Hawaiian music executives not pleased with German hula halau?

In January at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) in Hawaii, Hula Halaus (schools) from Hawaii and Japan will dance for four hours to melodies of ancient Hawaii at the annual Moanikeala Hula Festival at the PCC. The graceful choreographies will honor the memory of Aunty Sally Moanikeala Wood Naluai, first kumu hula (hula teacher) of the PCC, since the center’s beginning in 1963 to her retirement in 1980. She continued to work as a consultant until she passed away in 2000.

Her niece, the PCC’s theater director, Mrs. Ellen Gay Dela Rosa, said, “Aunty Sally was an amazing kumu hula who touched the hearts of many, not only in Hawaii, but throughout Polynesia, the Pacific, and the world.”

For now, halaus are invited from Hawaii and Japan only to participate in the festival, but not from Europe, and for the past four years, Hawaii no longer advertises this attraction to visitors in Europe. Hawaiian Fantasis, a hula halau from the Netherlands, is famous in Europe and has won several prizes at European hula festivals in Germany, other parts of Europe, and even in Hawaii.

If you are visiting Hawaii in January, make sure not to miss this festival on Saturday, January 15, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Pacific Theater of the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The upcoming show includes “HA – Breath Of Life” and is a masterpiece of music, story, and dance. No visitor to Hawaii should miss it. Unfortunately, visitors are no longer allowed to take photos, so it is an experience to be watched and thoroughly enjoyed in the moment.