Bursting with the ferocity of a volcano, Hawaiian fire goddess Pele will be gracing UCLA’s campus with her presence Saturday, channeling the power of her story through kahiko dancers.
The kahiko dance, along with the ‘auana and Tahitian hula dances, will be performed in Ackerman Grand Ballroom during the UCLA Hui O ‘Imiloa Hawai’i Club’s 29th annual luau. The event will be a cultural immersion experience where guests will see, hear, taste and dance along with traditional Hawaiian customs.
After nearly 30 years of hosting the event, the club is showcasing a new side of Hawaiian culture. Monica Reyes, a third-year economics student and co-director of the Hawai’i Club, said one of the club’s main goals is to spread the Hawaiian culture across the UCLA campus in an authentic light.
“The purpose of the luau is really to dispel Asian Hawaiian cultural stereotypes – things like ‘Lilo & Stitch’ – (and) to really spread the true cultural traditions and folklore stories,” said Molly Uyeda, a third-year molecular, cellular and developmental biology student and co-director of the Hawai’i club.
The story of Pele, the goddess of fire, is the theme of this year’s luau. By combining the natural aspects of wind, fire and water, Pele’s powerful, warrior-like dances showcase her clashing interactions with the other gods and her sisters.
Uyeda said the dances will incorporate traditional instruments, such as pu’ili (Hawaiian rhythm sticks), as well as chanting along with the graceful, yet volcanic story. She said the dances deviate from past performances, which had surrounding themes of flowers and spreading aloha.
“We’ve definitely upped our dances a lot more,” Reyes said. “It’s been a little bit slower in the past, so I think we’re just trying to intensify it as a whole.”
Reyes said the club has been rehearsing since winter quarter, perfecting two kahiko hula dances that tell the story of Pele. It will also perform two contemporary hula dances called ‘auana as well as three student-choreographed and rhythmically based Tahitian hula dances. The dancers will take the stage wearing authentic handmade costumes such as loose fitting pa’u tops, kahiko skirts and very floral aloha wear.
“The costumes are supposed to highlight hip movements, so it’s very flowy and when you turn, it turns with you and flairs out,” Uyeda said.
The dances, while visually fluid, are very structured and require an immense amount of practice and instruction by a kumu, a Hawaiian hula teacher, Uyeda said. Like ballet, hula is very technique-based, with a certain number of moves that one has to perfect in order to better tell the story.
“I think we’re just really lucky here, because our kumu (Randy Kaulana Chang) has a very strong Hawaiian background,” Reyes said. “He teaches us (techniques) that we wouldn’t be able to learn on our own as much because he has a first-person point of view of things.”
This year, the club is taking an especially interactive approach with the addition of a stage set up in the middle of the room, giving audience members a 360-degree view, Uyeda said. The performers will also invite the audience to participate in the Tahitian-style dances.
“We teach them how to move their hips,” said Brandi Woo, fourth-year molecular, cellular and developmental biology student and co-president of the Hawai’i Club.
In addition to dance performances, there will be live ukulele music with an opening by Hawaiian musician Joe Chang as well as plenty of games to play and prizes to win. The event will include many Hawaiian favorites such as kalua pork, barbeque chicken and chicken katsu.
All of these elements work together to make the event as dynamic and authentic as possible, helping promote the club’s goal of keeping Hawaiian culture and tradition alive, Reyes said.
“A lot of the other culture nights are more formal. It’s a lot of sit down, you kind of stay quiet, and you just watch the show,” Reyes said. “In this one, we interact with the audience a lot more. You definitely feel like you’re part of the luau setting.”
The club itself encompasses students of diverse backgrounds, including Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian and more, who have all come together to learn about Hawaiian culture. Woo said the feeling of ohana (family) is strong in the group, and they are always welcoming more people.
“Before coming to UCLA I had no dance experience at all,” said Alex Lim, a first-year biology student and club member. “When I got here I just found the Hui O ‘Imiloa club and decided to check it out. … They’ve taught me a lot and I really feel like I’ve found my new passion with hula and I actually want to pursue it for years and years, because I really want to get better.”
Reyes said she is excited to see people’s reactions to the dances. She feels like people are more welcome to come to the event because there are so many different cultures in the club.
“People are kind of curious,” Uyeda said. “Because everyone goes (to Hawaii) for vacation, but … what is Hawaiian culture, really?”