Kumu Hula Kawika Alfiche is the founder and director of Hālau ʻo Keikialiʻi, and the Kaululehua Hawaiian Cultural Center in South San Francisco & Napa, California. He was a member of the only Papa ʻŪniki (graduating class) of the late Kumu Rae Fonseca of Hālau ʻo Kahikilaulani in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Kumu Kawika’s mission is to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture. To that end he regularly travels throughout the US and internationally, sharing the art of hula.
Kumu Kawika composed a powerful mele inoa (name-song) about John Blossom. He was a man who escaped enslavement in Jamaica and eventually joined the crew of a merchant ship, which brought him to Hawaiʻi. He became a valet for Kapaʻakea (the father of the future King and Queen of Hawaiʻi) and was welcomed in the court of Kamehameha III. In 1880, he went to Chile to help liberate Pacific Islanders who had been enslaved there, and lost his life in the process of setting them free.
“A freedom fighter for Hawai`i
He searched far and wide
Sailed through the globe searching
To rescue Kānaka that were taken
Our faded flower lost to the heavens”
Patrick Landeza is a native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the Continent. He found his roots in the music shared with him by his mother, Frances Kawaipūloʻu Kuakini OʻSullivan Landeza. A two-time Nā Hōku Hanohano Award-winning artist of ki hōʻalu (slack key guitar) and author, he was inspired and mentored by some of the most legendary masters of the form such as Cyril Pahinui, Raymond Kāne, George Kuo, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi.
Patrick Landeza & Sons features Justin Firmeza on Hawaiian steel guitar and keyboard along with Patrick Landeza, Jr. or “PJ” on bass guitar.
Patrick has composed a mele inoa honoring the first American president who was born in Hawaiʻi, Barack Obama. He was inspired by his slogans, “ Hope, Change, Believe”, and “Yes, we can”.
“This song is for you President Obama
The esteemed black pearl of America
You have enduring hope for the prosperity
Of the American people and our nation
Urging for change in these new times
In the way we think and act
You have always believed in the beauty
Of the aloha-filled hearts of mankind”
Kaulike Pescaia is a decorated and accomplished singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer in the Hawaiian music industry. He performs throughout Hawaiʻi and Japan, more recently as the guitarist for Hawaiian music veteran, hula teacher and master lei artist, Kuana Torres-Kahele.
Ikaika Blackburn is a renowned Grammy-nominated musician from the Island of Maui and the recipient of a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award through his work with with the Hawaiian music group, Nā Hoa. In 2013, Blackburn launched his inaugural solo album, “Maliu,” which showcased his impeccable falsetto vocals in traditional Hawaiian songs.
Māhealani Uchiyama composed this name-song about Betsey Stockton, a formerly enslaved woman who received her manumission and relocated to Lahaina, becoming the very first woman of African descent to arrive in Hawaiʻi. She became a teacher at the Lahaina mission, priding herself on educating the children of the makaʻainana (common folk). Her unique sensibility about this was likely informed by her own childhood when she learned to read and write at a time when enslaved people were forbidden to do so. She is referred to as the “dandelion flower” (pua laulele) because the dandelion has the ability to thrive in various environments and, for those of us who are descendants of the enslaved, is a symbol of resilience.
Ikaika and Kaulike will perform Pua Laulele with Ikaikaʻs brilliant arrangement of the song as presented at the 2024 Kū Mai Ka Hula Competition on Maui, a performance for which Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine was awarded First Place Honors.
“I call attention to you
O Dandelion Flower
You were born in slavery
But rose into freedom and liberty”
Kaulike composed this name-song in honor of Peter Hose, whoʻs family migrated from Cape Verde to Honolulu. Here metaphorically referred to as a coconut tree, he was affectionately known as the “Hula Cop” because of the unique, dance-like way that he directed traffic.
“In the wind, the gentle wind
The coconut fronds sway
The people are made happy
By the coconut tree”
Affectionately known as Hawaiʻi’s First Lady of Jazz, Azure has won multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. Her unique vocal styling is reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She has performed internationally as well as for President Barack Obama. She is from Oakland, California and lived in Hawaiʻi for over 40 years.
Azure composed this song as a reflection of her contemporary experience and regards the area from the Bay Area to Hawaiʻi as her home.
“From Oakland to experiences
Far beyond belief
Strange new lands, friends abroad
And life beyond the reef”
Musicians: Spencer Allen, Ron Belcher, Randall Merritt, Sanjeev Palamand
Choreography by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne.
Kumu Hula Māhealani Uchiyama is a dancer, musician, composer, choreographer, recording artist, author and teacher. She studied hula primarily under Kumu Hula Joseph Kamohaʻi Kahāʻulelio. She is the founder and director of the Māhea Uchiyama Center for International Dance (MUCID) of Berkeley, California (a non-profit organization) and is Kumu Hula of Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine, and Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine East Coast Branch. She has led performance tours to Tahiti, New Zealand and the Islands of Hawai’i, and has taught workshops throughout the United States and Mexico. She is the author of the Haumāna Hula Handbook for Students of Hawaiian Dance and The Mbira, An African Musical Tradition (both published by North Atlantic Books / Penguin Random House). She has released numerous collections of Hawaiian and Tahitian music. Her CDs “Tatau” and “Pasifika” are widely used by Polynesian dance organizations worldwide.
