HULIAU - Contemporary Hawaiian Dance Company
"Huliau is a turning point in time where we are rooted in the past, influenced by our present and creating stories for the future."
Our Mission
The Mission of HULIAU is to elevate the art of Hawaiian Dance by educating others on the cultural values and the inherent forms of art hula possesses; to promote hula by showcasing the dance on a forum which will allow others a better understanding of this art form, and to continually share hula so it will flourish for future generations.
Kumu Hula - Hula Master and Artistic Director
HULIAU has emerged as a frontrunner in placing hula on the proscenium stage. Kumu hula, artistic director, and choreographer, Michael Pili Pang has turned to the origin of hula, its means of expression and documentation, to voice the political, social, cultural and economic context in which Hawai'i exists today. The company has presented ground breaking pieces such as : HULA PAHU - Ritual Dance and Movement, which first premiered at Symphony Space in New York City; 'Ike - Body of Knowledge, a collaborative dance piece with Pittsburgh's Dance Alloy and Artistic Director Mark Taylor; PAIEA - The Child Kamehameha, which was the first entire Hawaiian dance project supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; Legends Told in the Basement of a Church; a blending of Hawaiian myths and chants set to classical music, and PA KA NA'AU, a three act dance concert which showcased the history of hula.
the 'Ōlapa - Cultural Practitioners and Performers
HULIAU is the only professional touring company of its kind. The administration and management is moduled after western dance companies with the added integrity of Hawaiian cultural values to support its unique dance form. Each of the performing and touring company members are practitioners of hula who have come to understand the importance of cultural values pertaining to his/her art form, as well as how it reflects in his/her daily lives. The company has performed for the children of British Columbia, transplanted Hawaiians in Minnesota, at the American Museum of Natural History and Symphony Space in New York City, throughout New England, Oregon, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Korea, and Taiwan. While on tour, company members have conducted lectures, workshops,and residencies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Slippery Rock University, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Dartmouth College, Southern Oregon University, and the University of Arizona.
the Hālau - the Hula School
In order to perpetuate our traditional values, cultural integrity, and dance styling, a hula academy is maintained. Hālau Hula Ka No'eau was founded in 1986, in the rural town of Waimea on the Island of Hawai'i and a second academy opened on the Island of O'ahu in downtown Honolulu in the spring of 2002. The school is guided by the belief that the best foundation in creating something new is a thorough understanding of the past. The best enironment to succeed in is one which encourages discipine commitment, and creativity.
Using the teaching methods of Hula Master Ma'iki Aiu Lake (d. 1984), who is often referred to as the Martha Graham of Hawai'i, the school's curriculum is based on the understanding of hula history, techniques, philosophy, and hula/chant types, with an equal foundation in contemporary (hula 'auana) and classical (hula kahiko) hula. Inherent cultural arts such as Hawaiian music, chant, poetry, instrument making, lei making, history, culture, philosophy, and language are all important in learning hula. Together, they make up the curriculum of Hālau Hula Ka No'eau and are inclusive in the learning process for the art of hula.
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