dance with some long grasses (I don't know what they were) and it was even SASSIER than their first number!

GRASS DANCE

 They also did some auana (a hula style that derived from influence of post-missionary/Christian/Western ideas) and had this little girl come up and dance with them.  It was really cute and she was pretty good.

HULA AUANA WITH NĀ LEI O KAHOLOKŪ

I had read in the paper that the first group even from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was performing at Merrie Monarch and that's primarily why I made myself go to the stadium. A sidebar: because it's so hard to get tickets for Merrie Monarch, the Hō'ike is really popular and people start lining up for the 5:30pm doors opening before noon. Luckily some friends of mine stood in line for me so I just needed to waltz in!

The group was called, "Rangi Moana."

RANGI MOANA

The dancers looked pretty young and they basically did one dance that was same moves.  The girls shook their hips and did some ami (hip swivels) and the two guys basically jumped around vigorously.  I was pretty disappointed with the group's performance (It was pretty weak), but glad to support their first time at Merrie Monarch.

RANGI MOANA JAZZ HANDS!

 The two dudes (particularly the guy on the left with the headgear) worked themselves up into a lather and were actually kind of red from their exertion.

RANGI MOANA MEN

Then they did the first of THREE "let's grab an audience member and drag them on stage to dance" dance.  It was SO OBNOXIOUS.  One is bad enough, but when two-thirds of your performance is this, it smacks of Polynesian Cultural Center (which don't get me wrong, I enjoy).  It's just too touristy. However for the first grab, this elderly gentleman hopped on stage and shook what his mama gave him! It was awesome and I hope that when I'm his age I'll be as cool and adventurous.  Or as my sister says about my nana: "I can't wait until I'm older and not give a damn." :)

PUTTING THE YOUNGENS TO SHAME

HOW HAPPY IS THIS GUY?

AND STILL FLIRTIN' WITH PRETTY LADIES

The last group came on (it had to be like 11pm by this point) and it was a Tahitian group from California: Nonosina.  They were pretty modern - still got the hip shaking, but definitely had some different moves and a full on Tahitian rock band backing them.

NONOSINA MUSICIAN ROCKING A MASSIVE NECKLACE

 The dancers came on and were led by this massive mountain of a man with a big paddle.

NONOSINA FIRST NUMBER

SEE? BIG MAN WITH A PADDLE!

 I liked them, but I think I prefer traditional Tahitian.  Some of the dance moves they were pulling really confused me.

NONOSINA

 Hō'ike was a fun (although I was a little disappointed by most of the groups) and LONG night.  The real fun begins with the actual hula on Thursday and Friday nights!