NOIʻI NOWELO Conference Program

MARCH 14 AND 15, 2024 UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT mānoa kennedy theatre

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

WELINA MAI NEI ME KE ALOHA E nā kini o ka hikina o ka lā i Haʻehaʻe a i kōna napoʻo ʻana i Lehua, e nā iwi hoʻi i ka Moananuiākea, e ko ka ʻāina nui ā ko ka ʻāina iki o kēia poepoe honua–e naue like mai, e ʻākoakoa mai, a e komo mai i kēia puʻuhonua. ʻO kēia ka palapala kūhelu o NOIʻI NOWELO, ka ʻaha kūkā mua loa hoʻi o ka ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi - Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO).

Ma ʻaneʻi e loaʻa ai ka papa manawa, ka palapala ʻāina, a me nā ʻike āpau pili i nei ʻaha kūkā a me nā hanana e mālama ʻia ana.

We extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to those of the rising sun in Haʻehaʻe, to those of the setting sun in Lehua, to the people of Oceania, to those of lands both small and large across this Earth, to gather in this space of refuge.

This is the official program of NOIʻI NOWELO, the first annual conference hosted by ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi - Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO).

Here you will find the schedule, map, and all information relating to the conference and its events.

KA PAPA KUHIKUHI | TABLE OF CONTENTS WELINA MAI ME KE ALOHA!

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KA PAPA KUHIKUHI | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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KA PAPA MANAWA | SCHEDULE

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KA PALAPALA ʻĀINA O KA ʻAHA KŪKĀ | CONFERENCE MAP

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NO ANNO | ABOUT ANNO

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ANNO MEMBERS

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NO KA ʻAHA KŪKĀ | ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

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LETTER FROM THE PROVOST

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LETTER FROM THE DEAN

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LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

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ABOUT OUR LOGO

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PĀNELA MUA - Noiʻi Nowelo

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PĀNELA ʻELUA - Performance and Language Education

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PĀNELA ʻEKOLU - Noi‘i Nowelo: A Survey Of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance

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PĀNELA ʻEHĀ - Performance & Politics

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PĀNELA ʻELIMA - Performance and Literature

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HĀLĀWAI HOʻONAʻAUAO | WORKSHOP I

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HĀLĀWAI HOʻONAʻAUAO | WORKSHOP II

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HĀLĀWAI HOʻONAʻAUAO | WORKSHOP III

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PERFORMANCES

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GLITTER IN THE PAʻAKAI

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KA PŌ LEʻA O HALĀLIʻI

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WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

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HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM

61

PhD IN HAWAIIAN & INDIGENOUS PERFORMANCE

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NĀ MEA E HIKI MAI ANA | UPCOMING EVENTS

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HE LEO MAHALO | GRATITUDES

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KA PAPA MANAWA | SCHEDULE Pōʻakahi | Thursday, March 14th 8:30am

Check-in Window - In Front of Theatre

9:00am

Papahana Wehena | Opening - Main Stage

9:30am

Pānela Mua - Noi‘i Nowelo Opening Plenary - Main Stage

Break 10:45am

Kī, Kope, ʻAi Māmā | Morning Tea, Coffee, Snacks - Lānai

11:15am

Hālāwai Hoʻonaʻauao | Workshop 1: 1a) Hana Noʻeau: ʻOhe Kāpala na Nalu Andrade* - Upper Lānai 1b) Tito Waiata/Haku Mele: Mā me Taranaki* - Studio S 1c) Haku Poema: Mani Yangilmau - 101 1d) Movement: Jonathan Sypert - Men's Dress

12:15pm

Pāʻina Awakea | Lunch - Tent

1:00pm

Pānela ʻElua: Performance and Language Education - Main Stage

Break 2:15pm

Pānela ʻEkolu: Noi‘i Nowelo: A Survey Of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance - Main Stage

Break 3:30pm

Kī ʻAuinalā | Afternoon Tea - Lānai

4:00pm

Hālāwai Hoʻonaʻauao | Workshop 2 2a) Hana Noʻeau: Ho‘okāhiko Lauoho* - Upper Lānai 2b) Tito Waiata/Haku Mele* - Studio S 2c) Haku Poema: Poetry Writing - 101 3d) Movement: Dr. Cristina Fernandes Rosa - Men's Dress

Break 5:15pm

Wā Launa Pū | Gathering Time (Mea Inu, Pūpū) - Tent

6:30pm

Pāʻina Ahiahi Lūʻau begins & Kani ka Pila! - Tent

6:45pm

Performance of Glitter in the Paʻakai

9:30pm

Panina

*These workshops will continue into Workshop 2, participants must attend both sessions.

KA PAPA MANAWA | SCHEDULE Pōʻalima | Friday, March 14th 9:30am Recruitment Breakfast [Invitees Only] 12:00pm Wā Hōʻikeʻike Hana ʻImi Noiʻi | Poster Session, Tea & Coffee Lower Lānai 1:15pm Pā‘ina Awakea Lunch - Tent Break Pānela ʻEhā: Performance and Politics - Lab Theatre

2:30pm Hālāwai Hoʻonaʻauao | Workshop 3 3a) Hana Noʻeau: Hulu Lelea‘e Kahalepuna Wong - Studio S 3b) Movement: Manarii Gauthier & Nalini Gauthier - Upper Lānai 3c) Response to Glitter in the Pa‘akai: kaipulaumakaniolono 3:30pm Kī ʻAuinalā | Afternoon Tea - Lānai (ma kai) 4:00pm Pānela ʻElima: Performance and Literature - Lab Theatre Break 5:15pm

Wā Launa Pū | Network/Gathering

5:30pm Pāʻina Ahiahi | Dinner (Holoholo Grill) - Tent 5:45pm Ka Pō Le‘a o Halāli‘i 8:30pm Papahana Panina 9:00pm Hoʻokuʻu.

CONFERENCE MAP

Conference Location The conference is located in the area surrounding and within the John F. Kennedy Theatre, 1770 East-West Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822.

Parking Unless otherwise communicated, you will be responsible for your own parking. For information on where parking can be found, please see the UH Mānoa Commuter Services page on Visitor Parking.

