{"id":144081,"date":"2021-06-22T13:50:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T23:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=144081"},"modified":"2021-09-03T15:54:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T01:54:50","slug":"new-merrie-monarch-uh-faculty-students-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/06\/22\/new-merrie-monarch-uh-faculty-students-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"New Merrie Monarch features UH<\/abbr> faculty, students, alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Hula
Ka Lā ʻŌnohi<\/span> Mai O Haʻehaʻe<\/span> perform at the 2019 Merrie Monarch Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From ʻ\u014dlapa (dancer), competition judge to television host, numerous University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> faculty, staff, students and alumni are among participants at the upcoming 58th annual Merrie Monarch Festival<\/a> set to return to Hilo, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> June 24–26. Anticipation of the world-famous hula competition has continued to grow after organizers canceled the event in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic first started to grip the globe.<\/p>\n

\"King
King David Kal\u0101kaua<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To ensure the health and well-being of participants, organizers have implemented strict COVID-19 safety protocols, including a five-day quarantine, frequent rapid testing and no live audience or musicians. For the first time in festival history, ʻ\u014dlapa will perform in front of empty stands at the Edith Kanakaʻole<\/span> Stadium. Kumu Hula Keawe Lopes<\/strong>, director of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language<\/a>, and his wife Tracie Lopes<\/strong> (UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa alumna), will return to the stage with their h\u0101lau (hula school), Ka L\u0101 ʻ\u014cnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe<\/span>. The hula troupe is one of only 15 h\u0101lau entering this year.<\/p>\n

Lopes\u2019 ʻ\u014dlapa will dance Ke ʻŌʻili<\/span> Mai Nei Ka L\u0101<\/em>, a mele (chant) which depicts the proclamation of life. The traditional mele was selected to convey strength and well-being as the world continues to face uncertainty during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

“It is our hope that as we engage the lyrical depictions of health with our hands, face, upper torso, poised demeanor, humble character and our heart, that our feet ‘k\u0101wele’ or ‘wipe away’ the unsettling turning tide of our present predicament,” Lopes explained. “E ola n\u0101 iwi, e ola koa, may our very bones live and may we live long!”<\/p>\n

Aside from a limited TV<\/abbr> production crew, judges are the only other people allowed in the stadium during the hula performances. UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa music department lecturer Noenoelani Zuttermeister<\/strong>, will return to serve as an esteemed Merrie Monarch judge. The highly-respected kumu hula has been a festival judge since the 1980\u2019s. She is excited participants will be able to experience some sense of normalcy after such a tough year.<\/p>\n

\"Noenoelani
Noenoelani Zuttermeister<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Energy is gonna be off the chart,” said Zuttermeister. “From the kumu to the h\u0101lau, they just want to get out and dance hula. That\u2019s what they want to do.”<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s motto at Merrie Monarch is, E ola i ka hula, hula lives. Zuttermeister explained, “In other words, when we\u2019re dancing it gives us life and it heals us.”<\/p>\n

The pre-recorded competition will be televised on K5 on July 1 (Miss Aloha Hula), July 2 (Hula Kahiko) and July 3 (Hula ʻAuana) at 6 p.m. UH<\/abbr> Hilo and M\u0101noa alumni Amy Kalili<\/strong> and Nāʻālehu<\/span> Anthony<\/strong> of Pilina First, LLP<\/abbr> are producing the Merrie Monarch broadcast. Kalili will also co-host the TV broadcast with Kumu Hula Manu Boyd<\/strong>, an alumnus of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Kamakak\u016bokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We hope that this event brings a sense of rejuvenation and hope to our ʻohana hula around the world and specifically our ʻohana here in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> given the challenges we have all faced over the last year-and-a-half,” Kalili expressed. “We are a resilient people and place, so even more so, being able to return to the festival—even if it is more virtual than not\u2014is part of our emerging from the challenges of the last year.”<\/p>\n

Kalili and Boyd will provide live commentary during the TV<\/abbr> broadcast on K5. Although judging will occur during each performance, winners will not be announced until the competition premieres on TV<\/abbr>. Interviews with participants will be conducted through Zoom.<\/p>\n

\"Group
Past Merrie Monarch Broadcast Team, From left: Kimo Kahoano, Amy Kalili, Billy V, Mileka Lincoln, Manu Boyd, Keahi Tucker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 58th annual hula competition will be held with no audience in order to protect participants from COVID-19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,33,1503,411,133,14,9],"class_list":["post-144081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-alumni","tag-hawaiian","tag-kamakakuokalani-center-for-hawaiian-studies","tag-kawaihuelani-center-for-hawaiian-language","tag-music","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t