As a student of kumu hula Keala Ching, Julie Lyle has learned Hawaiian history, values and practical skills such as making implements, costumes and adornments from bamboo, ti leaves, bottle gourds and other natural materials.

No matter that she doesn’t have Hawaiian blood. Hula is her strong connection to the culture.

"I’ve learned many things from Kumu Keala and my hula sisters, the most important of them being to always listen and observe carefully, because sometimes the most important lessons might not be spoken aloud," Lyle said. "In the ‘‘Olelo No‘eau,’ a book of Hawaiian proverbs, it is said, ‘I ka hana no ka ike’ — by observing, one learns. As dancers we are also taught to be haahaa, humble, and to acknowledge the importance of lokahi, unity. ‘Aohe hana nui ka aluia’ — ‘No task is too big when done together.’"

SUCH were also the teachings of the late Iolani Lua­hine, who is remembered as one of Hawaii’s most gifted and beloved practitioners of hula and chant. An annual festival honors her memory and contributions to the preservation of hula kahiko (ancient dance) traditions.

Hawaii island kumu hula Pekelo Day and Iwa­lani Kalima launched what is now known as the Iolani Lua­hine Hula Festival and Educational Challenge in 2003. The festival’s theme is He Lei Hiwa no Iolani Lua­hine (A Lei of Memories for Iolani Luahine).

In 2012 the nonprofit Na Wai Iwi Ola Foundation, co-founded by Kumu Keala, began presenting the festival. "Lineage is important in hula," said Lyle, one of the event’s organizers. "Some might wonder why the Na Wai Iwi Ola Foundation is planning the festival since Kumu Keala was not a student of Auntie Iolani. Kumu Keala’s kumu is Kawai­kapu­oka­lani Hew­ett, who was her student, so that is our connection to the festival. My involvement honors Kumu Keala as my kumu. Similarly, he is honoring his kumu, Kawai­kapu­oka­lani Hew­ett, by having the Na Wai Iwi Ola Foundation coordinate the festival."

Event highlights include cultural workshops and "challenge presentations" that demonstrate how well kumu have prepared their students for performances. Soloists and groups of two to five dancers will be competing in seven categories (see sidebar). Entrants will be judged on several criteria, including costumes; adornments; hand, feet and body movements; and their entrance and exit oli or mele.

According to Lyle, movies and television programs have sometimes presented an inaccurate picture of hula showing, for example, dancers wearing coconut bras and cellophane skirts. "That’s not what hula is about," she said. "Everyone knows that hula tells a story, but it goes beyond just a story. History, cultural values, even life lessons are there for those who look for the kaona, or the hidden meaning of the lyrics."

At the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to see the results of countless hours of practice and years of study by both the students and their kumu. "They can experience the deeper side of hula," Lyle said. "They can admire the colorful costumes, enjoy authentic music and dances, and immerse themselves in the beauty and spirit that is hula."

ABOUT IOLANI LUAHINE

Harriet Lanihau Makekau was born on Jan. 31, 1915, in Napoopoo on Hawaii island — the youngest of five daughters in a pure Hawaiian family whose ancestors included esteemed dancers and keepers of ancient chants and rituals.

At the age of 4, she was taken to Oahu to be raised by her great-aunt, Julia Keahi Luahine, a dancer in King Kalakaua’s and Queen Liliuokalani’s courts who was considered the foremost hula instructor at the time. Under Keahi’s tutelage, dancing became a part of everyday life for her.

When a serious eye condition impaired Harriet’s vision, a kahuna nui (high priest) instructed Keahi to change her name to Iolani (heavenly hawk). The young girl’s eyesight returned to normal soon after her name was changed.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii, Iolani began taking hula classes from Mary Kawena Pukui, another renowned teacher of hula kahiko (ancient dances). After her Auntie Keahi died in 1937, Iolani knew her mission in life was to preserve and pass on the hula traditions she had learned from her two mentors.

She opened a hula studio in her downtown Honolulu home in 1946, welcoming students of all ages. They included George Naope, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett and her niece, Hoakalei Kamauu, who all later became respected kumu in their own right.

Iolani Luahine was named a Living Treasure of Hawaii in 1977, the year before she died.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.