KUMU PERMISSION REQUIRED
In-person & Live Online
5:45-6:45 pm HST
As an experienced hula dancer, you know that you’ll dance this ancient kahiko style to the beat of the ipu (Hawaiian gourd drum). At this level, Kumu Mālia continues to put emphasis on our understanding the underlying meaning behind the dances, as well as deeply connecting to the elements of nature.
Class often begins an oli (chant) and/or introduction to Hawaiian culture. We warm up with the basic steps and progress into choreographed hula. We study both standing and noho (sitting) forms of hula, as well as learning to use a variety of hula implements over time, such as the ipu (gourd drum), the ‘ili’ili (river rocks), the kala’au (wooden sticks) and ‘uli’uli (feather-capped gourd rattle).
This Intermediate Hula Kahiko class is comprised of members of Kumu Mālia’s halau (school for learning a traditional Hawaiian cultural practice), which is named Nā Hula Ola Aloha. Halau classes happen on Thursday evenings, and members frequently attend Sunday hula kahiko classes as well.
Halau members are invited with their families to participate in cultural events, such as quarterly hi’uwai (ocean cleansing ceremonies) on the solstices and equinoxes, and occasionally other events and performances in the community.
You can use this class to prepare for performances, especially if you live on island or are able to travel here. Halau members off island can sometimes participate in online performances as well. Performances opportunities at Still & Moving Center include our May Day event, our Diwali Festival of Light in October/November, and our Merry & Bright celebration in mid-December.
Halau membership takes you closer to the heart of Hawaiian culture – its history, language, connection with the ‘aina (land), etc. Halau members occasionally learn traditional methods for preparing their adornments (such as flower lei) in preparation for a performance or ceremony. As a traditional lomilomi practitioner and trainer, Kumu Mālia sometimes shares Hawaiian massage techniques during halau sessions.
Joining this halau requires at least a 2 year commitment. If you are interested in joining, please contact Kumu Mālia.
Class Schedule
Mālia Helelā
Kumu Mālia Ko’i’ulaokawaolehua Helelā strives to live a life of grace. Her hālau (hula school), which meets at Still & Moving Center, is Nā Hula Ola Aloha. Completing her ‘ūniki (graduation) under Kumu Hula Pulu’elo Park in 2002, she now teaches hula and oli (traditional Hawaiian chanting) to a wide range of students, from infants and toddlers to kupuna. Mālia studied oli under Kumu Hula Keola Lake. She began her formal training in lomilomi massage as a teenager. She was licensed by the State of Hawaii as a massage therapist in 1998 and as an esthetician in 2002. Her hula practice and lomilomi practice, she says, are the same. She continues to look to the beauty and grace of the Hawaiian environment for grounding and inspiration. Mālia has become a respected and beloved cultural practitioner in Hawaii.
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