The Volcano Art Center will present hula kahiko at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with kumu hula Sammye Ku‘ualoha Young and Halau Na Lei Hiwahiwa ‘o Ku‘ualoha in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The event’s format will allow for more interaction between the kumu, the halau members and the audience than would normally take place during a performance-only event.
The Volcano Art Center will present hula kahiko at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with kumu hula Sammye Ku‘ualoha Young and Halau Na Lei Hiwahiwa ‘o Ku‘ualoha in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The event’s format will allow for more interaction between the kumu, the halau members and the audience than would normally take place during a performance-only event.
The halau was founded in 2008 by kumu Sammye Ku‘ualoha Young, who starting taking hula lessons at age 12, as a student of the late kumu hula Rae Fonseca in Hilo. She started her halau after receiving her uniki, or hula graduation ceremony, from Fonseca in 2007. This year, the halau performed for the first time in the Merrie Monarch competition.
This performance is part of a year-round series sponsored by the Volcano Art Center. For the series, hula halau from across Hawaii and beyond are invited to perform each month in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting at the kahua hula. The kahua hula is located just a short walking distance from the Volcano Art Gallery in an area known as Ka‘auea. This sacred spot affords the kumu and haumana (student) a pristine view into Halama‘uma‘u, home of goddess Pelehonuamea.