Kickstarter

Aloha! Our Hula Hālau’s Debut Performance will take place in less than two months on August 11, 2012 in Portland, Oregon.

The show will take the audience on a journey through Polynesia, starting in Hawai’i with the ancient dances (hula kahiko) of the islands. From there we will move into present day with dances of modern hula (hula ‘auana). We will then continue on to New Zealand with the dances of the Maori. Our journey concludes in Tahiti with the exciting Tahitian ote’a!

Learn more ABOUT US below.

OUR FUNDING INFORMATION / GUIDELINES

Kickstarter is a terrific site, where groups can list their creative projects for funding, and people interested in those projects are able to be a part of the excitement and their success.

Reaching or surpassing our funding goal will mean our Debut Performance on August 11, 2012 will be able to realize its full artistic potential. For your generous financial support we offer you a variety of rewards and of course, our deepest gratitude.

As you may or may not know, funding through Kickstarter is all-or-nothing – meaning we will only receive our funding if we reach or surpass our goal. Therefore, you will not be charged if we do not obtain our goal.

All of us are volunteering our time and this is a non-profit venture. We are requesting the minimum amount with the hope of being fully funded. We promise all monies will be put to good use for the show.

We are seeking funding specifically for:

Our Tahitian costumes, live musicians, and equipment fees.

If we surpass our funding goal, then the additional money will go towards:

Hula implements (instruments) for the dancers; printing costs of the program; expenses for our Tahitian Drummer, Kaili Fransisco, and any remaining costume costs.

We are all very excited about bringing the spirit of Aloha to our family, friends and to this community, through honoring and sharing the wonderful dances of the Polynesian culture.

ABOUT US

When I was a child, I lived in Kailua on the island of O'ahu. I will never forget the spirit of Aloha, ‘ohana—family. The joy and love of the hula and of Hawai’i permeated my life every day—and still does today. The founding of Hula Hālau O’ Hōkū-ao - School of Morning Star returns me back to the roots of my dance and my family.    

My mother felt a deep connection to Hawai’i and decided to study hula. As I accompanied her to hula classes, I learned the importance of honoring the traditions of Hawai’i. She trained with master teacher Kumu Hula Uncle George Holokai and Kapiolani Butterworth. My mother advanced and became a Kumu Hula in her own right—her Uniki (graduation) with Uncle George Holokai. When we moved back to the mainland, my mother began teaching and formed her own Polynesian troupe. I was an active member of her troupe, training, competing, and performing professionally with them for 13 years. During that time, we also studied and worked with Uncle Joseph Kahaulelio and Kaili Francisco. With Uncle Joe and Kaili, my mother co-produced the first Tahiti Fete in 1977 and 1978. These competitions were the predecessors of the San Jose Tahiti Fete and of the many Tahiti fetes on the mainland today.

Since moving to Portland, Oregon in September 2011, I am finally coming back to my roots and my passion—Polynesian dance. And so, with a small group of haumana (students), I have started Hula Hālau O’ Hōkū-ao - School of Morning Star. The school re-connected with Kaili Francisco, and he is volunteering his time, coming from California to teach a Master Class in Tahitian to my haumana and to choreograph an ote’a for the troupe. Kaili has also graciously offered to perform live drumming for our Debut Performance on August 11, 2012.

My haumana are dedicated and passionate dancers. All have training in the disciplines of ballet, modern and jazz, and are now learning Hula, Maori, and Tahitian for the very first time. We have been training for the past 6 months. My students come into each session filled with enthusiasm. They pour their hearts and souls into learning the dances and truly have the spirit of Aloha in them. I am eternally grateful to my haumana, for what I am able to pass onto them, for what they teach me, and for all the wonderful times we share together. We are ‘ohana—family.

Our hope is that you will also join our Halau’s ‘ohana and support us in our Debut Performance, August 11, 2012.