Meals We will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Thursday and lunch and dinner on Friday , and will offer various refreshments and snacks throughout the event. Your dietary preferences will be accommodated. There are also other food options available on and off campus.

Day Of Upon arrival, follow signs to the registration table where you will be asked to read and sign a liability release form. Here you will also receive your badge and conference materials. Please hold onto your badge for both days of the event. This booth will remain open on both days.

No anno | about anno

“Ka lamakū o ke aloha ʻāina: A leading light of aloha ʻāina for Hawaiʻi and the world.”

The ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi – Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO) is a new initiative stimulating scholarship in Hawai‘i and the global Indigenous community that highlights the artistic practices of aboriginal peoples. ANNO was established through the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Provost’s Strategic Investment Initiative, a campus-wide competition designed to increase cross-unit and crossdisciplinary collaboration, in Fall of 2022.

For more information about ANNO please visit our website: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/anno/

No ANNO ʻO ka ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi -Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO) ʻo ia ka hui ʻimi noiʻi mua loa i hoʻokumu ʻia i kahua paʻa mau loa no ka ʻimi ʻana, ka hoʻoulu ʻana, a me ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻike i pili i ka hana noʻeau Hawaiʻi a ʻōiwi kekahi; e like hoʻi me nā mea o ke au kuʻuna mai – ka hula ʻana, ka haku mele ʻana, ke kālai ʻana, a pēlā aku – a me ko lākou ala hou ʻana i ke au nei, ma ka hana keaka paha, ma ka haku poema paha, a ma nā ʻano mea like ʻole hoʻi. Hoʻākoakoa ʻia nō hoʻi nā kumu kulanui o nā ʻoihana like ʻole, ʻo American Studies ʻoe, ʻo Cinematic Arts ʻoe, ʻo Curriculum Studies ʻoe, ʻo English ʻoe, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies ʻoe, ʻo Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language ʻoe, ʻo Theatre and Dance ʻoe, ʻo Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ʻoe, a me nā mahele ʻike he nui wale. Pēlā hoʻi e hāmama a e māpuna aʻe ai ke kamaʻilio aku, kamaʻilio mai a me ke kākoʻo aku, kākoʻo mai o nā māhele ʻike like ʻole kekahi i kekahi. Hoʻolako ʻia hoʻi kēia papahana e ka Strategic Investment Initiative a ka Provost o ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa.

He hana keu hoʻi a ka hoʻoheno kā ANNO ma ka hoʻoikaika ʻana a me ka hoʻākea ʻana i ka ʻimi noiʻi ʻana, ka mālama ʻana, a me ke aʻo ʻana i ia mea he Indigenous Performance Studies. Hoʻopaepae ʻia hoʻi mākou i ka wā o ka maʻi ahulau, ka wā hoʻi i mōakāka loa aʻe ai ka pono o ia mahele ʻike no ka hōʻeuʻeu ʻana i nā ʻōiwi, ka hoʻōla ʻana i ke kino a me ka noʻonoʻo, a me ka hoʻonui ʻana i ke kūlana o nā mea ʻōiwi i ka hana keaka a me ka hana hulahula ma ke kulanui. Lino ʻia maila nā Maʻawe he ʻekolu o ANNO – ʻo ka Scholarship & Publication, Archive & Curriculum, a me ka Outreach & Recruitment hoʻi – i hui hoʻohana ʻimi naʻauao kū hoʻokahi, i hālau ʻimi ʻike a ʻimi noiʻi hoʻi e paipai aku ana i ka hana ʻimi noiʻi, i ka hoʻoulu ʻana i nā kumu kākoʻo hoʻonaʻauao, a i ka hana mālama kaiāulu. Penei hoʻi ka hana a ia mau mahele: Maʻawe I - Scholarship and Publication ʻO ia ka maʻawe ʻimi noiʻi a paʻi puke o ANNO, nāna hoʻi i kākoʻo aku i ka hoʻolaha mua ʻia ʻana o “Moʻolelo: The Foundation of Hawaiian Knowledge,” a ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻaoʻao o ANNO e noke mai nei i ka paʻi ʻana iā “Noi‘i Nowelo – A Survey of Hawaiian & Indigenous Performance.” ʻO kēia maʻawe ka mea e ʻimi ana i ka naʻauao ma o ka noiʻi nowelo ʻana i nā māhele ʻike o ke ao kulanui, i mea hoʻi e laha aku ai ka ʻike hanohano o nā ʻōiwi ma ʻō a ʻō o ka honua nei.

No ANNO Maʻawe II - Archive & Curriculum ʻO ia ka maʻawe mālama ʻike a kūkulu haʻawina o ANNO. I wahi hoʻi kēia e launa pū mai ai nā lālā o ANNO ma lalo o kēia mau pahuhopu, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mālama ʻana i nā papahana no ke aʻo aku a aʻo mai i nā kiʻina aʻo, ke hoʻomohala ʻana i nā haʻawina pili i ka hana noʻeau ʻŌiwi no ke aʻo kulanui ʻana, a me ke hoʻomohala ʻana i kiʻina aʻo hana keaka me ke kākoʻo ʻana mai o ka Office of Hawaiian Education of the Department of Education. No ka ʻaoʻao mālama ʻike o ua maʻawe nei e hoʻākoakoa ʻia ana nā ʻokina leo o nā pānela, nā kiʻiʻoniʻoni, a me nā kumu ʻike he nui ma ke kaha pūnaewele o ANNO, i hiki ai hoʻi ke hoʻohana ʻia e ko mākou kaiāulu e waiho ana i ʻō a i ʻaneʻi o ka honua. He kākoʻo nō hoʻi ko ia maʻawe i ka Papahana Laeʻula Hana Keaka (MFA), a me ka Papahana Laeʻula Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance i hoʻokumu ʻia aʻe nei.

