2009 George Na`ope Hula Festival Weekend
Kumu Hula & Head Hula Judge - Chinky Māhoe
Chinky Māhoe & Hālau Hula O Kawaili`ulā
Chinky Māhoe began dancing hula in December of 1967 under hula master “Uncle” George Na`ope. In July of 1977, he then joined “The Men of Waimāpuna” under the direction of the late kumu hula Darrell Lupenui who has won several Merrie Monarch competitions with both their men and women hālau.
In November of 1979, Māhoe, with the help and consent of his kumu Darrell, began teaching his hālau “Kawaili`ulā”.
Kawaili`ulā, meaning mirage of shimmering water, is a family name as well as Māhoe’s middle name. The hālau began entering hula competitions with their young men in 1981 starting with the high school competition sponsored then by Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Trust. The young men placed first which started the momentum of a fast growing hālau.
The focus of the hālau in the beginning years, were to enter hula competitions. The hālau performed in all major hula festivals such as the Keiki Hula, Kamehameha Day Celebration and the Merrie Monarch hula festivals. The hālau placed with top honors in each of these festivals.
In 1991, the hālau focused on traveling. Taking a break from hula competition for two years, the hālau performed at places such as Sapporo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Okayama, and Tokyo, Japan. The hālau also performed throughout the U.S. in places such as Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Maryland, New York as well as Toronto, Canada, New Zealand, London, Okinawa and Korea.
From 1993 to 1997, the hālau went back to the Merrie Monarch hula competition and won in the overall men’s division five years consecutive. The men of Kawaili`ulā have won the men’s overall division eight out of fourteen times they have entered the Merrie Monarch hula festival. The other times, placed second or third.
Chinky currently travels to the Mainland and Japan to conduct hula workshops and perform in concerts along with the Mākaha Sons. The focus of Kawaili`ulā is to be able to perpetuate the hula in conducting hula workshops and sharing the hula in performances throughout the world.
