Hula at the Opera House

By Register Staff

Na’Lei Hulu I Ka We’kiu, the dynamic Hawaiian dance company based in San Francisco, performs its blend of traditional and contemporary hula at the Napa Valley Opera House on April 14 at 8 p.m.

The company’s trademark style, called “hula mua,” blends traditional movements with non-Hawaiian music. Hula mua brings the hula into a modern realm and creates a greater depth and accessibility to the dance form. Performances are given in a “talk-story” format that incorporates narration and dance to provide a cultural context in which to understand the hula.

During their Napa Valley Opera House performance, Na’Lei Hulu will perform hula to a variety of songs, from traditional Hawaiian music to Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “Calling All Angels” sung by Jane Sieberry with k.d. Lang.

Founded in 1985, Na’Lei Hulu I Ka We’kiu — “the many feathered wreaths at the summit, held in high esteem” — is committed to teaching and preserving the Hawaiian culture through hula. The company comprises 40 dancers and offers classes to more than 200 students in beginning and intermediate levels. The organization also holds educational workshops in Hawaiian language, history and arts and crafts.

Led by Director Kumu Hula Patrick Makuaka’ne, Na’Lei Hulu presents its fall hula production at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, and routinely sells out its five performances. The company has performed throughout California, and in Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Honolulu. In 2004, the company made its East Coast debut with performances at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival in New York City in August. In 2005, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary, and performed in Redwood City, Reno and Los Angeles.

Na’Lei Hulu I Ka We’kiu

Napa Valley Opera House

Saturday, April 14, 8 p.m.

Tickets: $35 and $50

Box office: 226-7372

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