A NIGHT OF HULA @ FUPC

An audience member from the First United Protestant Church Commented on the Benefit Concert put on by our Halau..................She said:

Hi -Saturday evening, we had a wonderful event here at FUPC: Halau Na Pua 'O Uluhaimalama, gave a benefit performance at FUPC to benefit our music fund. It was a memorable evening. This outstanding group, who some of you may have seen on tv, danced a varied program of hula kahiko (the old traditional type of hula) and hula 'auwana (modern versions of hula) in our sanctuary, for the full benefit of our music program (our piano soon will need replacement). I am sure performing in the limited space in our sancturay created a lot of artistic and technical problems for them - but the result was a spectacular intimacy and an immediate feeling of involvement of the audience with the dancers, - their dancing extended all the way into our aisles. The focus of the hula 'auwana was on modern songs of Hilo. The focus of the hula kahiko was on chants of old Hawaii, primarily evoking homage and loyalty to famous, accomplished, and revered members of Hawaiian royalty. A third segment of the program, blending both hula kahiko and hula 'auwana, paid special tribute to the tragic last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Li'ili'iokalani