Maʻawe III - Outreach & Recruitment ʻO kēia ka maʻawe o ka hoʻolaha ʻana a me ka ʻimi kanaka ʻana o ANNO. Hoʻolako ʻia nā haumāna laeoʻo a laeʻula he ʻekolu i mau kākoʻo no nā pahuhopu nui a me nā hanana a ANNO. I ka hoʻouna ʻia ʻana akula o nā haumāna a me nā kumu i nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe o ka Pae ʻĀina o Hawaiʻi a me nā mokupuni like ʻole o ka Moananuiākea, a i kā lākou kūkā kamaʻilio ʻana me ka poʻe o ia mau moku, pēlā auaneʻi e piʻi aʻe ai ka hoi no ka lilo ʻana i haumāna ma lalo o nā lālā o ANNO. ʻO ka hana hoʻolaha a hōʻumeʻume naʻau ka mālama ʻana a me ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā hanana o loko a o waho o ke kulanui, e laʻa hoʻi nā hālāwai hoʻonaʻauao me nā mea hana noʻeau ʻŌiwi.

ABOUT ANNO ANNO - Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO) is a new initiative stimulating scholarship in Hawai‘i and the global Indigenous community that highlights the artistic practices of aboriginal peoples.

This new research institute enables conversations and collaborations across academic disciplines by bringing together faculty based in American Studies, Cinematic Arts, Curriculum Studies, English, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, Theatre and Dance, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. For graduate students, ANNO provides funding, mentorship, and publication opportunities.

Leveraging our strengths, the establishment of ANNO expands knowledge production and increases contributions to the new field of Indigenous Performance Studies. This research institute builds on lessons learned through the pandemic including addressing underrepresented worldviews and curriculum by online and hybrid accessibility to knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples in the Pacific. The pandemic has taught us that Indigenous performing arts enable joy, inspire resilience, and present an opportunity to indigenize the Department of Theatre and Dance as well as the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. ANNO also devotes efforts to tackle the dearth of scholarship and curriculum in Hawaiian and Indigenous performance studies. ANNO weaves three distinct Maʻawe, three threads – Scholarship & Publication, Archive & Curriculum, and Outreach & Recruitment – into a trailblazing and multidisciplinary institute advancing innovative research, education resources, and community engagement.

Maʻawe I - Scholarship and Publication The Scholarship and Publication Ma‘awe, which previously supported the launch of Moʻolelo: The Foundation of Hawaiian Knowledge, is currently focused on creating the inaugural ANNO publication, Noi‘i Nowelo – A Survey of Hawaiian & Indigenous Performance, an edited collection of scholarship from ANNO members as well as other artist-scholars from around the Pacific.

ABOUT ANNO Maʻawe II - Archive and Curriculum The Archive & Curriculum Maʻawe works with institute members to host professional development workshops on teaching pedagogy, develop curriculum modules on Indigenous arts practices for university instruction, and a hana keaka (Hawaiian-medium theatre) curriculum in partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Education of the Department of Education. As part of the archival aspect, recordings of panels and other materials from the conference will be housed on ANNO’s website for worldwide access to serve our global community. This Maʻawe also provides support to the Hawaiian Theatre MFA Program, as well as the new PhD in Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance.

Maʻawe III - Outreach and Recruitment The Outreach and Recruitment Ma‘awe supports three graduate students through graduate assistantships supporting ANNO’s goals and deliverables. Institute members and graduate assistants visit neighboring island and Pacific island communities to hold informational sessions with the intent of attracting potential students to the academic programs of ANNO’s members. Outreach involves hosting and supporting events for the community both within and beyond the University, including guest artist workshops on hana no‘eau practices.

ANNO MEMBERS C.M.

Kaliko

Baker,

Associate

Professor,

Hawai‘inuiākea

School

of

Hawaiian Knowledge, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language Leilani

Basham,

Associate

Professor,

Kamakakūokalani

Center

for

Hawaiian Studies Lisette Flanary, Associate Professor, Academy of Creative Media, CALL kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui, Professor, English, CALL Craig Howes, Professor, English, CALL, Director, Center for Biographical Research Kristiana Kahakauwila, Assistant Professor, English, CALL Willy Kauai, Director, Native Hawaiian Student Services, Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge Eōmailani

Kūkahiko,

Specialist,

Curriculum

Studies,

College

of

Education Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, Assistant Professor, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies R. Keawe Lopes, Jr., Associate Professor and Director, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge Brandy Nālani McDougall, Associate Professor, American Studies, CALL, Interim Director, Mānoa Center for Humanities and Civic Engagement Christopher Patrinos, Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance, CALL Noʻu Revilla, Assistant Professor, English, CALL Apolonia Tamata, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence 2022-2023, University of South Pacific, Fiji Lani

Teves,

Associate

Professor

and

Chair,

Women,

Gender,

and

Sexuality Studies, College of Social Sciences Nina Tonga, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, CALL

No ka ʻAha Kūkā | About the Conference HOʻOKUMU ʻia kēia ʻaha kūkā, ʻo Noiʻi Nowelo, i wahi e ʻākoakoa mai ai kākou ma lalo o nā kumuhana kahua o ANNO, a i kō pono akula nā pahuhopu nui o ka Maʻawe Mua, i pili hoʻi i ka ʻimi noiʻi ʻana i ia mea he hana keaka a he hana noʻeau ma loko o ke kaiāulu Hawaiʻi a me nā kaiāulu ʻōiwi, ma loko hoʻi o nā loina o kēlā au kēia au. He noiʻi nowelo ia hana i paepae ʻia e nā manaʻo ʻōiwi a e alakaʻi ʻia ana e ka poʻe e mālama mai ana i ia mau loina.

Ua hoʻākoakoa ʻia kekahi mau kāʻeʻaʻeʻa o ka hana ʻimi noiʻi, ka hana keaka, a me nā hana noʻeau like ʻole, i poʻe ʻelele e hōʻike mai ana i ko ANNO kumupaʻa e ʻimi ʻia aʻe nei. Hauʻoli nō hoʻi mākou i ka hele ʻana mai o nā kānaka mai ‘ō a ʻō o ka Pae ʻĀina ʻo Hawaiʻi a me ka Pakipika, he mau kānaka hoʻi e ʻauamo nei i nā kuleana o ka wā kahiko, o kēia wā ʻānō, a o ka wā e hiki mai ana.

