Star Gazing

Summer is a wonderful time to go out in the evening and gaze at the stars. The sky is usually clear and there are many interesting things going on during the month of July. In the Hawaiian lunar calendar the month of Hinaia‘ele‘ele begins in early July.

A day for going outside for the Lahaina Noon or when your shadow is contained within your body is coming up. In Hawaiian culture, this is a very special occasion known as “kau ka lā i ka lolo” or “the sun is placed within the brain.” A time filled with mana.  This occurs on July 18 @ 12:32 p.m. here in Kahului.

The Aquarid Meteor Shower is at its peak during the night of July 28-29. So stay up late on July 28, go to a place with no ambient light, and watch them fall. The total active time of the meteor shower will be from July 18-August 18 with up to 20 meteors per hour. The viewing should be okay from Hawai’i but the better view will be in the southern hemisphere.

Hula and Competition

In general I think hula competitions are good. They prepare a dancer and a halau to a level of accomplishment that may not be achieved when doing ho'ike alone. The focused energy, time, and commitment to learning and perfecting the hula for presentation is time well spent. The in-depth learning of mele, poetry, story, and place bring life to the dance. The comraderie of the dancers with their Kumu when preparing for the competition is priceless.

When healthy competition takes a wrong turn is when people forget to leave the competition on the competition floor. Yes, if you feel you did a fantastic job in your performance then it doesn't matter what the judges think you have accomplished. Yes, you want to win because it validates all the hard work. After all you don't enter a competition if you don't want to compete. But one day or night, one or two dances, do not determine your worth as a Kumu, a dancer, or a halau. That is determined by the days, nights, weeks, and years of passion and love for hula and Hawaiian culture.

So, congratulations to all who take the time and effort to bring your hula to your highest level of perfection. It can only be good for us all.