HILO » If there’s one halau that can capture the attention of spectators seated for marathon hours at Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium, it’s kumu hula Mark Keali‘i Ho‘omalu’s Academy of Hawaiian Arts.
Ho‘omalu has competed at the Merrie Monarch Festival several times since at least 1998 with a different halau name, as well as in 2006, 2007 and 2012 with the Academy. In 2013 he took part in the festival’s commemorative 50th year.
"He’s definitely a showstopper," said regular Merrie Monarch attendee Katy Gambino of Kailua. "I always look forward to him. He knows the judges aren’t going to score him (highly), but doesn’t care — he’s there to perform in his own way and that’s what I love."
Gambino, Nalani Downing and Cecily Tachibana, all from Oahu, are attending the festival together for the ninth consecutive year. The three friends are former students of revered kumu hula Alicia Smith, who is one of the judges at this year’s competition.
While they enjoy and appreciate halau perpetuating the traditions of their hula lineage on kahiko (ancient-style) night, they all agreed, hands down, that they love Ho‘omalu and always look forward to what he’s going to bring to the stage.
"You never know what he’s going to do, which is fun," Downing said. "I think he has the right balance. He appreciates and respects what hula is all about. He will entertain, yet he won’t push it to the extreme. The crowd appreciates his creativity."
Ho‘omalu, born in Aiea, is now based in Oakland, Calif., where he founded the Academy of Hawaiian Arts in 2003, offering classes to dancers of all ages. He was a student of the late Darrell Lupenui, who died in 1987 and is credited with changing the look of men’s hula with his masculine and powerful dance style.
A total of 28 groups — 11 kane (men) and 17 wahine (women) — competed in the kahiko competition Friday night, displaying athleticism, precision and a mastery of the oli, or chant.
Fitting for a competition based in Hilo, Pele the fiery volcano goddess was popular on Friday night, with stories telling of how she covered the Puna district with ash. Meanwhile the ohia lehua was an adornment of choice as well as a metaphor in songs.
The choice of mele took spectators on journeys to many of the storied places of Hawaii, from the uplands of Wahinekapu to the depths of Waipio Valley, along the sounding sands of Nohili (Barking Sands Beach) on Kauai to the remote shoreline of Hana, Maui.
Kala‘au (rhythm sticks) proved to be the most popular hula implement of the evening.
On Friday night, Ho‘omalu’s wahine donned blue, male-style malo (loincloths) layered beneath pa‘u skirts in a piece called "He Mele No Kamohoali‘i, Kamanoheleku."
The mele, composed by Ho‘omalu to honor Pele’s older brother, the shark god Kamohoali‘i, tells of his travels with Pele from Tahiti to Hawaii.
The dancers entered the stage in a marching style called "mele ka‘i paikau" and carried paddles that they spun and hefted in the air, moving fluidly in a warrior-like stance across the stage as they told the story of Kamohoali‘i’s navigational skills.
Screams from the stands erupted the moment that Ho‘omalu, wearing his trademark pair of sunglasses, got on stage to begin his oli.
"I think his chanting is haunting," Gambino said. "It’s so unique."
Ho‘omalu’s men created a dramatic stir with their entrance, wielding "ihe laumeki," a kind of barbed spear, as they marched up to the stage to perform a piece called "Hole Waimea."
The mele celebrates the spear makers of Waimea while honoring King Kamehameha I.
The up-and-down choreography, set to Ho‘omalu’s unique, syncopated rhythm, included a resounding clack when the spears were slammed on the stage as well as a play-fighting scene just before the dancers exited.
On Thursday night, 13 solo dancers vied for the title of Miss Aloha Hula, which went to Ke‘alohilani Tara Eliga Serrao of Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e. Following Friday night’s group kahiko, the festival continued Saturday night with the group auana (modern-style) competition and distribution of awards.
