Hālau Hula ‘O Kalikopuakalehua

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Hālau Hula ‘O Kalikopuakalehua 🏝️ Hawai’i & Arizona 🏜️
🌺 501c3 Nonprofit for Polynesian Cultural Arts
📖 ‘A’ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho’okahi

We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization for Polynesian cultural arts. Our mission is to perpetuate the cultures of Hawai‘i, Tahiti, Sāmoa, Tonga and Aotearoa (New Zealand) through their arts, music, dance, language and other beliefs and practices. Hālau Hula 'O Kalikopuakalehua is our DBA under Hālau Kalikopuakalehua. The multi-award-winning dancers of Hālau Hula 'O Kalikopuakalehua compete internationally to share the cultures of Hawai‘i & Tahiti. Through our student group, Hālau Ho‘okahi I Ka Hula, we offer Polynesian classes for music & dance. For more information on classes, please visit www.hulainarizona.com

10/21/2026

🌺 Merrie Monarch Festival Week: Honoring the legacy of our kūpuna through hula. 🌺

The Ho‘olaule‘a marks the beginning of Merrie Monarch Festival Week, bringing our lāhui and visitors from around the world together to celebrate hula and the richness of Hawaiian culture.

Hula is a living expression of our history, moʻolelo, mele, and ʻike passed down through generations. It connects us to our kūpuna, our ʻāina, and the world around us.

🌿 Honoring Unukupukupu
Led by Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō at Hawaiʻi Community College, Unukupukupu carries a distinctive hula tradition. Their philosophy shares that hula isn’t only about preserving the past, but about bringing ancestral knowledge into the present and recognizing our connection with the natural world.

As we celebrate the Merrie Monarch, may we continue to honor the many traditions and lineages of hula and the kumu, haumāna, and cultural practitioners who dedicate themselves to keeping this ʻike alive for generations to come.

🌺 Planning to attend Merrie Monarch 2027? Visit the official festival website for information about the schedule, events, and hula competition ticket requests.

🔗 www.merriemonarch.com

E ola mau ka hula. 🌱

10/16/2026

🌺 10,000 followers…and growing! Mahalo nui loa! 🌺

For many years, our work continued, even when our presence here on social media was quiet. This year, we began sharing more consistently, bringing you along as we share our cultural dances, moʻolelo, mele and traditions. Little by little, this community has grown, and we are so grateful you’re here.

Our mission goes beyond sharing videos and beautiful moments. It is about honoring our kūpuna and ensuring that the traditions, knowledge, and values passed down to us continue to live on for future generations. 🌱

Mahalo to everyone who has been with us from the beginning and to those who have recently joined our ʻohana. Your support allows us to continue sharing and celebrating the culture we hold dear. If you’re new here, we invite you to follow along as we continue sharing. 💚

Now, we’d love to hear from you!

What has been your favorite post or video from us so far? What would you love to see more of or learn about on our page?

As our ʻohana grows, we welcome your manaʻo and will consider your suggestions while remaining grounded in our kuleana and the mission that guides our work. ❤️

10,000 is a milestone to celebrate, but the perpetuation of our cultures is a reason to celebrate every single day.

Mahalo nui loa for being part of our journey. 🌺

🎶 “White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi”: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
(Clip from Instagram Edits music library)

❓ Bonus question: Do you recognize these different areas in Hawai‘i and if so, what are their names?

10/14/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about hula is that people think it’s easy. 🌺

They see the beauty, the grace, and the storytelling… and how effortlessly the practitioners seem to move. But what they don’t always see is the practice, discipline, repetition, strength, studying of the moʻolelo, and commitment to learning it properly that make it LOOK easy. ❤️

Before learning the movements, hula practitioners study the moʻolelo (stories and history) behind the mele, learning to understand the meaning and context of what they will eventually bring to life through dance. This is the foundation. It takes focus, memory, understanding, and a commitment to learning and sharing each story with care. Hula challenges both the mind and the body. 🌱

And by the end of class… 😂

These glowing close-ups? Straight from the end of a REAL papa hula (hula class) with Kumu. 🥵 No acting required! 😂

The fresh faces are gone, the sweat is real, and the “hula glow” is STRONG.

Because hula is beautiful, but make no mistake… it takes WORK. ❤️

To all our hula brothers and sisters who have participated in a class like this… WE WILL SURVIVE. 😂💃🏽

What’s something else you wish more people understood about hula? 🌺

Music:
🎶 “Ka Uluwehi O Kekai”: HAPA
🎶 “I Will Survive”: Gloria Gaynor
(Both clips found in Instagram Edits’ music library.)

10/11/2026

🌱 What is the importance of kalo to kānaka? 💚

Mea ‘ai - Food
Kuleana - Responsibility
Mo’okū’auhau - Genealogy (Hāloa)
Mo’omeheu - Culture (Arts)
And more 🌺

Ma ka wā kahiko, kalo was a foundation of the Hawaiian food system and an essential source of sustenance. Through the moʻolelo of Hāloa, its significance reaches even deeper.

