PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN COMMUNICATIONS
The women of Halau O Kekuhi perform a dance from
"Holo Mai Pele" for the television camera in a taping
held last July in Honolulu.

Triumphant
hula hits screen

'Holo Mai Pele,' the story of
the goddess Pele, will get
nationwide attention on PBS

---

By Gary C. W. Chun
Star-Bulletin

A milestone in the documenting of hula is finally getting national exposure, thanks to the Public Broadcasting System.

Even though "Holo Mai Pele" was performed only a few times on Maui, Oahu and the Big Island in 1995-96, its impact on Hawaiian culture is still being felt today.

Halau O Kekuhi of Hilo, under the direction of kumu hula Nalani Kanaka'ole and Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele, presented majestic performances of mele oli and mele hula in telling the epic drama of the goddess Pele and her sister Hi'iaka, their travels to Hawaii from Tahiti, and Hi'iaka's return to her Big Island home after her eventful journey across the Hawaiian Islands.

This momentous project was videotaped and will be aired this October as part of the "Great Performances: Dance in America" series, and the first to feature Pacific performing arts. Before the video is shared with the rest of the nation (as well as local residents who didn't see the original stagings here), it will be premiered tonight at the Hawaii Theatre, with a special performance by the halau.

Television producer/director Catherine Tatge first talked to the Kanaka'ole sisters three years ago about bringing their project to PBS.

"I completely recognized it as a major work of art," said Tatge, herself a veteran of television dance programming. She said that throughout the production process, she always consulted with the kumu hula to ensure that their vision of the hula remained intact.

Beginning with the closed taping of the halau's performance last July at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, the five-act, three-hour-long performance was condensed into an hourlong program that makes concessions to render the story and dance more understandable to a mainland audience unfamiliar with hula, including subtitling the chants.

If the first five minutes available for preview is any indication, Tatge, award-winning cinematographer Tom Hurwitz and editor Joel Katz have done a splendid job in recapturing the spiritual vitality of the hula, using numerous single-camera setups and astute editing in post-production.

Staged with minimal sets and simple but effective lighting, "Holo Mai Pele" showcases the halau's mastery of 'aiha'a, described in the original program notes as "a low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula."

"It was an enormous responsibility to be true to the Hawaiian culture," Tatge said, "but it was a wonderful process and an extremely rich and creative one."

"Holo Mai Pele" video premiere Where: Hawaii Theatre When: 7 p.m. today Admission: $30; $20 students and seniors; $15 each for groups of 10 or more Call: 973-0289 Also: "The Making of Holo Mai Pele" half-day workshop tomorrow at Ward Warehouse with kumu hula Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele and producer/director Catherine Tatge; $40, with student discounts available. Call 941-5097.

Click for online
calendars and events.