{"id":229291,"date":"2026-02-10T14:07:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T00:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=229291"},"modified":"2026-02-10T14:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T00:07:35","slug":"anno-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/10\/anno-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous performance, traditions takes center stage at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_96929\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZqzIVuoGXS4?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"ANNO&#039;26 Recap Video\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Voices, movement and moments of reflection filled <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/liveonstage\/kennedy-theatre\/\">Kennedy Theatre<\/a> at the University of <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa in early February as <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/anno\/anno26\/\"><abbr>ANNO<\/abbr>\u201926: Bridging Generations<\/a>, a biennial conference brought together scholars, artists and community members for two days of exchange. Hosted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/anno\/\"><span lang=\"haw\">&#699;Ahahui<\/span> <span lang=\"haw\">Noi&#699;i<\/span> <span lang=\"haw\">No&#699;eau<\/span> <span lang=\"haw\">&#699;&#332;iwi<\/span>&#8212;Research Institute of Indigenous Performance<\/a> (<abbr>ANNO<\/abbr>), the conference explored how Indigenous performance sustains knowledge, language and relationships across generations.<\/p>\n<p>The second biennial conference featured panels, workshops and special events that emphasized learning through practice.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-call-theatre-dance-anno-26-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"people dancing hula on stage\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-229309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-call-theatre-dance-anno-26-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-call-theatre-dance-anno-26-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-call-theatre-dance-anno-26.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Participants took part in everything from hula workshops led by <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/liveonstage\/\">theatre and dance<\/a> instructor and Kumu Hula Tracie <span lang=\"haw\">Ka&#699;&#333;nohilani<\/span> Farias Lopes to kapa making, puppet making, carving and a movement-based session by Sami L.A. Akuna that invited reflection on storytelling and the body.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We hope that the conference delegates engaged in the many offerings of the two-day event and see the importance of Indigenous performance as a site of knowledge production, cultural preservation, and collective imagination,&rdquo; said Tammy <span lang=\"haw\">Haili&#699;&#333;pua<\/span> Baker, who co-founded <abbr>ANNO<\/abbr> and is a director of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s award-winning <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/hanakeaka\/\">Hawaiian theatre program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One panel, Aloha <span lang=\"haw\">&#699;&#256;ina<\/span> Embodied: The Praxis of <span lang=\"haw\">&#699;Aha<\/span>, was conducted entirely in <span lang=\"haw\">&#699;&#333;lelo<\/span> <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. The session featured several kumu, including Kaliko Baker, an associate professor at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kawaihuelani.org\/\">Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language<\/a>; Kaipu Keala, an assistant professor at <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/hshk\/kamakakuokalani\/\">Kamakak\u016bokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies<\/a>, Kaulu Luuwai, an attorney with <a href=\"https:\/\/law.hawaii.edu\/academics\/ka-huli-ao\/\">Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law<\/a> at William S. Richardson School of Law, and Snowbird Bento, kumu hula of Ka P\u0101 Hula O Ka Lei Lehua.<\/p>\n<p>Panelists discussed how <a href=\"https:\/\/wehe.hilo.hawaii.edu\/?q=aloha+aina\">aloha <span lang=\"haw\">&#699;&#257;ina<\/span><\/a> is expressed through performance and community practice, reflecting on the ways language and movement inform artistic and community-based work.<\/p>\n<h2>Celebration and story<\/h2>\n<p>The conference concluded with a <span lang=\"haw\">ho&#699;olaule&#699;a<\/span>, a celebration that combined conversation and creative sharing. Events included a film screening of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lehuafilms.com\/mahu\"><em>M\u0100H\u016a: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter<\/em><\/a>, directed by Lisette Flanary, <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/cinema\/\">digital cinema<\/a> professor at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and a preview of a new hana keaka (theatre work) by <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hawaiian theatre graduate student Ikaika Mendez. The production, Lele Wale, reflects on community rebuilding after the Lahaina wildfires, honoring those who were lost, those who survived, and those continuing the work of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4&#8211;8 at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Related <abbr>UH<\/abbr> News story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/05\/lele-wale\/\">Lahaina\u2019s story lives in new hana keaka production<\/a>, February 5, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Established in 2022 through the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Provost\u2019s Strategic Investment Initiative, <abbr>ANNO<\/abbr> advances Hawaiian and Indigenous performance through scholarship, curriculum and outreach, supporting ongoing research and creative practice at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The conference explored how Indigenous performance sustains knowledge, language and relationships across generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":229309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[427,163,1057,1503,411,131,1623,76,56,68],"class_list":["post-229291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-center-for-excellence-in-native-hawaiian-law","tag-college-of-languages-linguistics-and-literature","tag-hawaiian-language","tag-kamakakuokalani-center-for-hawaiian-studies","tag-kawaihuelani-center-for-hawaiian-language","tag-kennedy-theatre","tag-school-of-cinematic-arts","tag-theatre-and-dance","tag-video-2","tag-william-s-richardson-school-of-law","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-call-theatre-dance-anno-26.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229291"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229310,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229291\/revisions\/229310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}