In the moʻolelo of Hāloa, the first kalo grew from the place where Hāloanakalaukapalili, the first-born son of Wākea and Hoʻohōkūkalani, was buried. From him came Hāloa, the kalo, named in his honor. His younger brother, Hāloa, became the ancestor of the Hawaiian people. Through moʻokūʻauhau, kalo and kānaka remain deeply connected, reminding us that the ʻāina is a relationship we must mālama.

This relationship continues today. Kalo continues to feed our people, connect ʻohana to ʻāina, and inspire Hawaiian cultural arts. We see these connections in kapa, hula, oli, and mele. Each art form can be a way of remembering, teaching, and caring for the relationships that sustain us.

The kalo growing here in Hawaiʻi is a beautiful reminder of that bond. When we mālama the ʻāina, the ʻāina will mālama us. When we care for what feeds us, we care for generations to come. Kalo is life.

Mālama ka ʻāina. Mālama ke kalo. Mālama kekahi i kekahi. ❤️

🌱 What does kalo mean to you? ❤️

🎶 Music: Natalie Ai Kamauu - E Ala E
(Added in the Instagram edits music library)

💚 Kalo grown at Kumu’s hale on Moku O Keawe.

10/07/2026

😏 Every hula class has had that moment.

Kumu asks a question and suddenly the whole room gets real quiet…and the crickets get really loud. 🦗👀🤣

Time to study…again! 📖✏️

The fidgeter, looking for answers on the pā’u, hiding, suddenly “injured”, looking for someone else to answer, “something” on the ceiling or floor, “thinking”…

What are some other culprits that you’ve seen in class…and have you been guilty of any? IYKYK. 😜

🎶 “He Mele No Kaleleonālani” - Nālani Kaho’onei
🎶 “Starting All Over Again” - Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
(Found in Instagram Edits music library)

10/02/2026

🌴 Hauʻoli Pōʻalima - Happy Friday! 🌴

A Flashback Friday look at our performance at the Saturday Social this past July at the Prince Kūhiō Plaza in Hilo, Hawai’i. Mahalo for welcoming us and sharing in this evening of hula. ❤️

🎶 Mele: He Mele No Ka Mauna Huʻihuʻi
Nālani Kahoʻonei

10/01/2026

🔥 Who is Pelehonuamea?
🌋 What is the connection to Kīlauea?
🌱 What is the connection to hula?
❤️ How can we show respect?

🎶 Mele: Ke Ha’a La Puna I Ka Makani - Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu
(From the Instagram Edits music library)

Pelehonuamea, commonly known as Pele, is an akua whose moʻolelo are deeply connected to the ʻāina of Hawaiʻi. Kīlauea, an active volcano on Moku o Keawe, is one of the places closely associated with her. Halemaʻumaʻu, within Kīlauea’s summit caldera, is traditionally regarded as her home. In traditional Hawaiian belief, Kīlaueaʻs eruptions are the physical embodiment of Pele. 🌋

Pele’s moʻolelo tells of a journey from a distant homeland, a fierce rivalry between sisters, and her search for a place where her sacred fire could endure. As she traveled through the island chain, she eventually found her lasting home at Kīlauea. Her journey follows the same general progression as the islands themselves, from the older islands in the northwest toward the younger islands of Hawaiʻi Island.

There is much more to the moʻolelo of Pelehonuamea, Kīlauea, and the ʻāina than a short Reel can hold. This is simply an introduction, and an invitation to continue learning.

For hula practitioners, these moʻolelo become part of the ʻike we carry through oli, mele, hula and our relationship with the ʻāina.

We approach with haʻahaʻa and mālama. We learn the moʻolelo, honor the ʻāina, follow proper protocol, and remember our kuleana.

🌋❤️‍🔥

🎥 Video: courtesy of laiepoi
Kīlauea | Episode 16 | April 1, 2025

During Episode 16, lava fountains reached more than 700 feet, with tephra and Pele’s Hair carried by the wind into surrounding areas.

The beauty and power of Kīlauea remind us that this is an active ʻāina. Always follow current safety guidance and approach with caution, humility, and reverence.

09/29/2026

🌱 There are no words that quite describe the feeling of practicing hula where our kūpuna once stood. To hula on the same ʻāina, rooted in a lineage that has carried this knowledge through generations, is both a gift and a responsibility. The mana we feel is indescribable.

And while we are incredibly grateful to practice here at home in Hawaiʻi, hula can be practiced anywhere in the world. What matters is honoring the lineage it comes from…learning from a Kumu Hula and understanding the knowledge, culture, and kuleana behind our hula.

Because hula is a living connection to our ancestors, our culture, and the generations yet to come. 🌱

🌎 Wherever you are in the world, hula lives. Where are you practicing hula from? Let us know in the comments. 🌏

📍Wahi: Moku O Keawe, HI
🎶 Mele: “Hawai’i ‘78” - Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
(From Instagram Edits music library)

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1929 E Ray Road Ste 1
Chandler, AZ

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