Eia nō hoʻi mākou ke hāʻawi aku nei i ko mākou mahalo palena ʻole i ka poʻe noho pānela, ka poʻe haʻiʻōlelo, ka poʻe hana noʻeau, ka poʻe kākoʻo, ka poʻe ʻo ke kipa ʻana mai, ka poʻe hana keaka o Glitter in the Paʻakai, a me ka hui hoʻolālā o kēia ʻaha kūkā. E ʻole lākou, ola ai kēia ʻaha kūka.

NOIʻI NOWELO represents a new chapter in our institute’s journey, and will be a culmination of ANNO’s Scholarship and Publication Maʻawe – one of our three major objectives – whose primary purpose is to explore performance in its manifestations within Hawaiian and Indigenous communities, their cultural practices, and across temporal boundaries, vis-à-vis rigorous, community-based and artist-led scholarship.

In this inaugural conference, we have carefully curated a phenomenal slate of artist-scholars, practitioners, and community leaders who represent the heart of what we aim to achieve as an institute. We are also delighted to welcome guests from around Hawaiʻi and the Pacific who represent the best of our past, present, and future, as scholars, as artists, and as leaders.

We extend special thanks to the panelists, artists, scholars, staff, volunteers, the director, production team, and cast of Glitter in the Pa’akai, to those who have freely committed their time and resources, and finally to ANNO’s conference planning committee for their countless hours devoted to making this special event happen.

LETTER FROM THE PROVOST To the participants of Noi‘i Nowelo: An Inaugural Conference on Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance: On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Noi‘i Nowelo! Supported by funding from the Mānoa Strategic Investment Initiative, the ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi – Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO) was founded in 2022 with the goal of stimulating scholarship in Hawai‘i and the global Indigenous community that highlights the artistic practices of aboriginal peoples. This inaugural conference is an outcome of an exciting collaboration among our scholars from across campus, in American Studies, Cinematic Arts, Curriculum Studies, English, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, Theatre and Dance, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

We celebrate the fact that ANNO is the first and only research institute in the world dedicated solely to Indigenous performance!

We look forward to strongly supporting the institute as its work continues to inspire and inform scholarship across the university and around the world, enriching lives here in Hawai‘i and well beyond.

Me ke aloha pumehana, Michael Bruno

LETTER FROM THE DEAN Aloha mai kakou. I want to welcome you all to this timely inaugural conference, Noi’i Nowelo, dedicated to Hawaiian and indigenous performance sponsored by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s research institute, Ahahui Noiʻi Noʻeau Ōiwi. As Dean of the College of Arts, Languages & Letters, I want to underscore the vital importance of this set of conversations not only for the university, but especially for our college, in which the arts, humanities and languages are our academic heart and soul. This conference speak to our collective scholarly and artistic commitment to these fields, while deepening and strengthening our focus on indigenous and Native Hawaiian culture, art, and performance traditions---and our responsibility to our kanaka ōiwi and wider indigenous communities. By centering indigenous performance, the conference is a vital step forward in correcting historical inattention to these art forms in higher education in the hands and voices of indigenous scholars and practitioners themselves, rather than the outsider anthropologist and ethnographer “writing culture” on these communities’ behalf. Your gathering and work will surely also advance the richness of these performance traditions and uncover new, emerging creatives forms in the making, an exciting convergence of the past and present. Noi’i Nowelo also draws on our university’s and our college’s interdisciplinary expertise across specialties to bring together scholars and performers across a range of disciplines, helping our college and university advance new intellectual and artistic collaborations. I wish you a productive conference.

Peter Arnade Dean, College of Arts, Languages & Letters

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR The Department of Theatre and Dance and Kennedy Theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa proudly welcome all participants in Noiʻi Nowelo: An Inaugural Conference on Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance. When Kumu Hailiʻōpua Baker, as a new faculty member in our department in fall 2012, began to establish the first graduate program anywhere in Hana Keaka (Hawaiian-medium theatre) it was not yet conceivable how fast this program would gain a local, national, and international reputation: Through plays and theatre productions in Ōlelo Hawaiʻi; tours of these productions to neighbor islands, the continent, and abroad; the involvement in festivals and conferences on Indigenous performance (for example, in Aotearoa); article and book publications; local panels, events, and workshops with cultural practioners and scholars of Indigenous performance from Hawaiʻi and Oceania; and the development of Hana Keaka curricula for our department as well as Hawaiian immersion schools. Two of the many highlights on this relatively short but already impressive history were the tour of ʻAuʻa ʻIa: Holding On to the “Reflections of Native Voices” festival in New York City in January 2020 and the awarding of the Kennedy Center Medallion of Excellence to Dr. Hailiʻōpua Baker in May 2022 for her creation and development of the MFA in Hawaiian Theatre (to which a new PhD track in Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance was just added last fall). This inaugural conference of ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi (ANNO)—Research Institute of Indigenous Performance—represents another high point in this journey as well as the opening of further possibilities and opportunities, and it is also important to emphasize the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of this project (which involves twelve faculty members from other departments—and in one case, from another university). I would like to thank our Provost Michael Bruno for recognizing the relevance and significance of our Hana Keaka programs by providing generous funding for the establishment of ANNO from his Strategic Investment Initiave, and I hope that there will be other internal and external funding sources in the future to continue to support this Research Institute of Indigenous Performance. But for now, I hope you enjoy ANNO’s inaugural conference.

Markus Wessendorf Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance

Our Logo The ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi’s (ANNO) graphic image draws on the concept of an iwi kuamoʻo or spine, which establishes the foundation for the Research Institute of Indigenous Performance here in Ko Hawai‘i Pae ‘Āina (Hawai‘i’s archipelago). The institute’s three ma‘awe (strands) construct the backbone for its strategic initiative to uplift and amplify aboriginal arts and artists. The kāuna (four) diamond shapes on the outer corner depict ka maka o ke akua, the eyes of the deities or gods, from whence inspiration for hana no‘eau (visual and performing arts) may be drawn. The circles in those maka also indicate the ‘ano‘ano ʻōiwi, the Indigenous seeds or artists that create hana noʻeau steeped in their traditions and worldview.

