Merrie moments

A veteran Star-Bulletin photographer frames the hulafest's grace and flow in wrapping up 3 days of competitions

HILO » With veteran hula halau celebrating anniversaries and returns to competition at this year's Merrie Monarch Festival, Star-Bulletin photographer Dennis Oda believes he's covered close to half of 45 of those memorable events.

MULTIMEDIA Saturday night: Hula Auana slideshow. Friday night: Hula Kahiko slideshow. Thursday night: Miss Aloha Hula slideshow

The operative word there is "believes." Oda is usually too busy photographing and sending pictures to the Honolulu home office on festival nights to reflect on his years of experience at Merrie Monarch. Because of his veteran status, Oda has become a respected documenter of the premier hula festival, demonstrated, once again, in this portfolio of images that capture the festival's overall vibe.

When Oda did have a moment yesterday to comment on what happened over the last three nights of competition, one thing that stood out for him was the choreography.

"There were a lot more different things like, for instance, the pinwheel-like movement that Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka used in their auana. And there was a tendency for the women to occasionally move from being separate dancers and come together as a closely packed unit, so it looks like you're looking at one dancer. Interestingly enough, that was something I saw in Mapuana de Silva's presentations years ago, and now other halau are following her example.

"And I noticed particularly with Kaleo Trinidad's halau how his dancers wove through each other at different angles" Oda said, "which was a continuation from last year's overall choreography.

"The better-made costumes show off the body language" he said. "Like, for the winning Kamuela group, you could see that there's always flow. When they turn and spin, you can see the skirt flair out to show their hip movement, which translates into their overall storytelling. And I like Howard and Olana Ai's colors and patterns on their well-made costumes. They stand out a little bit more to me than the others."

Oda confesses he's no expert in hula, "but I know what I like. For the women it's the grace in the movements, and the eyes and the hands. That and body movement show how well they can communicate with the audience. And with the kane, it's more a visceral feeling.

"I know that if you understand the Hawaiian language, and really know the background story of each dance, that a good storyteller conveys that way better than someone like me" he said. "But once I concentrate on the eyes and the hands of the dancers, everything else follows."

The Results Overall Winner: Hula Halau 'O Kamuela (kumu hula Kau'ionalani Kamana'o and Kunewa Mook) Wahine Overall 1. Hula Halau 'O Kamuela - 1,205 pts. 2. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu (kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu'u Sonny Ching) - 1,192 pts. 3. Halau Hula Olana (kumu hula Howard and Olana Ai) - 1,177 pts. Kane Overall 1. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu - 1,204 pts. 2. Ke Kai O Kahiki (kumu hula O'Brian Eselu) - 1,196 pts. 3. Kawaili'ula (kumu hula Chinky Mahoe) - 1,172 pts. Wahine 'Auana 1. Hula Halau 'O Kamuela - 608 pts. 2. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu - 602 pts. 3. Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La (kumu hula Kaleo Trinidad) - 594 pts. 4. Halau Hula Olana - 592 pts. 5. Halau Mohala 'Ilima (kumu hula Mapuana de Silva) - 591 pts. Kane 'Auana 1. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu - 610 pts. 2. Ke Kai O Kahiki - 603 pts. 3. Kawaili'ula - 586 pts. 4. Halau Ke Kia'i A O Hula (kumu hula Kapi'olani Ha'o) - 567 pts. Wahine Kahiko: 1. Hula Halau O Kamuela - 597 pts. 2. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu - 590 pts. 3. Halau Hula Olana - 585 pts. 4. Ka Pa Hula O Kauanoe O Wa'ahila (kumu hula Maelia Loebenstein Carter) - 584 pts. 5. Halau Mohala 'Ilima - 580 pts. Kane Kahiko 1. Halau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu - 594 pts. 2. Ke Kai O Kahiki - 593 pts. 3. Kawaili'ula - 586 pts. 4. Halau Keali'i O Nalani (kumu hula Keali'i Ceballos) - 559 pts.