Rodney Strong Dance Series Halau Hula Ka No’eau

Celebrating their 35th Anniversary, Hālau Hula Ka No‘eau is dedicated to preserving and performing traditional hula styles that descend from the lineage of O'ahu’s renowned Maiki Aiu Lake. Teaching that the art of Hawaiian dance expresses all that we see, hear, smell, touch, taste and feel, Lake was a leading figure in the Hawaiian and hula renaissance of the 1970s, which restored and renewed the knowledge of Hawaiian cultural traditions that had almost disappeared, and which set the stage for today's blossoming of hula. Kumu hula (hula master)/Artistic Director Michael Pili Pang draws from the history and folklore of Hawai'i, as well as the monarchy period, to create dances that embody these teachings.

Honoring Lake’s hula lineage, which descended directly from the court dances of the 19th-century Hawaiian monarchy, and her mastery of a popular dance style of the time, hula ku'i, which bridged ancient and modern hula, Pang expresses the importance of carrying on the legacy of “creating something new [through a] thorough understanding of the past.” The Halau affirms its roots in kahiko (ancient) hula, pays homage to the rich artistic era of the Hawaiian monarchy, and charms with the more light-hearted 'auana (modern) hula of today.