Halau Hula 'O Napualani |
By Tiffany Yoshikawa
When the halau (hula group in Hawaiian) started in 1999, Casey Kono taught at Sharon Uyeda’s house. Casey said, “It started with a handful of children and a few women. Sharon suggested that we have classes at the Community Center.” Now several years later, the halau has grown tremendously. At the Center, Casey teaches various classes including wahine (women), kane (men) and keiki (kids). The hula group got its name, Halau Hula ’O Napualani, from the famous hula dancer, teacher and recording artist, Frank ‘Kawaikapuokalani’ |
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Hewett. Halau Hula ’O Napualani means heavenly blossoms or flowers from heaven. Frank has taught the group two kahiko mele (ancient Hawaiian chants) that he wrote. He has also shared two other ’auwana (modern) hulas and songs that he wrote and choreographed. The halau is extremely fortunate to have been a part of Frank’s workshops. He has been an inspiration and mentor to Casey.
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Casey works extremely hard and choreographs his own songs. He has taught the halau two different styles of hula dancing: the kahiko, the ancient style of hula, and the ’auwana, the modern style of dancing. Besides just using beautiful hand movements to express a story, the halau also uses implements like the kala’au, uli uli, ipu and poi balls. Another unique thing about Casey’s teaching is that he teaches the group how to dance to a variety of songs from Hawaiian to Italian and even to Japanese songs like “Sukiyaki.” In the past he has also used some of Elvis Presley’s songs from the Lilo and Stitch movie. And recently, he has taught the advanced keiki class a dance to the popular song, “Hey Ya,” by Outkast. |
Casey said, “For me, I want to make hula more accessible to many different people. Hula is universal and appeals to many people because of its beauty and its use of storytelling. Hula can be adapted to different cultures or other types of music. For example, Italian opera music utilizes similar imagery and poetry in their music and language; so, that is why creating dances to Italian songs fits in perfectly because they have similar writing styles. I also teach worship dancing songs. Hula to worship songs is another way of expressing our love for God and to praise him. And as for Japanese songs, many people in Japan are learning hula and they cannot get enough of it. I want to make hula more accessible to them.”
Casey is very hard-working and dedicated to his students. He even takes extra time to teach his students about Hawaiian culture. Casey has hula classes every day of the week, except Mondays. He also teaches classes at the First Presbyterian Church of Altadena, First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles and at the Athletic Club in Northridge. At the Community Center, he has two beginner keiki classes at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. on Saturdays. He also has an intermediate class at 1:30 p.m. and an advanced keiki class at the Center at 2:15 p.m. On Sundays at 1:30 p.m. at the Center, he has a wahine class that consists of teenagers and women. And in his free time, he makes step-by-step video tapes of different dances that his students can use to practice at home.
| Some of the events at which the halau has performed are the annual Festival at the Community Center, the Cherry Blossom Festival, Tofu Festival, and Ho’olaule’a in Northridge. In 2002, the halau was given an amazing opportunity to dance at the Verizon Amphitheater during the Sounds of Hawaii concert. At the show, the halau danced with the famous Hawaiian group, Na Leo Pilimehana. It was a wonderful opportunity to |  |
share our aloha spirit with thousands of people in the audience. The halau had three ho’ike (recitals), one at the Community Center and two at Culver City High School’s Robert Frost Auditorium. Our most recent performances have been at the Center’s luau fundraiser and the Billy Graham Crusade at the Rose Bowl. In January the halau will be represented by six people on a tour of Philadelphia church events.
The halau really appreciates everything that Casey has done for it. And Casey would like to thank all the parents for their help and especially Sharon Uyeda, Diane Yoshikawa and Elayne Shiohama for their leadership and assistance over the last five years. Casey said, “The group has grown because of the support of the Community Center. It started out as a group of students at a house to over a hundred students at different locations.”
Visions for the VJCC |
By Gail Sharp
When approached on a recent Sunday, a camera-shy group of Community Center members was coaxed into considering its vision for the VJCC. You have seen the individuals supporting organizations and participating in activities at the Center. You won’t see them, though, posing in the margin adjacent to this article.
The group would like to see the VJCC purchase a bus or large van, as mass transportation would increase the Center’s capabilities for its Senior Outreach. To help mitigate the cost of a bus or van and the accompanying upkeep and liability expenses, they suggest the Center could form a committee to research and procure grants for funding this project as well as others.
As they see it, it is to the benefit of every individual and organization member of our Community Center to work together to keep the VJCC vital. A thriving VJCC makes for a thriving community!