NĀ PĀNELA | PANELS

E launa ana kākou me ʻekolu o ke kāʻeʻaʻeʻa o ka hana keaka, ka hana noʻeau, a me ia mea he performance ma ke ʻano Hawaiʻi a ʻōiwi. ʻO Dr. Hailiopua Baker, Dr. Nina Tonga, a me Dr. Keawe Lopes Jr. nā mea o ka noho pānela ʻana. Na Dr. Lorenzo Perillo hoʻi e e mālama i ka pānela ma ke alakaʻi ʻana i nā mea e kūkākūkā ʻia ana. ʻO ka pahuhopu nui, ʻo ia ka luʻu pū ʻana iho o kākou a i loko o ke kai hohonu pōʻeleʻele, kahi e hōʻā ʻia aʻe ai nā kukui paʻa naʻau o ia poʻe akamai, i ʻike ʻia ai ka waihona haʻawina e ola mau ana i ke ao o Kanaloa. No kēlā me kēia kāʻeʻaʻeʻa kahi moʻo ʻike kū kaʻawale, a i ka hui ʻana o nā māʻamaʻama i kahi hoʻokahi, pēlā e kū a kino aʻela nā mea pāhaʻohaʻo e ʻimi ʻia ana. E lilo ana akula kēia i kahua no ka ʻaha kūkā holoʻokoʻa.

Our opening panel is highlighted by Dr. Hailiʻōpua Baker, Dr. Nina Tonga, and Dr. Keawe Lopes Jr., three leading experts in the field of Hawaiian and Indigenous performance. Moderated by Dr. Lorenzo Perillo, this discussion traverses the depths of performance, theatre, and production as they are facets of Indigenous cultural practice, identity, and revitalization. Each panelist represents a unique body of knowledge that, in conversation, will bring substance to the intangible. In doing so, we establish the foundation of this conference, grounded in experiential knowledge and rigorous scholarship.

DR. HAILIʻŌPUA BAKER Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker is a playwright/director/scholar/educator from Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i whose work focuses on revitalizing Kanaka Maoli moʻolelo (Native Hawaiian history and narratives) through Hawaiian-medium theatre, Hana Keaka. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) and a PhD in Māori and Indigenous Studies from the University of Waikato in Aotearoa/NZ. Haili‘ōpua oversees the Hawaiian Theatre and Playwriting Programs at UHM and is a recent recipient of the Kennedy Center Medallion of Excellence.

DR. NINA TONGA Nina Tonga (PhD, University of Auckland) is an art historian and curator of contemporary art. Professor Tonga is from the villages of Vaini and Kolofo’ou in the Kingdom of Tonga and was born and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand. She specializes in contemporary Pacific art and visual culture, with a particular focus on gender, representation, and the connections and intercultural relationships between Pacific Island nations and diaspora communities within a local and global context. Her interdisciplinary PhD research focused on the ways that Internet platforms have shaped and influenced contemporary art practices, contrasting the work of a range of artists including Māori, Pacific, Asian, First Nations and Indigenous Australian artists.

DR. KEAWE LOPES JR. Dr. R. Keawe Lopes Jr.’s teaching focus is on Hawaiian language, mele, and hula.

He leads Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha: Ka Papahana Ho‘oheno Mele, an interactive resource center for the promotion, preservation and perpetuation of mele and mele practitioners. The Center helps to create venues that highlight mele and mele practitioners, provides educational opportunities that support Hawaiian language revitalization and restoration efforts through the learning of mele and the practice thereof. He is a co-kumu hula of Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e: A hula school that provides a rich learning environment upholding a legacy of mele hula and mele oli that have been passed down through the generations. He has served as a Hawaiian language, haku mele and music judge for the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Artists, Wai‘anae Coast Song Composing Contest, World Invitational Hula Competition, Mokihana Festival Song Writing Contest, Moku o Keawe International Hula Festival, and the Malia Craver Hula Competition.

DR. LORENZO PERILLO Dr. Perillo is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and affiliated faculty with the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and ‘Ahahui Noi’i No’eau ‘Ōiwi (ANNO) – Research Institute of Indigenous Performance. As Co-Director of the Center for Philippine Studies and affiliate member with the Sistan C. Alhambra Filipino American Education Institute, he connects with K-12 Filipino students in Hawaiʻi to support the Filipino Curriculum Project. He has taught at UC Berkeley, UCLA, California State University Dominguez Hills, Cornell University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work as an interdisciplinary cultural studies scholar is grounded in kapwa. In this way, he focuses on bridging Dance, Theatre, and Performance Studies with Critical Race, Ethnic, Feminist, and Indigenous Studies, while broadening the types of knowledge established within these fields.

As a Fulbright scholar, Dr. Perillo conducted ethnographic and choreographic research on Hip Hop in Asia for his first book, Choreographing in Color: Filipinos, Hip-hop, and the Cultural Politics of Euphemism (Oxford University Press 2020).

Learn more about his book, teaching, and community engagements here: https://choreographingincolor.com/

ʻO ka lua o ka pānela, kapa ʻia hoʻi ʻo Pānela ʻElua - Performance & Language Education, ua hoʻokumu ʻia i wahi e ʻimi ai i nā pilina ma waena o ka hana noʻeau a me nā hana me nā manaʻo politika. ʻO ka pahuhopu nui o ua pānela nei ʻo ka hōʻike ʻana i ke koʻikoʻi o ka hana noʻeau i loko o ke aʻo ʻōlelo ʻŌiwi, a pēlā pū me ke koʻikoʻi o ka ʻōlelo i ka hana noʻeau. I launa hoʻi ia pānela i kona kumuhana, e mālama ʻia ia ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō. Eia hoʻi, e naʻi ʻia ke kamaʻilio pono ʻana no kēia wā o ka hulihia a me ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana i ke kumu ʻōiwi o ka lāhui Hawaiʻi. E hōʻikeʻike ana ka pānela i nā manaʻo a me nā hanana a nā mea noho pānela, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Dr. Kaliko Baker, Dr. Eōmailani Kukahiko, a me Kumu Kau‘i Kaina. E alakaʻi ʻia ana hoʻi ke kamaʻilio ʻana e Ikaika Mendez.

