AHA Performance Wrap-Up
What we did on our summer vacation...

April
'Ahamele at the 'Ukulele Festival of Northern California

'Ahamele made their first appearance at the 13th Annual 'Ukulele Festival in Hayward on April 30th. The festival is a celebration of the 'ukulele, where many 'ukulele groups and seasoned musicians come to present a short sample of what they do. 'Ahamele got the audience going with their upbeat version of "'Ulili E," then treated them to a nahenahe (soft, sweet, melodious) rendition of "My Sweet Pikake Lei" accompanied by dancer Sundee Amantiad. Their final song was "Maika'i 'Ukulele," an original song written about the 'ukulele and the many different ways it can be played. It was a musical day, and a great experience for 'Ahamele to perform before an audience filled with people holding 'ukuleles!- KH

May
AHA Keiki Perform in Berkeley
AHA keiki worked hard for weeks, putting together a full half-hour performance for the Satsuki Bazaar and Arts Festival in Berkeley. The event on Sunday, May 21st was hosted by the Berkeley Buddhist Temple and also featured performances by Na Kolohe Kāne and San Jose Taiko. Eight of our keiki participated in the show, which opened with a mele honoring King Kalākaua and continued with five dances featuring the major Hawaiian islands. They were accompanied by keiki instructors Sundee and Kainani chanting for the kahiko, and a few members of 'Ahamele (music ensemble) singing for the 'auana numbers. The keiki joined Sundee onstage for their final hula, "Waikaloa." We're all very proud of our keiki! - KH

AHA dancer at Take a Walk In The Country 4 in Honolulu. Photo by Bobby Rawlins

June
AHA Performs in Honolulu's "Take a Walk in the Country 4"

And don't forget... the AHA Newsletter featured an exclusive interview with Jerome Koko in the November 2005 issue, just weeks before AHA took the stage with the Sons last year in AHA's ho'ike, 'Alua. - KB

June
AHA Performs in
Eo! Concert in honor
of Kumu Hula Darrell Lupenui

On June 18th, an exciting evening of mele and hula, 6th Annual Eo! 2006 Concert, honored the memory of
Kumu Hula Darrell 'Ihi'ihilauakea Lupenui, kumu hula to AHA's own Kumu Mark. The students of the renowned Lupenui, many now kumu hula in their own right, gathered to pay homage to their late teacher. The alumni of the Men of Waimapuna and Ladies of Ke'ala o Ka Laua'e come together every year to showcase the next generation of hālau, all heirs of the master teacher, Kumu Lupenui. Along with Kumu Mark and the Academy dancers, some of the other esteemed kumu hula who presented their work that evening were: Kumu Hula Chinky Mahoe, Kumu Hula Derek Nu'uhiwa, Kumu Hula John & Kahale Naki Kawaihoa, Kumu Hula Greg Lontayao, and Kumu Hula Wanda Akiu.- KB

July
AHA Performs at Villa Montalvo, Saratoga

AHA's kane depict ancient fishing practices. Photo by Joe Pennant

August
AHA at San Francisco's Aloha Festival 2006
Kumu Mark created a spectacular set of dances depicting fishing's importance in Hawaiian culture for the 12th Annual San Francisco Aloha Festival on August 6th. From ancient tradition to contemporary comedy, the dances captured many aspects of this age-old food gathering. AHA's kāne, big and small, dads and sons, performed a rhythmic working chant of net hauling; you could visualize a tangle of tunas as they stood side by side working as a community. Next with short sticks, the wahine performed a very quick and strong female dance; they poked and prodded tidepool crevices, forcing smaller fish out into the open and whacked them senseless.

AHA's keiki dance a hula about gathering seaweed from the sea.

The very old was contrasted by the very new, as our keiki danced a carefree seashore hula, "Ka Uluwehi o Ke Kai," and wahine swayed with heavy ti leaf skirts and 'ukulele accompaniment to the "The Hukilau Song." And lastly the wahine went modern pier fishing. Sporting aloha shirts and carrying plastic buckets, they ambled along a dirt road, plunked down heavily to sit, and cast and recast their bamboo lines ... some days fishing takes all day and sometimes it’s about the one that got away. - RL

AHA's wahine depict modern day fishing practices; buckets, poles and all. Photo by Joe Pennant

And as always, AHA's food booth was a hit at Aloha Festival. The plate lunches kept coming the following week at Japantown's Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco...

AHA at Nihonmachi Street Fair in Japantown, San Francisco
2006 was AHA’s first year participating with a plate lunch food booth, featuring Kumu’s famous teriyaki chicken. The boys really got the BBQ down, and we sold out even on the mildly foggy weekend of August 12th-13th. Thanks again Celia! Another first was the addition of homemade shortbread haupia for dessert. It was a pleasant time with mellow folks and lots to eat. You've gotta love Soko Hardware and Genji Antiques in Japan Center, plus ex-Mayor Willie Brown was spotted in the meandering crowd!- RL