Holoku

This is my last year participating in the May Day performances at school. Although I only started last year, I can still feel the importance of this event. First off, this is an event that carries on the culture of Hawaii to the performers and the audience. I am not Hawaiian, but I can still appreciate the chants and dances of another culture. For me though, the bonds created on every Saturday practice proved to be even more important to me. Make no mistake about it, I did not enjoy waking up at seven in the morning to make practice and sometimes I even skipped some practices. But during the times I was there, I learned much about the eight other guys I danced with for Kahiko. With only nine of us dancing in the gym, no one could hide from the audience so our kumu, Aunty Leihua, drove us to be as good as we could get. She picked on everyone, teasing us for all the mistakes we made. She got on us for walking like ducks, stretching out necks like turtles, and even opening up our palms like they were muppets. That was okay though, as it made it possible for us to laugh at each other and ourselves. For two hours every week, we learned how to dance the hula as well as knowing the personality of the dancers around us. The event creates moments that will bring people together. This is what I believe the spirit of Holoku is.