Pānela ʻElua - Performance & Language Education explores the symbiotic connections between language education and performance. Framed again by the concept of Noiʻi Nowelo, this panel aims to demonstrate the significance of performance and arts in Indigenous language education and inversely the significance of language in Indigenous performance and arts. This panel will uniquely and appropriately be conducted in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, striving for a timely and grounded conversation at a point of inflection in this era of Indigenous revitalization and survivance. Dr. Kaliko Baker, Dr. Eomailani Kukahiko, and Kumu Kau‘i Kaina, highlight this panel with their practice-based research and education experiences. Joining them onstage is moderator Ikaika Mendez.

DR. KALIKO BAKER C. M. Kaliko Baker, PhD, has been a Kumu ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language instructor) in Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa since 1996 and currently holds an Assistant Professor Position.

His research and scholarly efforts primarily focus on Hawaiian, particularly discourse grammar, traditional Hawaiian narratives, and the revitalization of Hawaiian. He completed his PhD in Linguistics in 2012 entitled A-class Genitive Subject Effect: A pragmatic and discourse grammar approach to a- and o-class genitive subject selection in Hawaiian, in which he explored genitive class selection in Hawaiian. Since obtaining his PhD, Kaliko has been writing and researching primarily in the space of Kanaka Maoli identity, particularly how ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is central to indexicalizing and presenting who we are as Kānaka Maoli. He co-authors Hawaiian-medium plays with Tammy Haili‘ōpua Baker and also serves as dramaturge under Ka Hālau Hanakeaka. 2022 will bring a book that Kaliko and Hailiʻōpua edited entitled Moʻolelo: The foundation of Hawaiian Knowledge which includes essays from top scholars in the field of Hawaiian knowledge. Currently, he is the president of a non-profit organization, Halele‘a Arts Foundation, which strives to promote Hawaiian-medium theatrical and other media projects. Dr. Baker is a long time Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana member, the grassroots organization that stopped the U.S. Navy’s bombing and desecration of Kaho‘olawe. Since 2003, he has served as the head Moʻo Lono leading the Makahiki ceremonies while moving the practice forward through the incorporation of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and literary fluency into the ceremonies.

Recently, he has been leading huakaʻi ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi under the PKO to Kahoʻolawe during UH’s Spring Break during which the UH Mānoa and Hilo campuses connect and work on Kahoʻolawe using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi as their means of communication. As a lifelong resident of Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu-a-Lua, Dr. Baker keeps his hands in his community by taking his students to Ke Kula ʻo S.M. Kamakau in Haʻikū and volunteering at Ka Loko Iʻa o Heʻeia, amongst other things.

DR. EOMAILANI KUKAHIKO Eōmailani Keonaonalikookalehua Kukahiko is from Waimānalo, Oʻahu, and a Specialist in the Curriculum Studies Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Her research focuses on public education, specifically Hawaiian language immersion and curriculum development through Hawaiian worldviews.

KUMU KAUʻI KAINA Puakahiki Kauʻi Kaina, born and raised in Kahaluʻu, Oʻahu, she later moved to Waikahekahe, Puna, Hawaiʻi, in her adolescent years, where her ʻohana originated from. And considers nā koʻolau o Oʻahu & Hawaiʻi her home. Born and raised in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at home and at school, she was exposed to performing arts from a young age beginning first with hula and mele, then hana keaka in short educational films through the works of Lokomaikaʻi Snakenberg as part of the Hawaiian values integration initiative of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education. While continuing in education through kula kaiapuni, Kauʻi later expanded in the arts of theatre where she eventually graduated with a BA in both Hawaiian and Theatre from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. After graduation, Kauʻi went through the Kahuawaiola Hawaiian Medium Education Program where she received her license as a teacher. She later enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as the first MFA graduate of the Hawaiian Theatre program under the direction and supervision of Hailiʻōpua Baker, writing and directing her thesis production Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka. Since then, she has acted in and produced other plays & film such as Kāmau, ʻIole & Pueo, Pōhakuolekia, Puapualenalena, and My Partner. She also sits on the board of directors of KEAKA, a Hawaiian Language Theatre Festival in Hilo focused on promoting and celebrating ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi & culture through the arts. She is currently working at Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu in Keaʻau, Hawaiʻi as a theatre teacher where she works with her haumana to produce their own works and participate in larger Hawaiian performances such as E Huliāmahi. She still continues to learn the various art forms of Hawaiian culture such as hula, mele, hana keaka, but most of all haʻi moʻolelo as it is embedded in each of us.

IKAIKA MENDEZ Aloha nui. My name is Ikaika Mendez. I am a native to Kanaio, Honuaʻula on the island of Maui, currently living in Mōʻiliʻili on the island of Oʻahu. I am a firstyear MFA student in Hana Keaka, Hawaiian Theatre. Recently graduated with a BA in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and a BA in Music, I plan on using the two as a medium of not just storytelling but as a medium of language revitalization and cultural preservation. My love for language and music stems from the linage of musicians I come from. My Hawaiian grandfather grew up playing in Waikīkī and Kāʻanapali for various lūʻau shows and boat tours. My Sāmoan grandfather grew up singing and playing in the church and fell in love with the Hawaiian slack key style of guitar. With the dancing experience of my grandmothers, they have all instilled in me the love for music, specifically Hawaiian music.

Hawaiian hymns, paniolo songs, love songs, etc. were heard in my household all the time. When I became a student at Kamehameha Schools Maui ʻAʻapueo, I fell in love with choral music and that inspired me to learn music theory and choral music methods at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where I am today.

Throughout my BA journey, I found the love for hana keaka, or Hawaiian theatre, through Kumu Hailiʻōpua Baker. She has taught me that hana keaka is more than just acting and directing, it is inclusive of our Hawaiian legends, genealogy, language, history and music. With all of that being said, I am here to learn more about theatre through the eyes of Hawaiʻi and using my expertise in music and language to elevate my way of storytelling.

