It’s been more than half a century since local hula girls danced their way into hearts at the Hawaiian Room of the Lexington Hotel on another island, Manhattan.
There were loud cheers and catcalls when former Lexington dancers, including vocalist Mona Joy, graced the Tapa Bar stage at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Sunday for an Alfred Apaka tribute.
"It was a real honor," said 68-year-old Kaui Santana, who performed at the Lexington in 1965 and during the tribute along with five other former dancers from the Hawaiian Room.
The Hawaiian Room, which opened in 1937 and was made popular by Apaka, was so enormously successful that it enjoyed a nearly 30-year run. Although most of the women performing on Sunday were too young to have performed with Apaka, all recognized him as the person whose talent opened up opportunities Hawaii performers could have only dreamed about before.
"His music was everywhere," said Leonani Hagen, now 73.
Hagen, who performed at the Lexington in 1960, said she made her hula debut at what is now the Outrigger Reef dancing to one of the songs that Apaka made famous.
"I was always grateful to him," she said.
TAKE A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
The Lexington Hotel dancers shared their aloha with the world when they performed in New York City from 1937 to 1966. These senior ambassadors will perform hula, sing and talk story during a cultural presentation from 8 to 10 a.m. May 18 at the Waikiki Hula Conference at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Register to attend at www.waikikihulaconference.com or call 247-9440 to purchase tickets. Prices range from $20 to $60. |
Wailani Bell, who danced at the Lexington in 1962, also credits Apaka for paving the way for her to earn a living through hula.
"I was dancing locally but New York was the ultimate," the 71-year-old Bell said.
The Lexington girls said they were proud to follow in Apaka’s footsteps as ambassadors for Hawaii. Back in the day, it was performers like these who helped expose Hawaii to the world and reverse the prejudice that once prohibited the host language from being taught in schools.
"In those days Hawaiians were considered people of color, and they experienced discrimination," said Alfred Apaka’s son, Jeff, who has his father’s multicultural features and followed him into show business.
The younger Apaka said his father’s musical fame served as a passport to acceptance, giving him and the many cultures of Hawaii validation that they should be proud of their heritage. The Lexington girls carried on his father’s work, Apaka said.
"The aunties are real treasures," said Maile Loo, executive director of the Hula Preservation Society. "People would meet them and want to come here. It was cultural tourism in its earliest days."
In their prime the Lexington dancers were courted by celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando and Sidney Poitier, Loo said. "They were and are a big deal," she said.
Some of the aunties even appeared on TV’s first color broadcast during a 1957 episode of "The Steve Allen Show," Loo said.
"When they found out we were from Hawaii, that was the magic word, we were treated like gold," said 76-year-old Leialoha Kaleikini, who danced with Alfred Apaka in the islands and was at the Lexington in the late 1950s.
Torea Angie Costa, who danced at the Lexington in the mid-1960s, said Hawaii’s show people built bridges between the islands and the world.
"We taught them that we are all different yet we are all the same in our hearts," the 69-year-old Costa said.
Vocalist and dancer Mona Joy, who performed at the Lexington in the late 1950s and early 1960s, said sharing the culture of Hawaii is important, and she continues to embrace opportunities to perform.
"This is the only Aloha State," said the 83-year-old Joy. "People come here and they really enjoy our aloha spirit."
