The Asia Pacific Dance Festival, an initiative of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College Community Programs, presents “He Lei Hoʻokahi” in celebration of 100 years of summer sessions at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Meaning “To Be As One Lei Adorned,” this is special restaging of the Hōʻike performance by EŌ LEI ʻILIAHI Foundation during this year’s 63rd annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo on the Big Island will be a perfect Memorial Day Weekend outing for anyone who finds themselves on O‘ahu during the first official summer holiday.
The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 22, at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John F. Kennedy Theatre.
“He Lei Hoʻokahi” also serves as a stirring tribute to late Kumu Hula Darrell Lupenui and celebrates a significant milestone — 50 years of kāne hula at Merrie Monarch.
The evening invites community members to experience the strength and artistry of kāne hula and richness of moʻolelo that define Hawaiian cultural practice.
And it’s more than a performance.
The event honors the enduring legacy carried forward by kumu, dancers and hālau while celebrating a century of educational excellence at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
University of Hawaiʻi’s main campus in the Mānoa Valley of O‘ahu embraces its kuleana to honor the host culture by serving as a vital space where Hawaiian cultural knowledge and practices are showcased, uplifted and perpetuated.
The university welcomes the broader community onto campus and extends its educational mission beyond traditional academic settings through Outreach College Community Programs. Programs such as the Asia Pacific Dance Festival create spaces where cultural knowledge, artistic practice and community engagement come together in meaningful ways.
Courtesy Photo: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa- Courtesy Photo: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Courtesy Photo: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
The event marks a significant convergence of institutional and cultural milestones, recognizing the commitment of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as a place of Hawaiian learning and its unique role in preserving and celebrating Hawaiian cultural heritage through extended education, community partnerships and outreach initiatives.
Visit the Asia Pacific Dance Festival website for additional information and to view performance details.
