2015 Merrie Monarch Winners- Hula ʻAuana (Wahine Division)

Highlights of the 5 top finishers in the 2015 Hula ʻAuana (modern), Wahine (female) Division.

1st Place: Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine
Kumu Hula: Kaʻilihiwa Vaughan-Darval

“Pua Tubarose”
The unforgettable scent of tuberose entwined with the mailelauliʻi brings forth a fond memory of love to composer Kimo Kamana. “Where is this lei of mine, so fragrant? Return and let us be together.” A mele for my fragrant
tubarose flower forever remembered in song.

2nd Place: Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka
Kumu Hula: Nāpua Greig

“Matsonia”
Composed by Leialoha Kalaluhi, “Matsonia” is said to have been written for her daughter. The S.S. Matsonia was a steamship that served as a connection between Hawai‘i and America in the early 1920s until it was dry-docked in the 1950s. The Matsonia and the Lurline played a pivotal role in supporting the imagery of Hawaiʻi as a “romantic paradise” to the rest of the world.

3rd Place: Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu
Nā Kumu Hula: William Kahakuleilehua Haunuʻu “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera

“No Kuʻuipo I Ka Ua Noe”
Natalie Ai Kamauʻu’s expression of love for her husband ʻIolani Kamauʻu is crafted in a kahoahoa-styled format, where there is a call and a response to that call. This love song is Natalie’s ode to their love, from the simpler times of its early stages to their deepening and joyous love. She writes, “Honey, remember the raindrops we’d listen to and watch, falling against our windows in Nuʻuanu? We didn’t have much then, but each other is all that we needed.”

4th Place: Hula Hālau ʻO Kamuela
Nā Kumu Hula: Kauʻionālani Kamanaʻo & Kunewa Mook

“Umia Ka Hanu I Ka Laʻi A Ke Aloha”
Patience is a virtue when it comes to love. This mele delves into the many inward conversations one has when idealizing love and what it means to fall into love. An ʻiʻiwi bird drawn to a flower, an inviting breeze passing
intimately through the brush of palai ferns, or a stoic mountain laden with mist are a few descriptions of love. As the elements of nature are complex, so are relationships. The virtues of patience and compassion are the sinew that maintains the balance in love, life and our ‘āina.

5th Place: Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe
Nā Kumu Hula: Tracie & Keawe Lopes

“Helani Falls”
“Helani Falls” is a composition of Mrs. Anna Kawalaea Fautt and was set to music by her son John Louis Sabey. Mrs. Fautt originally titled this particular hoʻoheno “Wailele o Helani” and submitted it in the 1952 Hawaiian Song Writing and Composition Contest sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Parks and Recreation, winning 2nd place honors. This mele takes us to the island of Maui and celebrates Mrs. Fautt’s birthplace and other pana ʻāina including Haleakalā, Mokulau, Kaupō and Hāna.


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The Merrie Monarch Festival
Fulfilling its mission to preserve and perpetuate the art of hula, each year the Merrie Monarch Festival provides a stage for the world’s finest hula hālau (schools) in order to showcase Hawaiʻi’s unique cultural art of hula. The 3-day competition is broadcast statewide from Hilo, Hawai’i, with millions following worldwide via live streaming and social media.