Many are familiar with the hula from romanticized images of women dancing in Hawai'i tourist kitsch and from old Hollywood movies. Few are aware of the sacred traditions of the dance, and the role of the male hula dancer has long been overshadowed by Western concepts of gender and sexuality.
Men learned the dance from ancient times, along with the martial arts of battle. The hula was later suppressed under missionary ban, and survived underground for many years until the cultural renaissance of the 1970s.
A special rebroadcast with a look behind-the-scenes and interviews with members of Na Kamalei:
Monday, June 2nd at 7:30 pm on PBS HAWAII,
hosted by Leslie Wilcox and Manu Boyd.
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In 1975 at the height of the revival, master hula teacher Maiki Aiu Lake asked her student, legendary entertainer Robert Cazimero to open an school for only male dancers. With six young high school students, Robert Cazimero founded Halau Na Kamalei. In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula tells a story of Hawaiian pride through the examination of male roles in Hawaiian culture both in the past and present.
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Listen to the Audio Podcasts or download the transcripts of Robert Cazimero's conversations with Leslie Wilcox on Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox. HULA. HENDRIX. JAZZ. |
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