ʻO ke kolu o ka pānela, kapa ʻia hoʻi ʻo Pānela ʻEkolu - Noiʻi Nowelo: A Survey of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance, ua kūkulu ʻia ia ma luna o nā mea e loaʻa mai ana i loko o ka puke e paʻi ʻia aʻe ana. He puke hoʻi kēia nāna e hoʻoulu nei i ke kūkā kamaʻilio ʻana o nā mahele ʻike he nui wale no ia mea he hana noʻeau Hawaiʻi a ʻŌiwi. E hāpai aʻe ana nā mea noho pānela i ko lākou mau manaʻo a me ko lākou mau hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ia kumuhana, a pēlā e mōakāka ai ke koʻikoʻi o kā lākou i kākau ai. E hōʻikeʻike ana ua pānela nei i nā manaʻo a me nā hanana a nā mea noho pānela, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Meredith Desha Enos, Ākea Kahikina, Iāsona Kaper, Leilani Chan a me Kathy S. Martin. E alakaʻi ʻia ana hoʻi ke kamaʻilio ʻana e Dr. Craig Howes.

Pānela ʻEkolu - Noiʻi Nowelo: A Survey of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance is based in the forthcoming ANNO-sponsored publication that houses multidisciplinary discussions of Hawaiian and Indigenous performance, with contributions from research-practitioners, artists, and students across the Pacific. In this panel, a select group of contributors will share their involvement in the publication, the significance of their work in the field’s greater context, and the value of developing and perpetuating academic literature in Hawaiian and Indigenous performance and arts. Meredith Desha Enos, Ākea Kahikina, Iāsona Kaper, Leilani Chan, and Kathy S. Martin highlight this discussion and are joined onstage by moderator Dr. Craig Howes.

MEREDITH DESHA ENOS Meredith Desha Enos is a Kanaka Maoli mixed-media storyteller from Waiau, Oʻahu. She has worked in journalism, podcasting, book and magazine publishing, creative writing, games development, improvisational theatre, and curriculum design—all in the service of telling the stories and bringing forth the voices of our community. She received her M.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and is the proud mother of four emerging ʻōiwi creatives. ĀKEA KAHIKINA Ākea Kahikina hails from Oneʻula, Honouliuli, ʻEwa and Kawēkiu, Kuliʻouʻou, Kona on the island of Oʻahu. His ʻāina kupuna are the mountain-eating waves of Kaʻaʻawa, Koʻolauloa and the serrated cliffs of Nīnole, Hāmākua. He currently works at Kamehameha Publishing as an editorial lead for its track titled “Contemporary Voices and ʻŌiwi Scholarship.” He holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Miami and two graduate degrees—an MFA in Hawaiian theatre and an MA in Hawaiian language—from UH Mānoa. His last play, “Hoʻoilina,” premiered at Kennedy Theatre’s mainstage in April 2022 and achieved national awards. He is currently producing “Ko Tūtū Hale,” a Hawaiianlanguage puppet show that centers elders and their ʻike to renormalize traditional ways of learning from kupuna to moʻopuna.

IĀSONA KAPER Iāsona Kaper is a writer and translator from Heʻeia, Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. He received his MFA in Hawaiian Theatre in 2023 after writing, directing, and–at the last minute–acting in his thesis production Kaisara, an adaptation of scenes from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that were translated and published in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi by James Nahanu Kaoaokalani Keola in 1896.

LEILANI CHAN Leilani Chan (she/her) is Founding Artistic Director of TeAda Productions: a nomadic theater of color based in Los Angeles. Chan’s devised ensemble plays include Global Taxi Driver and Refugee Nation. Her latest work Masters of the Currents, premiered in 2017 at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth and is the 1st nationally touring play about Micronesians in the U.S. Thus far this play has toured: inter-island to Maui (Maui Arts and Cultural Center) and Hilo (UH Hilo Performing Arts Center; to the continent including San Francisco’s Mission District (Brava Center for the Arts), Salt Lake City (Utah Presentes), Minneapolis (Pangea World Theater); and internationally to Guam (Breaking Wave Theatre/University of Guam). This work was awarded NEFA’s National Theater Project and MAPFUND and is Chan’s 4th NPN Creation Fund. Leilani is currently on the Board of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (caata.net). Chan has taught at both University of Hawai’i at Manoa and CSULB Theatre Departments. Born & raised in Hawai’i, Leilani currently resides in Los Angeles. Leilani attended Hampshire College and obtained her M.F.A. from U.C. Irvine. Chan and her partner Ova Saopeng are currently developing a new ensemble work Nothing Micro about Micronesia set to premiere in March 2024 at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth.

KATHY S. MARTIN Kathy S. Martin is from the island of Piis Paneu Island in Chuuk, Micronesia. She held a bachelor's and master’s degree in social work. Kathy has been a community activist for the Micronesian population both in Hawaii and Guam.

She advocates for the community in many areas including, housing, health, and education. Kathy was featured and played as the cultural consultant for the film, Breadfruit and Open Spaces (directed by Lola Q. Bautista). Her work in the field also made her a long time interpreter and translator at the Bilingual Access Line with Helping Hands Hawaii. Kathy works at the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) as Migrant Education Specialist. She was a former adjunct instructor at the University of Guam and a quality assurance coordinator at the Chuuk Health Department.

DR. CRAIG HOWES Craig Howes has been the Director of the Center for Biographical Research since 1997, the Co-Editor of Biography: An International Quarterly since 1994, and a Professor of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa since 1980. He has served as General Editor of the Biography Monographs Series, in affiliation with University of Hawaiʻi Press. He was the series scholar and a co-producer for Biography Hawai‘i, a television documentary series shown on PBS Hawaiʻi, and a coproducer of Aloha Shorts (2009–2013) a weekly program featuring Hawaiʻi writers, actors, and musicians for Hawaiʻi Public Radio. With Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwoʻole Osorio, he coedited The Value of Hawaiʻi (2010) and with Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua and Aiko Yamashiro as well as Osorio, The Value of Hawaiʻi 3— Hulihia, the Turning (2020). He has published essays on translations in Hawaiian language newspapers, is active in Living History projects and other events related to Hawaiian History Month through the Hawaiʻi Pono’ī Foundation, and has been the principal humanities scholar, a consulting humanities scholars, the project director, and an institutional co-sponsor for many Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities projects.

