A joyous celebration of a beautiful art form, Hawaii’s hula is a style of dance not seen regularly on the mainland.

Those of us who love to watch natives of our 50th state demonstrate the amazing body language known as hula are usually obligated to travel to one of the Hawaiian islands to enjoy.

But last weekend, hula came to wine country in the form of a little known, but first rate San Francisco-based dance company, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu.

Integral to a Hawaiian sense of pride and identity, hula is a focal point of island culture.  Generally, it is performed to mele, or chants, and percussion instruments.

Over the years, the hula evolved into a less formal style. And with the San Francisco halau, its leader, kumu hula Patrick Makuakane, has developed a style, hula mua, that incorporates modern-day music and current events.  It is also hula with a sense of humor.

Well-attended and enthusiastically praised, Saturday night’s Napa Valley Opera House debut by Makuakane and company featured everything from traditional, inspirational tales of Hawaiian prophecy to a lovely interpretive hula by velvet gowned wahines to Jane Siberry/k.d. lang’s “Calling All Angels.”

Throughout the evening, Makuakane provided the audience, in “talk story” fashion, pertinent backstories on the evening’s dance program. We were informed that for the popular “Fireman’s Hula,” three working members of the San Francisco Fire Department were indeed part of the ensemble that had us grinning from ear to ear.

There was a marvelous salute to surfing also paid honor to the Queen of Makaha, Rell Sunn, Hawaii’s first female lifeguard, and legendary Hawaiian singer Don Ho, who both succumbed to cancer (Ho had died just a few hours prior to the troupe’s performance here).

And the company had a great time poking fun at the grass skirt, which Hollywood helped make a staple of the Hawaiian couture (although it actually came from the Gilbert Islands). To demonstrate how the grass skirt has been forever linked with Hawaiian hula, the ensemble offered a Hollywood-imagined rendition, a la Busby Berkeley, as well as a modern-day “soul” version with the men displaying their macho moves. It was a wonderful and well-received segment.

Also high on this audience member’s list was a beautiful hula interpretation of the Tony Bennett classic, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Wearing gorgeous island costumes from past and present and dancing to ancient chants as well as today’s pop hits, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu made a lasting impression on those who turned out for the marvelous dance effort last weekend.

Over the next few weeks, Napa Valley Opera House is presenting other dance troupes — Ballet Hispanico on April  27 and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet on May 4. If the San Francisco halau is any indication of the quality of dance booked at the local performing arts venue, I’d urge dance enthusiasts to get their tickets now. And let’s hope last Saturday’s exceptional debut is but the first of ongoing visits by this first-rate Hawaiian dance company — truly a breath of fresh island air.