Photo/Foto: Paula Kupfer

Hula as Resistance

The chants and dances that are used in this performance praise and honor native Hawaiians' gods and chiefs. They celebrate their beloved lands, and call for unity and solidarity.

Biographies

Vicky Holt Takamine is the founder and kumu hula (master teacher) of Pua Ali'i 'Ilima, a school of traditional Hawaiian dance. In addition, she teaches hula at UH Manoa and Leeward Community College. She graduated through the 'uniki rituals of hula from Maiki Aiu Lake. Vicky received her BA and MA in Dance Ethnology from the University of Hawai'i. Since 1997, she has coordinated demonstrations, rallies, and marches calling for social, economic, and environmental justice for native Hawaiians.

‘Īlio‘ulaokalani Coalition is an organization of native Hawaiian cultural practitioners who advocate for the protection of their native rights and cultural and natural resources.

• Performers:

  Christina Mauliola Cook lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and has taught creative dance in schools throughout the state of Hawaii. In 2007, she graduated as ho‘opa‘a (drummer/chanter) and ‘ōlapa (dancer) through the ‘ūniki rituals of hula from kumu hula, Vicky Holt Takamine.

Alison Hartle completed her BA in English and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and her MA in American Studies at the University of Hawai‘i. She has been a member of Pua Ali‘i ‘Ilima, a school of traditional Hawaiian dance, for the past fourteen years. Currently she is working on her PhD in American Studies and serves on the board of the PA‘I Foundation, a non-profit cultural foundation organized to support the needs of the native Hawaiian community.

Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio is a recent graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii when she is not attending Stanford University. In 2008 Jamaica was apart of the 5 person team that won the international youth poetry competition Brave New Voices in Washington DC and is featured in Hbo's documentary "Brave New Voices." She was named the 2009 Youth Speaks Hawaii Grand Slam Champion.