Wai Ola, ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life

Musiquito Media was contracted to produce a multi-camera shoot and audio recording of the live performance of Wai Ola, ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life, presented at Rhythmix Cultural Works on March 18th in Alameda, CA.

Hula Kiʻi is a critically endangered tradition of Hawaiʻi which features the use of carved or crafted images in the story telling and movements of hula. Due to Western intervention in the 19th Century, the hula kiʻi and other indigenous traditions were suppressed almost out of existence. The Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance (MUCID), in association with Kumu Hula Kiʻi Mauli Ola Cook (holder of the lineal tradition of Kumu Nona Beamer and hula haumana of Kumu Hula Victoria Holt Takamine) and Kumu Hula Maile Loo of the Hula Preservation Society, introduce this unique art form in the Bay Area through a project sponsored by the 2021 Choreography Award granted by the Gerbode Foundation. The project encompasses the research of classical themes, the construction of hula puppets, and the development of a dedicated hula ki’i practice within MUCID’s resident hālau.

ʻAukele is a Hawaiian folk hero who faces many challenges including a perilous sea voyage and his jealous brothers. The story also centers on themes of water, its value, and who controls access, present issues in California and Hawaiʻi.

The full show video edit and premiere should be completed late-spring, but for now, a sneak peak of some of the shots we captured during dress rehearsal.