20 Oct The Hula Show: 2012

October 20 & 21, 26-28, 2012 | Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

from <'The Hula Show 2012' review: Sultry hip-hop SFGate.com

“The members of Makuakane’s halau, or hulu academy, tell their stories with remarkable simplicity, but perhaps most stirring is the demonstration of power from unison. A particularly impressive section for the women playing puili (split bamboo sticks) gives crisp definition to rhythmic structures on top of an eloquent rise and swell of movement. And in scenes that are oftentimes as earthy as they are beautiful, the 30 men and women of Na Lei Hulu revel in Makuakane’s sly humor.

In “Birth Certificate Hula,” a group of men with one woman dance a fast-paced satire to a song about the controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Born in the same hospital as Obama and only weeks apart, Makuakane recounts with glee how he compared his birth certificate with the president’s. He found no irregularities.

On a more sultry note, Makuakane creates a sensual cross between hula and vogue for the women of the halau to Willis’ smoky cover of “Word Up.” The men take a grittier turn to the electronica of Faithless’ “Salva Mea.” Surprisingly, hula fits together with hip-hop moves seamlessly. Who knew that the downward pull of the hips and legs countered by an upward vector of the arms and eyes is both perfectly hula and perfectly hip-hop?

Guest Shawna Alapaʻi lent an elegant presence to two solos, and longtime Na Lei Hulu musicians Lihau Hannahs Paik on bass and Kellen Paik on guitar contributed lilting accompaniment.ʻ