HILO >> Kumu hula Napua Greig of Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka of Maui capped 22 years of teaching with a sweet triumph, winning the overall title of the 55th annual Merrie Monarch Festival early Sunday morning at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium.
With a combined score of 1,200, the halau had a two-point lead, and took home the Lokalia Montgomery Perpetual Trophy.
“Really excited, a little in shock and really humbled,” said Greig as a stream of friends offered congratulations. “Mahalo to the people of Hilo, mahalo to each and every halau and hula practitioner, mahalo to the judges, Auntie Luana Kawelu and her whole ohana. There’s a lot of people that sacrifice and give a lot to make Merrie Monarch happen, and we just are really, really grateful.”
In addition, Greig’s solo dancer, Shalia Kapuau‘ionalani Kikuyo Kamakaokalani, won the Miss Aloha Hula title among 12 contenders Thursday night.
For Greig, 44, the competition is more about expressing a love for hula and all that it represents, than winning. Her dancers expressed exuberance and joy during their performance of “Na Mele Kaulana no Maui” a medley of famous songs for Maui. The rhythmic swish of their puili (split bamboo sticks) crisscrossed in a quick and coordinated tempo, while synchronized back bends brought cheers from the audience.
The sweeping victory is a signature moment for the kumu hula in her 14th year of competing at Merrie Monarch as she gets ready to take a hiatus from the festival.
“We’re taking a break,” she confirmed with emotion. “It’s time for me to focus on the next generation of leaders, and I want them to be ready to carry on this legacy. I just want to focus on them.”
Greig said she is preparing four dancers to uniki, or graduate, into kumu hula, next year. The kumu hula also has nine nominations in eight categories for her most recent album, “Makawalu,” at the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts’ 2018 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.
Twenty-nine hula troupes — nine kane and 20 wahine — brought their best to the world stage at the stadium on Friday and Saturday nights, following Thursday night’s Miss Aloha Hula event.
The hula performances in group kahiko night Friday were particularly outstanding, with numerous halau demonstrating athleticism and mastery of oli, or chant, and precision in movements, while group auana night Saturday was dominated by expressions of love and emotion and stories telling of Hawaii’s beautiful landscape.
Kumu Kaleo Trinidad, whose halau swept the men’s categories, paid tribute to Polynesian wayfinding and the Hokule‘a’s worldwide voyage with both of his numbers Friday and Saturday.
On Friday the men of Ka Leo o Laka i ka Hikina o ka La of Honolulu performed a traditional puniu (knee drum) hula to “Eia Hawai‘i,” a mele composed by an ancient navigator as he saw Hawaii island rise out of the ocean.
The halau’s auana was set mainly to a composition, “Kaulana ka Inoa E Hokule‘a E,” by Chad Takatsugi for the return ceremony in June as well as three mele by Randie Kamuela Fong. It celebrated various landfalls, and the culture of the communities that greeted the Hokule‘a, in New Zealand, South Africa and Rapa Nui, or Easter Island.
In 2014 Trinidad’s halau wowed the Merrie Monarch audience with an intricately choreographed auana telling of the Hokule‘a’s 1992 sail from Hawaii to Raiatea, which was then a tribute to the Hokule‘a’s upcoming worldwide voyage. Trinidad’s halau won the overall title that year, and was just two points shy of it this year.
As a procession of dancers took to the hallowed stage, each represented a blossom in the art of hula, which continues to grow and evolve while maintaining tradition and passing knowledge from one generation to the next, ensuring continuity.
Three halau, including Greig’s Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka, used papa hehi (treadle boards) along with kala‘au (rhythm sticks), a traditional hula implement not commonly seen in performances nowadays, for the group kahiko competition Friday.
The ladies of Hula Halau o Kou Lima Nani E of Hilo, Hawaii, under the direction of kumu hula Iwalani Kalima, performed “Ko Hilo Ua Kiakahi,” describing the rain of Hilo rejuvenating the area’s lehua groves, with the blossoms as metaphors for the dancers.
