Celebrating 20 years of Hula
Napua Greig-Nakasone presents ‘Mohala Mai’ Saturday at the MACC
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka, acclaimed Na Hoku-Award-winning kumu hula Napua Greig-Nakasone will present a special “Mohala Mai”
concert on Saturday in Castle Theater at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.
“It’s really exciting, our 20th anniversary,” Greig-Nakasone enthuses. “It’s a huge production that spans different countries with over 150 dancers onstage. I started the halau when I was 22 years old with 30 students in my mom’s garage, and 20 years later we have over 100 students from Maui and Molokai. Twelve years ago, I opened a school in Chiba and Sapporo, so we have 50 students flying in from Japan, and last year I opened a school in Mexico City, which has 50 students, and the instructors will be flying in. Hula is booming everywhere.”
The halau, which took home top honors at the 52nd Annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival last year, coming in second in the wahine kahiko, wahine ‘auana and overall wahine divisions, will present both traditional and contemporary hula styles in the Castle Theater show.
“The theme is to highlight what we feel is the best of our 20 years,” Greig-Nakasone continues. “We will perform our signature dances.”
Special guests performing include multi-Na Hoku Award-winner and kumu hula Robert Cazimero.
“He’s my ultimate favorite,” she says. “I will be dancing for him.”
As a daughter of celebrated Hawaiian entertainer Carmen Hulu Lindsey, it was natural that Greig-Nakasone would pursue a creative path.
“I think hula was always going to be my destiny,” she says. “As a child I always felt a little different because I was obsessing about the art form. My schoolmates didn’t seem to share the same excitement. I would watch videos and tape hula competitions on TV. I was in elementary school (in Pukalani) and learning all the dances from the tapes. I was always in love with this form of expression. Hula will always be part of what I’m doing.”
Initially studying with Maui kumu hula Hokulani Holt, Greig-Nakasone later moved to Hilo to continue her hula studies with Johnny Lum Ho and to study chant with Pualani Kanaka’ole Kanahele.
“Hokulani was my first and last, as she took me through the formal ‘uniki (ceremony) to be a kumu hula,” Napua explains. “I am extremely fortunate to learn from practitioners that I feel are at the top of what they do. I think it’s our responsibility as the next generation to continue to make sure we strive for excellence in what we do.”
While she is also gifted with a beautiful singing voice, Greig-Nakasone waited until 2007 to debut this aspect of her talent. Blending Hawaiian standards like John Almeida’s “Lovely Sunrise Haleakala” and Lena Machado’s “None Hula” (joined by her mother on vocals) with new compositions such as “Lawakua,” her marvelous debut album, “Pihana,” received six nominations at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, and won Female Vocalist of the Year.
In the CD liner notes, Keali’i Reichel explained the title’s meaning as “the skillful gathering of life’s experiences, the accumulation of desires and dreams, and the realization of our ongoing commitment to honor our ‘aina, kupuna and ‘ohana.”
“I always loved to sing, but my music
career doesn’t have a grand story,” Greig-Nakasone says. “The music career started out of necessity. In 2005, I became a single mom and I didn’t have many choices to support my two daughters. My parents were like, ‘You should record.’ I just sang in the halau for practice, but I didn’t see myself as a singer until, ‘OK this is going to help me feed my children.’ I was teaching part time at Kamehameha Schools and I started the CD and was able to support my children. I was just blessed that people liked what I sung.”
Greig-Nakasone’s impressive follow-up, “Mohalu,” which mixed original compositions with hula favorites and chant, won four Hoku Awards in 2011 including Female Vocalist and Hawaiian Album of the Year, and Favorite Entertainer.
Once again, the recording project was highlighted by an uncommon depth, soulfulness and attention to detail.
“It’s the whole cultural grounding that makes the project extremely thoughtful,” she notes. “People say, ‘There’s so much variety in your voice.’ I was also trained in opera, classical singing. When I was a student at Kamehameha (as a boarder on Oahu), I received financial aid and one of the benefits was free voice lessons, and I was trained in opera singing. All I knew was Hawaiian music, which is totally different. My voice was raised like ha’i (falsetto) and my teacher would get so frustrated. My father loves classical music and I would come home from school and be able to sing Italian opera. So that’s where the variety comes from in my music. You create from your heart and hope it translates.”
Then in 2014, Greig-Nakasone decided to celebrate the Christmas season with the wonderful seasonal collection “Lei Kulaia,” which naturally won the Christmas Hoku Award a year later. The album had also been nominated for Best Female Vocalist, but as her mother was also nominated in the same category, Greig-Nakasone requested her recording be withdrawn from consideration.
“I am represented by Mountain Apple and they submit nominations for all of their artists, so it went in without my knowledge,” she explains. “It was in the preliminary ballot, but I never thought it would make the top five (Female Vocalist category) for a Christmas album. For me, my mom is my female vocalist every year. I would never be in a competition; she’s my female vocalist.”
As for any new recording plans, she’s not sure about the future.
“I want my career to go in a different direction,” she said. “Music will always be part of my life, but as far as actively recording, it will be on the back burner for a while. Hula is constant.”
Future plans may include county government as she’s running for the Upcountry council seat representing Pukalani, Kula and Ulupalakua. Greig-Nakasone would love to see more emphasis on supporting arts and culture.
“We’ve never had a council member with experience in the arts,” she said. “I am hoping we can shift where we place our financial investment, and start to invest in arts and culture, because that’s what makes us unique.”
* “Mohala Mai” with kumu hula Napua Greig-Nakasone and Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater. Tickets are $36 (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or by visiting www.mauiarts.org.
*****
The Society of Seven with vocalist Lhey Bella returns to our island to play the MACC at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Bella made her Hawaii debut with the Society of Seven in 2014. She has been described as having, a “soaring, searing and seductive voice that could melt both ice and butter.”
Led by original members Bert Sagum (percussion, vocals) and Tony Ruivivar (guitar, vocals), the Society of Seven group includes Hoku Low (bass, trumpet, vocals), Wayne Wakai (keyboards, alto sax, guitar, vocals), Roy Venturina (keyboards), Jun Estanislau (drums) and Michael Laygo (lead singer).
Initially known as the Fabulous Echoes, formed by Ruivivar and Sagum in Hong Kong in the early 1960s, the group moved to the United States several years later and eventually settled in Hawaii, becoming the Society of Seven in 1968. They opened at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel the following year.
As a producer, Ruivivar perfected a winning formula that included Broadway medleys, contemporary pop hits and American standards, celebrity impersonations, tightly synchronized choreography and cross-dressing comedy.
“The good thing about this whole group is, everybody enjoys working with each other,” Ruivivar says. “We have a great time, and every time we come together, it’s, ‘Let’s put on a great show.'”
* The Society of Seven will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the MACC’s Castle Theater. Tickets are $15, $39, $49 and $59 (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or by visiting www.mauiarts.org.
*****
The 20th annual Hula Grill Keiki Ukulele Contest will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Kaanapali restaurant. Started by Keoki Kahumoku back in 1996, the contest is open to ukulele players in grades K-12 and is broken down into three solo divisions (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) and one group division (all ages).
Previous winners, musician Derick Sebastian and Native 92.5 DJ Dane Patao will emcee the contest. There will be a special performance by Kamakakehau Fernandez, and one audience member will win a KoAloha prize package.
* For more information, visit www.hulagrillkaanapali.com.