In 2024, the hālau mounted the presentation Wai Ola: ʻAukele and the Waters of Life – a Celebration of Hula Kiʻi in Honolulu and San Francisco.
Inspired by a photo of Reverend Martin Luther King and other supporters wearing fresh flower lei during the third march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Māhealani composed this song as a reflection of the shared struggle for Civil Rights. Reverend King once addressed the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in the throne room of ʻIolani Palace. Kingʻs words that day were remarkably similar to those spoken by Queen Liliʻuokalani during the over throw of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Reverend Akaka was present that day and was inspired to have his parishioners of Kawaiahaʻo Church craft plumeria lei to send to King for his March as a sign of solidarity and hope.
“This is a lei for Reverend King
ʻMay our prayer enfold you in aloha
With this symbol of hope and peaceʻ”
Māhealani composed this name song in honor of Alice Ball, a chemist who developed the first successful treatment for those suffering from Hansenʻs disease, also known as leprosy. Ball was also the very first African American and the first woman to graduate from the College of Hawaiʻi (now the University of Hawaiʻi). Tragically, she passed away at the young age of 24 as the result of a lab accident, and it was not until many years later that she finally received the proper credit that she deserved.
“For you is this lei of honor
Noble is the beauty of Mānoa
The tiniest of fruits can heal
Comforting the peace of Kalaupapa
Let the name be told
Alice Ball is the healer
Kalaupapa is enthusiastic
And there is comfort in the world”
Musicians/Vocals: Alan Kekoa Aki, David Belove, Dena Manoa Bullard, Edgardo Cambon, Kevin Naʻeahau Farey, Victor ʻAnapa Manansala, Eva Teheiariʻi Mo, Ashley Waiʻolu Moore, Christopher Trinidad.
Kamakakēhau was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and adopted by a loving Hawaiian family at just two months old. Raised on the Island of Maui, he grew up speaking Hawaiian fluently. Known for his unique and mesmerizing falsetto singing, he is also a teacher of Hawaiian language and ʻukulele.
This is a song of love and regard for Hawaiʻi, composed by Kamakakēhau Fernandez. He writes, “Equity and inclusion is so important for our generations to come. Honoring our lāhui and those of other lāhui (cultures) are what brings us together.”
“We all stand proud
Nurturing the lessons of our ancestors
Reminiscing fond memories
Of love”
Kalani Peʻa is a four-time Grammy Award, and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning artist, known for his remarkable vocal stylings. Singing everything from classical to soul to traditional Hawaiian music, he regularly tours the US and Japan, including appearances at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He performs on numerous prestigious stages within the State of Hawaiʻi, the continental United States and Japan. He has been recognized with a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellowship, and an Artist in Business First Peoples Fund Leadership Fellowship. He was also recently inducted into the Maui Nui Hall of Fame.
Kalani composed a song in honor of his friend, Kamakakēhau Fernandez. “The kaona (veiled meaning) of this mele also exemplifies in his name. ʻAs a dewdrop strikes one’s eyeʻ- meaning Kamakakēhau being the Pua (flower) drifting ashore (coming from Arkansas to Hawai’i), his mother and family sheds that tear, that “dewdrop” to hānai, rear, nurture and love this exquisite African American baby who later became a voice of our lāhui (people) through music and perpetuating ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i (Hawaiian language).” He also writes, “You are loved Kamakakēhau Fernandez. For your mama, for your ʻohana Naeʻole raising, nurturing and loving you. From your African Roots, being adopted by the ‘ohana Nae’ole and Fernandez, to your Hawaiian music and Hawaiian immersion language education upbringing. This mele honors you.”
“In the ao ʻōnohi showers
Is also the morning dew in the aokū rain
The countenance of the rose blossom
Sits a beloved child
An honored lei of Naeʻole”
Kalani Peʻa will be accompanied by Kerry Wing.
Deni Mealiʻi Adaniya, Avery Kamalei Aki, Meridith Kawēkiu Aki, Clarisse Tēhau Choy, Lora Kēhaulani Dinga, Emily Hinareva Hawkins, Lily Kāʻeo Hill, Grace Kaʻimi Kang, Irene Puaʻiti Klein, Usha Kawena Lingappa, Zara Purotu Manansala, Elaine Mālino Mo, Lynne Manawa Ogawa, Beth Kanoelani Pao, Amber Poliʻahu Saberton, Pamela Līʻula Saberton, Amy ʻIlikea Wehiwa Santana, Stefanie Nohoikeʻala Suzuki, Fonda Lanakila Yoshimoto-Reed.
The Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance thanks the administration, staff and crew of Blue Shield of California Theatre at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for hosting Pōpoloheno - Songs of Resilience & Joy.
We are honored to acknowledge our funders, the Gerbode Foundation and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for their unwavering support of this project.
