Kaua‘i hālau bringing kāne, wāhine, Miss Aloha Hula contestant to Merrie Monarch

At the upcoming Merrie Monarch Festival on the Big Island, the kāne (men) of Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala are set to perform a kahiko (ancient) dance dedicated to Mo‘ikeha, a Tahitian chief who arrived on Kaua‘i after voyaging between other islands.

La‘amaikahiki, a son of Mo‘ikeha, brought the first pahu (drum) to Kaua‘i, according to the hālau’s kumu hula, Leināʻala Pavao Jardin.

“Much of our hula is done with that drum, still, today,” Jardin said.

Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala is the only hālau from Kauaʻi invited to compete this year in the 62nd edition of the worldʻs most prestigious hula festival, which runs today through Saturday.

Jardin does not like to call her dancers “performers.” The kumu hula and her students describe themselves as storytellers who plumb their rich heritage to “transcend time and space.”

Just last year, the wāhine (women) from the hula school won second place overall at Merrie Monarch, and returned home to an airport packed with well-wishers. The female group will be competing again this year.

But the last time the men’s group competed in Hilo, there was no audience. The year was 2021, and restrictions were in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Only invited hālau participate at the Merrie Monarch Festival. Organizers, according to Jardin, inform the participating hālau when slots in certain divisions become available.

Among the hālau’s dancers to perform this year is Keone Tango, who began hula in 2012 when he attended high school at Kamehameha Schools on O‘ahu. He joined Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala when he returned to Kaua‘i, competing at Merrie Monarch in 2021.

“That was a dream, to even perform on that stage,” Tango said. “But now, with an audience, it’s another dream come true. … This is what I was waiting for my whole life.”

Jaedyn Pavao, Jardin’s niece, will represent Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala in this year’s Miss Aloha Hula contest. The solo competition is a highlight in the life of any dancer chosen to participate.

The 23-year-old Pavao, “a proud descendant” of Mo‘ikeha and La‘amaikahiki, has danced since the age of 3.

A performer, she said, can execute the motions of a hula. But a storyteller understands the tale she is telling with every part of her body, and can even share that meaning with audiences who may not understand the words of the accompanying mele (song).

“When I dance, I’m thinking about every part of my body: My fingertips down to my toes,” Pavao said. “Let’s say I’m dancing about a beautiful mountain. Can they look at me and know I’m dancing about a beautiful place?”

Last year, the wāhine of Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala dedicated their kahiko to the Nāpali Coast, the rugged northwest region of Kaua‘i known for its remoteness and stunning seaside cliffs. Their ‘auana (modern) performance paid tribute to a wedding at Kīpū Kai on the southeastern coast of Kaua‘i.

This April, the women of the hālau will honor the Kīlauea Lighthouse on the North Shore of Kaua‘i, in addition to Mo‘ikeha and La‘amaikahiki.

Jardin, Pavao and Tango each see hula as something more than dance: It is a calling, an honor and a profound responsibility.

“It is a God-given gift to me, that I need to carry out the story of my ancestors and make sure that hula lives on,” Pavao said. “Most especially kumu Leināʻala’s lineage and her hula legacy.”