July 2026
Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until it finally arrives and sweeps us off our feet. That’s the way music has been over the last couple years here at Still & Moving.
Before I tell you that close-to-home story, let me sneak in an observation about the power of music. The ancients knew the potential of music to stir the soul in ways that the mind alone might not be capable of doing.
Back in the days before the golden age of Athens in Greece, Plato’s teacher’s teacher, Pythagoras (of the Pythagorean triangle and Pythagorean theorem fame) taught sacred geometry, astronomy and music. These potent fields of study developed both the rational and intuitive mind, the moral character of his students, and with music, the ability to heal.
According to his biographer, Iamblicus, Pythagoras was once walking in the town square where a group of musicians were playing. As he walked, he picked up on the intention of a group of young ruffians to cause some serious trouble. Understanding the mathematics of music and the power of different vibratory rates upon the human psyche, Pythagoras approached the musicians. He asked the flautist to change the beat of their song to a different specific rhythm. The flautist made the change, and the ruffians abandoned their scheme. Just from a wise shift in the music.
A few years ago, as we were struggling to emerge from the Covid period, I started noticing some unusual grumbling and dissatisfaction amongst the staff and faculty at Still & Moving Center. To different degrees, many of them seemed edgy and unhappy, and it was seeping out to afflict our students as well. Of course, the overall positive influence of Still & Moving continued, but some of us could detect a few strings slightly out of tune, metaphorically speaking, in the generally joyous tone that has always hummed through the Center.
Then music entered the arena! Dustin Hara – then our business consultant, now our general manager – began adding live music to our Diwali festival. Doctor Mark Morisaki added live sound effects. Kumu Mālia formed a musical duo called Kai Ea, and they began performing on Friday nights. Their audience grew as we appreciated both the Hawaiian music and mainstream favorites that their group played.
The general atmosphere at Still & Moving was starting to shift for the better. The off-tune notes gradually faded out, making room for merrier melodies!
With Dustin in the mix – as someone who has played music in churches and professionally, and who does vocal coaching – people at Still & Moving were starting to publicly use their singing voices, thanks to Dustin’s example and encouragement. I even noticed Kumu Mālia’s already enchanting voice getting stronger in a greater range.
Music was in the air. Mālia’s ‘ukulele classes began to produce some more proficient musicians, including hula instructor Doris Morisaki and her husband, Dr. Mark. We started hearing Mark accompanying and soloing on ‘ukulele at May Day, Open Mic nights and our birthday.
Mālia’s Kai Ea performances increasingly included her students performing hula to the live Hawaiian numbers. Even beginning dancers get warm applause here at the Center for their efforts. Everyone feels welcome in this fun-loving musical context.
Open Mic events followed Kai Ea on Fridays. More members of our existing community started sharing their musical talents, attracting new attendees and participants from the outside community. People feel happy to have such an upbeat place – serving mocktails – to enjoy a tuneful Friday evening.
By this time, Dustin had assumed the role of General Manager for us. The staff and faculty were moving together in sync now, not just because of Dustin’s kind, firm management, but also I think because of this tonal shift in the mood of the Center. I noticed faculty and staff more happily and generously volunteering to sub for one another.
I loved walking out of my office – the Hub – one afternoon to find one of our hula students, Izumi Ponimō’ī, teaching her fellow students to make ti-leaf lei, each of them gladly learning to wrap a pliant green leaf around a toe and then gradually twist in new leaves to increase the length of their lei. They all seemed delighted to be helping to make their costume pieces for their May Day performance the next day. It seemed to be a spill-over effect from their volunteer Friday night dancing with Mālia.
For Valentine’s Day of 2025, Dustin, with the Morisakis’ help, surprised us all by landing a baby grand piano for our front lobby, renamed our Lyrical Lobby! And it was free, gifted by a military family who was being redeployed. Hallelujah! [Read story here.] Now the sounds of Dustin rippling up and down the piano keyboard, often accompanied by his gospel-style singing voice, emanated through the lobby and up the stairs into the Barefoot Ballroom. Not performance style, just at random, free moments. How glorious! I could be on a business call in the Hub, and just hearing his music would change the tone of my conversation.
We’ve always played music in our classes and at our events, but except for Kumu Mālia, almost no one’s been creating new music here at the Center. Then our jolly music makers surprised me at Still & Moving Center’s 15th birthday celebration with our first-ever official theme song, “Find Your Center”. With the help of the Morisakis’ friend and musical producer, Roger Higa, they created both the melody and lyrics for a bright, catchy piece. Enjoy here!
As it turns out, our staffer Thuan also has a musical bent. I now frequently walk out of my office to find a whole little jam session happening in the front lobby – a kanikapila as you would call it here on the islands. Now our newish hula student and guitar player, Audi Nodado might be joining Thuan and Mark on strings or piano, or Dustin and Mālia might be working on the harmony for a new song. Doris often sits on a wooden box called a cajón, patting out a beat to accompany them. Last week, I even heard a new magical voice filling the space, and came around the corner to find staffer Sharonne singing like a song-bird!
While our kumu hula Mālia was on her June trip to Japan, we lost our dear Bodies in Motion teacher, Gilad Janklowicz. In our kumu’s absence, Doris danced a hula to the soul-touching song Aloha ’Oe, with the refrain “Until we meet again”, at our impromptu memorial for Gilad. So sad she couldn’t dance it without tearing up herself – Doris brought cathartic sobs from family members of the deceased. They told us afterwards that her perfectly chosen music and dance was a healing consolation to them. Still & Moving wouldn’t have been able to have provided that kind of comfort to the soul in earlier days before the spirit of music began to bouy us up as a whole.
In addition to our beloved local singer-song writer Faith Rivera, more professional musicians are feeling attracted to join us. When I walked into the end of their class with Cynthia Lin, I heard her ’ukulele students proudly playing in perfect rhythm with each other. And that was just their second class! This past Friday, about 18 of us attended the first Taiko drumming workshop with Mikey Gonhata and, boy, did we have a great time pounding on those big drums with Mikey’s both exacting yet humorous teaching. We participants all bounced out of the room, like the sticks he was teaching us to bounce off the skin of the drum!
Last Friday our Community Performing Arts Collective showcase filled the space with the wonderful, uplifting talent of newbies and experienced artists. Our grand finale piece was created by members of our ‘ohana in the spirit of surviving and thriving in the face of difficult events. These wisely silly, spirited ladies with hand puppets got us all up on our feet, swaying and jubilantly singing together, “I am the luckiest!” We all exploded into cheers and clapping at the end. (See our Video Fave below).
I’m remembering Joni Mitchell lamenting some of her favorite local spots in Waikiki being paved over, singing: “You just don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” Now here we are, half a century later and not far from Waikiki, realizing that, “You just don’t know what you’re missing ‘til it’s here.”
Thank goodness, Still & Moving’s got music!
By Renée Tillotson
Director, Still & Moving Center
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