Five time Na Hoku Hanohano winner Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole joined Kaleo and Pilialoha on Island Style, during the Valentine’s Day show to share her manao and spirit of the ancient hula style known as kahiko. Kaumakaiwa, or Iwa, is a kumu hula from renowned Halau O Kekuhi located in Hilo, Hawai’i. Iwa shared the ‘aiha’a style of hula, meaning low-postured, thus bringing the body closer to connect with the earth. Halau O Kekuhi is a classical dancing company and the center of cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices of the Edith Kankaka’ole Foundation (EKF). EKF’s roots are anchored and radiates from the traditional practices accounting for eight generations of kumu hula. Iwa joined the Island Style ohana with her dance company members Kaua Kanaka’ole-Ioane, and La’akea Stone. All three came to Alaska touring from Bethel to Anchorage from 2/10-2/13, presenting The Voice of Hawai’i’s New Generation, which was made possible from a grant received in 2015 from the highly-regarded 2015 Native Hawaiian Artist Fellowship by the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation.
“My work draws directly from ancestral memory and hula practice, with roots in chant that transforms to melody. It is not simply Western song with Hawaiian lyrics.” Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole
