“It’s very humbling.”
That’s how Tracie Lopes, who shares kumu hula duties of Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e with her husband, Keawe Lopes, described her feelings early Sunday morning — shortly after learning their Oahu halau had just won back-to-back Merrie Monarch Festival group hula competitions.
Their overall score of 1,201 points gave them both the wahine (women’s) overall title and the group overall win — as well as custody of the Lokalia Montgomery Perpetual Trophy for another year. They received that lofty point total from seven judges stage-side at Hilo’s Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium as the total of their first-place score of 610 points in group wahine hula ‘auana (modern hula) added to their third-place total of 591 points in wahine hula kahiko (ancient hula).
“I’m taking a lot of deep breaths right now, with gratitude that what we worked very hard to present was appreciated and loved by others,” Tracie Lopes said. “We were proud of our students from the moment they walked off the stage.
“So for us, we were just very happy already.”
In addition to the repeat group victory in the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition, Ka‘onohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes, the wife-and-husband kumus’ middle daughter of three, danced her way Thursday to become Miss Aloha Hula 2024 — getting the nod by the competition’s seven judges over a dozen other candidates. She was the fourth consecutive haumana (student) of Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e to earn the most prestigious title that can be awarded to a solo hula dancer. She’s also the third member of her immediate family to become Miss Aloha Hula. Tracie Lopes was Miss Aloha Hula 1994 as Tracie Ka‘onohilani Farias, and her older sister, Pi‘ikea Kekiihenelehuawewehiikekau‘onohi Lopes, was Miss Aloha 2022.
“I wasn’t really thinking about this moment,” the newly crowned Miss Aloha Hula said afterwards. “I was thinking about who I was honoring and who I wanted to honor. I’m speaking about Ke Akua (God), I’m thinking about those I’m dancing about; I’m thinking about my lineage, those who came before me, my parents, who are right behind me, my musicians, and dancing to those they were singing about.”
Ka‘onohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes — a 21-year-old studying for her master’s degree in communications at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa — also won the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaiian Language Award with a perfect score of 50 points.
“Both my husband and I teach Hawaiian language, so we are proud,” Tracie Lopes said. “We met in Hawaiian language class, so to have our daughters, all three of them be able to ‘olelo, is very beautiful to us.”
The four-year run at the top in Miss Aloha Hula wasn’t without challenges. Pi‘ikea Lopes competed and won the coveted crown in 2022 just 15 days after her maternal grandfather, Jackie Farias, passed away at 75.
Farias was the husband of legendary Hawaiian entertainer Karen Keawehawai‘i, Tracie Lopes’ mother — who was present Thursday at the “Super Bowl of Hula” to witness a second granddaughter become Miss Aloha Hula.
“She’s always been a proud grandma,” Tracie Lopes said.
Wahine groups dominated at this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival, taking the overall top 3 spots, and Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e’s win was by no means a blowout.
Taking second place in wahine overall and group overall was Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala, a mere two digits back at 1,199 points. Under the direction of kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin, the Kauai halau — which won the wahine overall and group overall titles in 2022 — finished second in wahine hula kahiko to Oahu’s Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela and in wahine hula ‘auana to Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e.
In third place in both wahine overall and group overall was Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, under the direction of na kumu hula Kunewa Mook and Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o, at 1,195 points. In addition to their first place wahine hula kahiko win, the Oahu powerhouse finished fourth in wahine hula ‘auana.
There were no kane (men’s) group finishers in the top 3 overall. However, to underscore just how tight the overall competition was, the kane group overall winner, Oahu’s Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua, under the direction of na kumu hula Robert Keano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla, earned 1,194 points, a single digit behind Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela’s wahine. Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua took the top spot in kane hula kahiko with 590 points and tied Oahu’s Halau Na Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, under the direction of na kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching and Lopaka Igarta-De Vera for top point total in kane hula ‘auana with 604 points. Ka‘upu and Padilla’s men, however, came up three points short in a tie-breaker to Ching’s and Igarta-De Vera’s kane.
“I’m shocked. Happy, but still shocked,” said Ka‘upu, a Hilo native, after learning of the kane win. “I’m just proud to come to Hilo and share our hula. And mahalo, Hilo, for welcoming the halau.”
“We’re very proud of our gentlemen for all the hard work they put in,” Padilla added. “Everybody was good, so I’m proud of everyone.”
Halau Na Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu was the kane overall first runners-up with 1,190 points.
Taking third place in kane overall, with 1,177 points, was Halau Kekuaokala‘au‘ala‘iliahi of Maui, under the direction of na kumu hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes.
“It was fabulous,” said ‘Iliahi Paredes, who has a day job as a deputy county prosecutor on Maui. “The level of hula that was put on the stage this year? Amazing. Every year, the level of competition seems to just elevate. And I just love to see that.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com
2024 Merrie Monarch results
The winners and runners-up as reported from Hilo’s Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium:
• Group Overall
1. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 1,201 points
2. Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala, kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin — 1,199 points
3. Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, na kumu hula Kunewa Mook and Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o — 1,195 points
• Wahine Overall
1. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 1,201 points
2. Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala, kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin — 1,199 points
3. Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, na kumu hula Kunewa Mook and Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o — 1,195 points
• Kane Overall
1. Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua, na kumu hula Robert Keano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla — 1,194 points
2. Halau Na Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, na kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching and Lopaka Igarta-De Vera — 1,190 points
3. Halau Kekuaokala‘au‘ala‘iliahi, na kumu hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes — 1,177 points
• Wahine Kahiko
1. Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, na kumu hula Kunewa Mook and Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o — 597 points
2. Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala, kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin — 594 points
3. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 591 points
4. Halau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, kumu hula Ka‘ilihiwa Vaughan-Darval — 585 points
5. (tie) Halau Mohala ‘Ilima, kumu hula Mapuana de Silva — 582 points
5. (tie) Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka, kumu hula Napua Silva — 582 points
• Kane Kahiko
1. Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua, na kumu hula Robert Keano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla — 590 points
2. Halau Na Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, na kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching and Lopaka Igarta-De Vera — 586 points
3. Halau Kekuaokala‘au‘ala‘iliahi, na kumu hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes — 580 points
4. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 563 points
• Wahine ‘Auana
1. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 610 points
2. Halau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina‘ala, kumu hula Leina‘ala Pavao Jardin — 605 points
3. Halau Mohala ‘Ilima, kumu hula Mapuana de Silva — 600 points
4. Hula Halau ‘O Kamuela, na kumu hula Kunewa Mook and Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o — 598 points
5. Halau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, kumu hula Ka‘ilihiwa Vaughan-Darval, 597 points
• Kane ‘Auana
1. Halau Na Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, na kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching and Lopaka Igarta-De Vera — 604 points, winner of tie-breaker with 845 points
2. Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua, na kumu hula Robert Keano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla — 604 points, 842 points in tie-breaker
3. Halau Kekuaokala‘au‘ala‘iliahi, na kumu hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes — 597 points
4. Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, na kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes — 593 points