WELCOME BACK TO LIVING808
KU-MAI-KA-HULA IS THE ONLY ADULT
HULA COMPETITION ON MAUI AND
KUMU
HULA ROBERT KAU- PU IS HERE TO
TELL
TAIZO: WELCOME BACK TO
"LIVING 808."
NOW, THE COMPETITION IS THE ONLY
ADULT HULA COMPETITION ON MAUI.
AND I'M SO STOKED.
BECAUSE KUMU HULA -- I WANT TO
GET THIS.
KAUPU IS YOUR LAST NAME?
RIGHT.
TAIZO: YOU'VE BEEN SO BUSY.
IF ANYBODY DOESN'T KNOW, TALK
ABOUT THIS EVENT AND HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS, ESPECIALLY ON
MAUI, THIS IS.
IT'S MOST UNIQUE AND MOST
IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY
ADULT PREMIER COMPETITION ON
MAUI.
THEY HAVE HULA KEIKI FOR THE
KIDS.
THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR ADULTS
13 AND UP, ALL THE WAY TO OUR
KUPUNA AGES..
THE BIGGEST THINGS, IT BRINGS
SUCH AWARENESS.
IN.
IN -- IN THE AWANA DIVISION, ALL
MELE NEEDS TO BE ABOUT MAUI.
I DIDN'T FOE KNOW THAT.
SPECIFICALLY MAUI NUI.
MOLOKAI, LANAI, KAHOOLAWE,
MOLOKINI.
IT REALLY DOES SHOW THE PRIDE OF
MAUI PEOPLE AND THE PRIDE THEY
HAVE FOR THEIR ISLAND.
SO IT'S WONDERFUL.
IT'S AWESOME.
TAIZO: AND IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT.
THIS IS THE 11TH ANNUAL.
YES.
TAIZO: FOR MORE THAN A
DECADE, IT GET BIGGER AND
AMAZING.
I HEAR STORIES.
IT'S SUCH A CHICKEN SKIN EVENT.
TALK ABOUT THE FEELINGS.
AND AGAIN, YOU'VE PARTICIPATED.
WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR BEING A
COMPETITOR OR PARTICIPATING AND
STUFF?
THE FEELING THAT YOU GET WHEN
YOU'RE AT THIS PARTICULAR EVENT,
IT'S GREAT.
THE CAMARADERIE WITH THE KUMU
HULA AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
JUST MAUI PEOPLE OR PEOPLE THEY
INVITE.
BUT YOU TRULY GAIN A SENSE OF
ALOHA.
THE STAFF AT THE MAUI ARTS AND
CULTRAL CENTER ARE AWESOME.
TAIZO: AMAZING, YEAH.
AND THE PEOPLE THAT ORGANIZE
THIS.
KAWAHEA ING, THEIR WORKERS ARE
TOPNOTCH.
COMPLETELY ORGANIZED AND IT
MAKES IT VERY EASY FOR
PARTICIPATING HALAU'S TO DO WHAT
THEY DO.
TAIZO: HOW MANY HALAU IN THIS
YEAR'S EVENT?
THING YEAR'S -- AND THERE'S A
FEW.
IT HAS GROWN IN THE LAST 11
YEARS.
AND THE CALIBER, DEFINITELY HAS
RISEN.
FROM WHEN WE STARTED
PARTICIPATING BACK IN 2010 UP
UNTIL NOW, IT'S AMAZING.
THE CALIBER OF HALAU, THE ALOHA
IS AWESOME.
TAIZO: SHOWCASE GETS BETTER
EVERY YEAR.
YOU WANT TO GO UP AND UP AND UP.
REAL QUICKLY, IF SOMEONE'S
WATCHING, DETAILS.
WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
FOR THIS YEAR COMING DOWN TO THE
SEE E?
OKAY.
THIS YEAR, THE PROGRAM IS HELD
THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH AT
THE MAUI ARTS AND CULTRAL
CENTER.
THERE'S NOT MUCH DETAILS OTHER
THAN COMING, GET YOUR TICKETS
AND ENJOY THE PROGRAM.
TAIZO: AND I TALKED TO KELLY
ABOUT IT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE GREAT
WEATHER, I PROMISED.
THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE
BEAUTIFUL.
WHEN IT COMES TO THIS, THIS IS
THE 11TH YEAR.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GOING
FORWARD?
CONTINUE TO GET BIGGER AND
BETTER?
THIS IS BECOMING A WORLDWIDE
EVENT.
I HEAR AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE
ARE COMING TO THIS.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GOING
FORWARD?
I'D LIKE TO GET IT GET
BIGGER.
S EVEN AS A PARTICIPATING HALAU,
THE MORE THE MERRIER, REALLY.
THE MORE PEOPLE COMPETE, IT'S
NOT SO MUCH THE COMPETITION, BUT
THE SENSE OF ALOHA IS THERE.
AND THE CALIBER OF HULA, MORE
PEOPLE, MORE HALAU RAISING THE
BAR FOR HULA.
THE HIGHER THE BAR.
IT'S NOT SINGULAR HALAU.
WE'RE IN IT FOR THE BIG PICTURE.
TAIZO: AND IT'S NOT JUST
MAUI.
YEAH.
THE GREAT THING IS IT BRINGS
AWARENESS, NOT JUST HONORING AND
CELEBRATING MAUI AND MAUI NUI,
BUT IT BRINGS AWARENESS TO MAUI
AND BRINGS FORTH TO THE
FOREFRONT MAUI MELE.
WHAT WE FOUND THAT WAS SO
INTERESTING THERE'S NOT A LOT OF
MAUI SONGS.
WE THOUGHT THERE WERE, BUT
THERE'S NOT.
TAIZO: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
SO MUCH HISTORY AND CULTURE THAT
ARE FROM MAUI, YOU WOULD THINK
THERE WOULD BE MORE.
AND SHEDDING LIKE TO THAT IS
AMAZING.