The papa hehi created rhythms mimicking the patterns of the rain, and near the conclusion of the performances, real rain began to fall, leaving spectators departing into a wet night.
Kumu hula Theresa Kauhionamauna Ramento Tehiva brought Halau Hula o Kauhionamauna of Waipahu to this year’s competition to continue the legacy of her mother, kumu Denise Kauhionamauna Kia Ramento, who died in August. Ramento, who suffered from cancer, brought the halau to the festival for the first time last year, fulfilling a dream.
The halau delivered a solid performance on both nights, representing Ramento’s lineage from kumu hula Luka and Louise Kaleiki of the ‘Ilima Hula Studio.
At the conclusion of auana performances and prior to awards Saturday night, Merrie Monarch announcer Kimo Kahoano paid tribute to former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, who died Friday at age 93, the first Native Hawaiian elected to Congress.
Among the criteria that judges used to score the halau were expression, interpretation, posture, precision, hand gestures, foot and body movements, authenticity of costume, adornments and overall performance. The panel of judges this year included Cy Bridges, Maelia Loebenstein- Carter, Ainsley Halemanu, Nalani Kanaka‘ole Zane, Mae Kamamalu Klein, Pi‘ilani Lua and Kalena Silva.
HOW THE HALAU FINISHED
55th Merrie Monarch Festival winners:
OVERALL WINNER
Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka 1,200
kumu Napua Greig
Ka Leo o Laka i ka Hikina o ka La 1,198
kumu Kaleo Trinidad
Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina’ala 1,188
kumu Leina’ala Pavao Jardin
WAHINE KAHIKO
Halau Hi’iakainamakalehua 600
kumu Robert Ke’ano Ka’upu IV and Lono Padilla
Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka 596
kumu Napua Greig
Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina’ala 592
kumu Leina’ala Pavao Jardin
Halau Mohala ‘Ilima 583
kumu Mapuana de Silva
Hula Halau ‘o Kamuela 582
kumu Kau’ionalani Kamana’o and Kunewa Mook
WAHINE AUANA
Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka 604
kumu Napua Greig
Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina’ala 596
kumu Leina’ala Pavao Jardin
Hula Halau ‘o Kamuela 593
kumu Kunewa Mook and Kau’ionalani Kamana’o
Halau o ka Hanu Lehua 589
kumu Kamaka Kukona
Halau i ka Wekiu 586
kumu Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang
WAHINE OVERALL
Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka 1,200
kumu Napua Greig
Ka Lei Mokihana o Leina’ala 1,188
kumu Leina’ala Pavao Jardin
Hula Halau ‘o Kamuela 1,175 / 1,633
kumu Kau’ionalani Kamana’o and Kunewa Mook
Halau Hi’iakainamakalehua 1,175 / 1,633
kumu Robert Ke’ano Ka’upu IV and Lono Padilla
KANE KAHIKO
Ka Leo o Laka i ka Hikina o ka La 594
kumu Kaleo Trinidad
Halau Kekuaokala’au’ala’iliahi 590
kumu Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes
Halau Na Mamo o Pu’uanahulu 586
kumu Lopaka Igarta-De Vera and William Kahakuleilehua Haunu’u “Sonny” Ching
Halau i ka Wekiu 585
kumu Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang
KANE AUANA
Ka Leo o Laka i ka Hikina o ka La 604
kumu Kaleo Trinidad
Halau Kekuaokala’au’ala’iliahi 584
kumu Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes
Halau Na Mamo o Pu’uanahulu 583
kumu Lopaka Igarta-De Vera and William Kahakuleilehua Haunu’u “Sonny” Ching
Halau i ka Wekiu 582
kumu Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang
KANE OVERALL
Ka Leo o Laka i ka Hikina o ka La 1,198
kumu Kaleo Trinidad
Halau Kekuaokala’au’ala’iliahi 1,174
kumu Haunani and’Iliahi Paredes
Halau Na Mamo o Pu’uanahulu 1,169
kumu Lopaka Igarta-De Vera and William Kahakuleilehua Haunu’u “Sonny” Ching
