Kauai Polynesian Festival 2010 Schedule
Thursday, May 27
Starts at 5:00 pm at Grand Hyatt Kauai.
Grand Polynesian Luau Celebration and fashion show. The evening will offer a lavish dinner buffet, a Polynesian fashion show, and an array of exciting Polynesian Entertainment. How to find Grand Hyatt Kauai
Friday, May 28
11:30 am – 10 pm at Vidinha Stadium.
Guests and participants can partake in island-style food and shop through the Polynesian arts & crafts display and demonstration tent. Celebrate a Polynesian Experience with a hands-on cultural crafts & dance activity. Learn weaving techniques using the fronds of the coconut and hala tree, learn to husk a coconut, fire making and spear throwing, finally let the pros teach you how to dance the hula, make a ti-leaf lei and tie a pareau (sarong), Polynesian style. The festival will feature island halau hula who will share their talents in a selection of Traditional and Modern Polynesian dance presentations. Entertainment on center stage will begin with Oahu’s own FAB4 sharing energetic and heartwarming memorable tunes. Friends from New Zealand will chant and hula. The competition will begin in the Maori action and Poi Ball dances of Aoteara New Zealand followed by Na Kupuna Hula Auwana Group Competition and Keiki/Opio/Na Wahine Solo & Group Hula Kahiko Competition in several age groups.
Saturday, May 29
11:30 am – 10:30 pm at Vidinha Stadium.
Guest and participants can partake in island-style food and shop through the Polynesian arts & crafts display and demonstration tent. Dance workshops, with Maori action dances, poi ball, Samoan Fire Knife and Hawaiian Hula workshop. Celebrate a Polynesian Experience with a hands-on cultural crafts & dance activity. Learn weaving techniques using the fronds of the coconut and hala tree, learn to husk a coconut, fire making and spear throwing, finally let the pros teach you how to dance the hula, make a ti-leaf lei and tie a pareau (sarong), Polynesian style. The festival will feature island halau hula who will share their talents in a selection of Traditional and Modern Polynesian dance presentations. Entertainment on center stage will begin with Oahu’s own FAB4 sharing energetic and heartwarming memorable tunes. A Tahitian Protocol Ceremony followed by dance competition in the Tahitian group Otea, Aparima & Ahupurotu categories. Samoa offers their Protocol Ceremony and the evening will culminate with the exhilarating Fire Knife dance competition in several age groups.
Sunday, May 30
11:30 am – 6:00 pm at Vidinha Stadium.
Guest and participants can partake in island-style food and shop through the Polynesian arts & crafts display and demonstration tent. Tahitian dance and drumming workshops. Hawaiian Contemporary group “the FAB4″ will be the Hawaiian entertainment on center stage. Competition will be with Tahitian Ori/solo division in several age groups with Couples division and Drumming competition to follow. A Tahitian Tamure and Awards Ceremony culminate the weekend festivities.
How to find Vidinha Stadium
Kauai Polynesian Festival 2010
The 9th annual Kaua`i Polynesian Festival will be on Memorial Day weekend May 27-30. The festival kicks off with a Grand Polynesian Lu`au Celebration and fashion show at the Grand Hyatt Kaua`i Resort & Spa on May 27. The evening will offer a luau dinner, fashion show, and exciting Polynesian entertainment. May 28 through 30 enjoy Tahitian, Maori, Samoan, and Hawaiian entertainment, Polynesian arts and crafts, solo and group dance competitions, food booths, and workshops. All Kaua`i residents and visitors are welcome.
The festival is presented by the Kamanawa Foundation, a Kaua`i-based non-profit organization. Its mission is to preserve, promote and perpetuate the Native Hawaiian culture, including the language, social values, arts, crafts and music, primarily through the study of hula. And this festival will prove to be an exciting weekend filled with entertainment and various Polynesian dance competitions, workshops, exhibition, hands-on cultural crafts and dance, food, arts & crafts, and fun.
Participate in hands-on cultural crafts & dance activities. Learn weaving techniques, how to husk a coconut, and how to dance the hula. Watch halau hula dance presentations, dance competitions, exhilarating Fire Knife dance competitions, and FAB4 – an Oahu group sharing energetic and heartwarming tunes. Entrance fee is $25 for three days or $10 per day. Children below the age of 5 are free. How to find Vidinha Stadium.
Merrie Monarch Festival Goals
In 1970, the Merrie Monarch Festival set new goals and objectives to replicate the idea of King David Kalakaua (the Merrie Monarch) to gather the best hula dancers from the Hawaiian Islands, revive the arts, and create a performance that is a rite, a celebration, and a statement about Hawai`i and its people.
The major goals of the Merrie Monarch Festival are the perpetuation, preservation, and promotion of the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture. The Merrie Monarch Festival is committed to:
- Perpetuating the traditional culture of the Hawaiian people
- Developing and augmenting a living knowledge of Hawaiian arts and crafts through workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances of the highest quality and authenticity
- Reaching those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate
- Enriching the future lives of all of Hawaii’s children.
