When I look around I see Hula everywhere: Hawai‘i, Japan, California, New York, France, Mexico, all around. The world of Hula touches more and more people every year.
Many dancers have the opportunity to study under the direction of a Kumu Hula in a halau, but, many others have only had the chance to learn from a friend or in a workshop and do not have a life situation that allows time for more com-mittment.. Depending on where you live or who you know, you may not have access to the information about Hula that you would like. There is a lot of information out there but it is hard to sort through and retrieve just what you need in an organized way. HulaStudio magazine has been created to help.
We have gathered our resources and focused our efforts to publish this new magazine for the many people who are interested in learning more about Hula. We respect the fact that there are many different sources of knowledge in the Hula world as we are reminded of this well known Hawaiian saying:
“Aole pau ka ike i ka halau ho`okahi … not all knowledge is found in one school.”
Thinking about this leads us to wonder ‘Is there a place where all these rivers of knowledge flow together? Is there a collecting pool where we can immerse ourselves and benefit from all the wisdom and teachings of Hula?’
HulaStudio magazine is going to provide such a place where the practitioners, the teachers and the researchers can present and share their knowledge with the interested reader.
Issue by issue we will gather information and save it into one easy-to-access location and make it available to everyone who would like to know more.
As we prepare each issue, we seek out writers who are involved in different aspects of Hula, each contributing because they have a “path” upon which she or he is a qualified guide. We ask them to take you, the reader on a journey through their neighborhood of knowledge, sharing in-depth information, insights and expertise.
For the first issue we have asked Professor Puakea Nogelmeier to introduce the importance of correct pronunciation of Hawaiian language and to share the meaning of the words in the commonly sung mele
“Hawai‘i Aloha.”
Then to give us some insight into the musical world accompanying the Hula dancers in the late 1890s and the early 1900s we have asked Harry B. Soria, Jr. to guide us.
Next, one of the most important areas of development for a Hula dancer is to deepen your connection to the Aina, the land. We have asked Bradley Keaupunikapu Cooper to take us into the forests, to give us a deeper understanding of the the significance of place, the im-portance of certain locations to the history and the stories that become the mele that we dance.
Complementing Brad’s article, Kanoe Miller will talk about how to take in the beauty that surrounds you and let that be the inspiration for what you express in your dancing.
Then Maile Loo, Director of the Hula Preservation Soci-ety, takes us to the Hula source, sharing with us some of their work in documenting the amazing life stories of our eldest living Hula Masters. The Hula Preservation Society insures that their legacies live on to inspire and educate generations to come in the authentic culture of Hawai`i.
Tying it all together in her wonderful literary way, Jocelyn Fujii gives us an overview of how the Aloha spirit and Hula play an important role in our every day lives.
Our immediate goal at HulaStudio magazine is to give you the opportunity to associate with the people who are the nurturers and the practitioners, the teachers and the historians, and the individuals who are keeping Hula alive by living it every day. Through this association we hope you will find what you need to help you to achieve your individual Hula goals.
Aloha,
John C. Miller, Editor
