Playing for the Hula classes

Tonight I was blessed to play for the dancers of Nā Lehua Melemele--a hula hui based here in NYC. Iʻm also blessed to play for Kumu Hula June Tanoue when she holds classes in the city. Itʻs an honor to play for dancers. Each and every time.

Singing the mele in my apartment is fine. Itʻs a way to study the piece, research it, "find it" in my voice. Performing the piece in public is great... A way to share what Iʻve learned with others. A way to "spread the Aloha." But there is something so incredibly special about playing for a dancer or group of dancers. Working in harmony with another person (or group) as we share the message in the mele. We tell the story. We help to perpetuate a piece of Hawaiian history. Itʻs an honor and blessing.

Every time.

Making Progress with the Mele

Ahhh.... Ok. So I sat down this afternoon and started to work on a mele from Molokai. A beautiful song that doesn't get sung very often anymore. And you know, that makes me really sad because this is such a fantastic combination of haunting melody and incredible lyrics. I was in heaven. Very few composers write like this anymore. In ANY tradition!

And I love the fact that as I sing it--over and over and over--the lyrics really start to come to life. As a non-native of the islands and a language student, sometimes the poetry is lost on my western ears and mind. But every time I slow down and take a breath and allow the song to "breathe," it's like light shines in the room. The lyrics suddenly become clear. The melody makes perfect sense. The planets align. It's all good.

I love that this is my current job. I hope that it can be forever. I can't think of a better way to spend one's time and energy. This job, while exhausting for a moment, actually gives so much more than it takes. How can you argue with that?