The festival is considered the world’s premier forum for people of all ages to display their skills and knowledge of the art of ancient and modern hula. Thousands of people in Hawaii and throughout the world are learning about the history and culture of Hawaii. The annual festival, which takes place on the Big Island, has led to a renaissance of the Hawaiian culture that is being passed on from generation to generation. A week of festivities include art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances, a parade that emphasizes the cultures of Hawaii, and a three-day hula competition that has received worldwide recognition for its historic and cultural significance.
Merrie Monarch Festival History
The Merrie Monarch Festival is dedicated to the memory of King David Kalakaua, who became known as the Merrie Monarch. King Kalakaua was the second (and last) elected king of Hawaiʻi, who came to the throne in 1874 and reigned until his death in 1891. His long reign of seventeen years was marked by a joyful resurgence in Hawaiian culture. He was instrumental in restoring many of the nearly extinct cultural traditions of the Hawaiian people including myths, legends, and hula, which had been forbidden by the missionaries for over 70 years.
Ancient Hawaiians had no written language. Instead, all communication beyond the spoken word took place in the form of chants and the dance of hula. Hula and its accompanying chants recorded Hawaiian genealogy, mythology, and prayers of the heart. Hula was the means by which the culture, history, stories, and almost every aspect of Hawaiian life was expressed and passed down through generations.
More than 100 years later, Hawaii, and the world – celebrates the memory of the ‘Merrie Monarch’ at the hula competition that bears his name. In 1963, the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce started what is today known as the Merrie Monarch Festival. The private nonprofit Merrie Monarch Festival community organization continues the tradition to this day, and is considered the most prestigious hula competition in the world. Because the Merrie Monarch Festival has maintained strict standards of authenticity, the true history and culture of the ancient Hawaiian people is being perpetuated. Without such educational and cultural organizations, the history and unique traditions of the Hawaiian people will be lost forever.
Hawaiian Hula
Hula is the soul of Hawaii expressed in motion and chant. Hawaii’s chants help preserve epic tales, myths, history, and philosophy. Although Hawaiians composed and performed chant and mele (songs) alone, hula was never danced without verbal accompaniment. In ancient times, the chant remained the primary focus with the dance adapted to enhance the chant. Fluid gestures added grace to the dance but did not necessarily mirror the chant’s words in a sort of visual sign language. The deeply metaphoric nature of the Hawaiian language leaves ample room for multiple interpretations. Every movement in hula has a specific meaning, and every expression of the dancer’s hands has great significance. The movements of a dancer’s body might represent certain plants, animals, or people.
The term hula refers to movement and gestures. However, hula cannot be performed without the most important component – mele (poetry). Mele are records of cultural information ranging from sacred mele pule (prayers), and mele inoa (name chants), to topical mele ho’oipoipo (love songs), and mele ‘aina (songs praising the land). Allusion is greatly valued in the poetry, and hula gestures do not tell the entire story but rather interpret key aspects of the mele. While hand and arm gestures interpret the text, named foot motifs are executed continuously. Some motifs are kaholo (stepping side to side), ‘uwehe (stepping in place, then lifting and dropping heels), and ‘ami (circular pelvic shifts and tilts).
Older chant-accompanied dances may be performed in a standing or sitting position. In standing dances, performers are divided into ‘olapa, who execute the dance movements, and ho’opa’a, who chant the text and provide the percussive instrumental accompaniment. The most commonly used instruments are the ‘uli’uli (feather-decorated gourd rattle), pu’ili (split bamboo rattle), ‘ili’ili (waterworn stone pebbles, two in each hand, played in a manner similar to castanets), and kala’au (sticks). Although hula began as a form of worship during religious ceremonies, it gradually evolved into a form of entertainment.
E Pili Kakou 2010
The E Pili Kakou hula festival is meant to bring together as one all who dance the hula. From the newbie who has never danced hula to the most experienced dancers, you are invited to experience the 12th annual E Pili Kakou I Ho’okahi Lahui on Kauai. There will be a variety of Hawaiian culture delights crowned by two evenings of show your stuff, and any level of participation is welcome, from making a feather lei, a hula instrument, learning a chant or a hula, or simply being in the audience for the evening celebrations.
For eight years now, E Pili Kakou I Ho’okahi Lahui has been dedicated in their mission. “Let’s join together as one body of people”, from all corners of the world and all of Hawai’i Nei (this beloved Hawaii), to promote, share, and perpetuate Hawai’i's rich culture and heritage by sustaining and further educating all who are practitioners and enthusiasts of the hula. Each year, kumu hula and kupuna, from throughout Hawai’i are invited to pass on their teachings to eager participants. These dedicated individuals are devoted to ensuring that the art of hula will be passed on from generation to generation with accuracy, integrity and with great love for the culture and its people.
It’s their love for hula and the perpetuation of it that makes E Pili a success, and anyone who is interested is welcome to join this two day event Feb. 26 – 28 at Kaua’i Beach Resort. There are so many ways to enjoy E Pili Kakou. This event provides na haumana, na alaka’i, na ho’opa’a, na olapa and na kumu hula as well as non-hula dancers a common bond in celebrating the hula. You will learn, experience, and exchange dances and ideas, and have the opportunity to share and meet new friends while increasing your knowledge in hula.
Visit epilikakou.com or contact:
Emma Rogers, 651-4203 or emmacrogers@aol.com
Tina Unciano, 245-8372 or waiolena@-hawaiian.net
