Award-Winning Halau O Kekuhi From Hawaii to Perform This October

"Hula is a reflection of life. Hula is a way of telling history" (Pua Kanaka'ole). H?lau o Kekuhi is celebrated for its mastery of the 'aiha'a --a low-postured, vigorous style of hula. The leadership of the company is transmitted through matrilineal succession;Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole inherited the role of kumu hula alongside her great-aunt and aunt and was awarded a highly regarded 2015 Native Hawaiian Artist Fellowship. The company of 10 has earned national and international recognition for their art.

H?lau o Kekuhi will perform on Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 6 pm. Tickets are $19-39; Premium are $45. Tickets for students with ID and children are $19. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm,Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

"...The dancers give us a sense of journeying, of different landscapes and change of mood." Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice.

H?lau Hula Ka No'eau [hah-lao hula kah no-ey-ow] is dedicated to preserving and performing traditional hula, a dance style called hula ku'i. This style evolved from the teachings of the late hula master Maiki Aiu Lake, a revered teacher and artistic director who was one of the hula leaders at the forefront of the Hawaiian renaissance, a movement that began in the 1960s to restore the knowledge of Hawaiian cultural traditions that had almost disappeared. Lake's styling reflected the gentle mannerisms and courtly dances of the Hawaiian Monarchy during the late 1800s.

Michael Pili Pang, founder, kumu hula (hula master), and artistic director of H?lau Hula Ka No'eau, studied hula under master artists Lake and Mae Klein and master chanter Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele. With his h?lau hula (hula school and performing group), he takes the folklore of the Hawaiian Islands and through traditional hula, styling, music and chant present emotional and stirring performances. He explores both the traditional stylings of his "hula genealogy", and he creates new hulas based in tradition.

"When I choreograph, I try to do the same styling," says Pang. "If my dances look like my teacher's, then Ive succeeded in retaining and passing down a style. Anyone can teach the dance. But to pass down the styling is quite difficult."

"For Hawaiians, studying and performing hula is a lifelong undertaking, requiring concentration, discipline, and constant practice." -Dance Magazine

The company has won top honors at hula and chant competitions throughout Hawai'i and has performed in New York City, British Columbia, Minnesota, Arizona and for a number of professional dance companies and universities across the country. In 1997 the H?lau appeared in collaboration with Pittsburgh modern Dance Company Dance Alloy.

Pang says the reason the company tours is to share Hawaii's "true culture. We're trying to bring as much of Hawai'i to the mainland as possible and not make it so commercialized, but instead as traditional as possible. Because hula is a tradition for us."

Artists website: http://www.artofhula.com

This Year Marks Six Seasons of Great Shows. Up Close. In Folsom!

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.