Hailing from the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, members of the male dance troupe Halau Kiawekupono O Ka Ua will present an evening of authentic traditional Hula dance and music in the Carleton College Weitz Center for Creativity Auditorium on Saturday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. This not-to-be-missed event is free and open to the public. Reserve your free ticket online at www.carleton.tixato.com/buy/.
In advance of the performance that evening, a free master dance class taught by Kuma Hula Dietrix Jon Ulukoa Duhaylonsod will be offered from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 7 in the large dance studio, room #165, of the Weitz Center for Creativity.
The genealogy of the Halau Kiawekupono O Ka Ua goes back many generations and is currently led by Kumu Hula Dietrix Jon Ulukoa Duhaylonsod, who received his “uniki” in a ceremony on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1997, where he was given the official blessings to carry on his peoples’ traditions. In advance of his appearance in Northfield, he writes, “It is my firm commitment to continue perpetuating the traditional knowledge that has been passed down to me in two ways. The first way is to mold our generation of cultural practitioners to preserve these oral traditions for our posterity. May the stories of our history and our home never be erased. And secondly, we gladly share our traditions with other peoples of the world through cultural exchanges in the spirit of good will. The love of self must be coupled with genuine appreciation of others for it to be a healthy, fruitful love.”
“As Kiawekupono O Ka Ua continues its work, we extend our hands out to others in friendship and embrace all who wish to enjoy our company as one, big family. Aloha from our corner of the world!”
This special performance is presented in conjunction with the spring term religion course, “The Sacred Body,” led by Carleton professor of religion Kristin Bloomer. “I am particularly interested in the ways in which the ‘native’ body and the bodies of Pacific Islanders, in particular, across specific and varied island cultures, have accrued a variety of meanings and markers, and the ways in which these meanings and markers have changed over time,” notes Bloomer.
Halau Kiawekupono O Ka Ua will visit Carleton College from April 4-8, and their residency with students will also include a lei-making workshop in accordance with traditional Hawaiian protocol and a cultural exchange with Native American drummers and dancers at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis.
This event is sponsored by Viz, Carleton College’s Visualizing the Liberal Arts initiative, along with the Departments of Asian Studies, Religion, American Studies, Academic Civic Engagement (ACE), and the Office of the Chaplain. For more information, including disability accommodations, contact Kristin Bloomer at kbloomer@carleton.edu.
The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at 320 Third Street East in Northfield; enter at the corner of Third and Union Streets.
