Nov 23-24: Wai Ola, ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life – A celebration of hula kiʻi
Māhealani Uchiyama Center for International Dance / Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine in partnership with Dance Mission Theater presents
Wai Ola, ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life – A celebration of hula kiʻi
Saturday, November 23 @ 7pm
Sunday, November 24 @ 4pm
at Dance Mission Theater
Tickets now on-sale: Buy now Now sold-out!
General tickets: $35
The Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance / Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine will present a rare form of hula not widely practiced today. Hula kiʻi features the use of carved or crafted images in the story telling and movements of hula. Due to Western influences in the 19th Century, the hula kiʻi and other indigenous traditions were suppressed almost out of existence. As part of the rebirth of this tradition, Wai Ola celebrates the cultural heritage of hula kiʻi through a combination of storytelling, chant, music and dance in a unique presentation the likes of which is rarely seen.
Wai Ola is sponsored by the 2021 Gerbode Foundation Choreography Award and 2024 Touring Grants from the Gerbode Foundation and the Zellerbach Family Fund. The project encompasses the research of classical themes, the construction of hula puppets, and the development of a dedicated hula ki’i practice within the Berkeley-based hālau.
It has been presented in Northern California and most recently in Honolulu in sold out performances to critical acclaim.
Kumu Hula Māhealani Uchiyama of Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine, in association with Kumu Hula Kiʻi Mauli Ola Cook (holder of the lineal tradition of Kumu Nona Beamer and Kauaʻi alakaʻi of Kumu Hula Victoria Holt Takamine), Kumu Hula Maile Loo-Ching who leads the non-profit Hula Preservation Society, and Kumu Hula Auliʻi Mitchell of Hālau ʻo Kahiwahiwa who is an expert in carved forms and kiʻi innovation, will next bring Wai Ola, ʻAukele and the Waters of Life, A Celebration of Hula Kiʻi to San Francisco.
This project was supported in part by Dance Mission Theater’s Reparations Program.
For more information visit centerforinternationaldance.or