ʻO ka hā o ka pānela, kapa ʻia hoʻi ʻo Pānela ʻEhā - Performance & Politics, ua hoʻokumu ʻia ia i wahi e ʻimi ai i nā au e holo ana ma waena o ka hana noʻeau a me nā mea Politika. Kui ʻia he lei o ke kamaʻilio ʻana i nā pua o ka hana politika, ka hana noʻeau, a me ka hana ʻimi noiʻi i mea e akāka ai nā pilina o nā mea noho pānela me ia poʻe kumuhana a me kā lākou e manaʻo nei no kēia wā o ka hiki koke ʻana mai. E hōʻikeʻike ana ka pānela i nā manaʻo a me nā hanana o nā mea noho pānela, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Dr. Lani Teves, Dr. Leilani Basham, Sami L.A. Akuna, a me Dr. Cristina Fernandes Rosa. E alakaʻi ʻia ana hoʻi ke kamaʻilio ʻana e Asalemo Crawford.

Pānela ʻEhā - Performance & Politics explores the duplicitous ways in which politics manifest in and around Hawaiian and Indigenous performance.

This discussion curates perspectives across activism, performance, and research in order to deepen panelists’ personal connections to these subjects as well as their visions for the future of the field. Dr. Lani Teves, Dr. Leilani Basham, Sami L.A. Akuna, and Dr. Cristina Fernandes Rosa highlight the conversation which is moderated by Asalemo Crawford.

DR. LANI TEVES Stephanie Nohelani Teves (Kanaka Maoli) is an Associate Professor and Chair of the department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where she teaches courses on Indigenous feminisms and queer theory. Teves is author of Defiant Indigeneity: The Politics of Hawaiian Performance (2018) and co-editor of Native Studies Keywords. Her essays have appeared in American Quarterly, The Drama Review, the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, and the International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies. She is working on an oral history project with LGBTQ+/māhū Kanaka Maoli kupuna.

DR. LEILANI BASHAM Leilani is an Associate Professor of Hawaiian Studies and the Graduate Chair at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH-Mānoa, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Mele, Hula, and Oli as forms of ceremony and sovereignty, and as carriers of history, politics, and culture. Her academic background includes Hawaiian Studies (BA), Hawaiian Language (BA Certificate), History (MA), and Political Science (PhD). Her research has focused on the study of mele lāhui (nationalist poetic texts) composed as resistance to colonialism and as assertions of Hawaiian rights to sovereignty. Outside of the university setting, Leilani is also a hula practitioner and Kumu Hula of Hālau Kupukupu Ke Aloha, teaching both keiki and mākua with a focus on education.

SAMI L.A. AKUNA Sami L.A. Akuna is a N.E.A. recipient and has choreographed and performed in Asia, Europe, North America, and across the Pacific. With over 25 years of professional experience, Sami has performed as principal dancer with Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, and is Artistic Director of Giinko Marischino.

Currently Sami is the Arts Education and Cultural Programmer for the Mahui, and the newly appointed Pride Director for the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation.

Sami holds a BFA in Theatre and Dance, and MFA in Asian Theatre Directing from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and currently teaches the nation's very first Queer dance class. The class explores the communal embodiment of gay nightclubbing during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s to Disco, the Hawaii Drag Scene and Vogue and Ballroom Culture. Sami began a career in Butoh and Drag in 1991, right here in Honolulu. Cocoa Chandelier, Sami’s alter ego, travels continuously as an advocate and spokesperson for HIV/AIDS, and is a long standing member with the United Territories of Pacific Islanders in Alliance that serves Pacific Island and MVPFAFF+ communities across the Hawaiian islands and the Pacific.

DR. CRISTINA FERNANDES ROSA Dr. Cristina Fernandes Rosa is an artist-scholar who makes work at the intersection of dance, bodily arts, and visual culture. Rosa is currently a Visiting Professor at the School of Dance of the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil (2021/23). Dr. Rosa was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Roehampton in London (2016-2022) and at various universities in the USA (20102016), such as UC Riverside, FSU Tallahassee, Tufts University, Reed College, CalArts, CSU Chico, and UCLA. Additionally, Dr. Rosa was a Visiting Professor at the Universidade de Brasilia in Brazil (2011) and a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Freie Universität’s IRC Interweaving Performance Cultures in Berlin, Germany (2012-13). Rosa's creative practice is informed by distinct movement practices, including modern and contemporary dance forms (e.g. Release, somatic, BMC, Butoh), Afro-Diasporic forms (e.g. capoeira, Silvestre, Dunham), yoga, and meditation. In the area of visual arts, she has worked across drawing, painting, graphic arts, photography, film and live art. Rosa’s formal education includes a Ph.D. in Culture and Performance from UCLA, chaired by dance studies professor Susan L. Foster; a Master in Art from UW-Madison, chaired by performance studies professor Laurie Beth Clark; and a post-graduate specialisation in Ethnic and Racial Studies and African Culture from the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil (UFBA). This international program was led by distinguished professors such as Angela Davis and Mara Viveros Vigoya.

ASALEMO CRAWFORD Asalemo Crawford is a fifth-year graduate student with the Department of American Studies at UH Manoa. He has a BA in Cultural Anthropology for the University of Washington in Seattle, and an MA in Pacific Island Studies (CPIS) from UH Manoa, which during his time in CPIS he was an East West Graduate Fellow. He is of Samoan descent, an Ori Tahiti practitioner, and a performer in Hawai'i. He has performed in multiple touristic productions, cultural groups, and luaus in the Pacific for over 12 years. His studies focus on performance, decolonialism, and Indigenous praxis within a touristic setting.

ʻO ka lima o ka pānela, kapa ʻia hoʻi ʻo Pānela ʻElima - Performance & Literature, ua hoʻokumu ʻia i wahi e mākaʻikaʻi ai kākou i nā pilina ma waena o ka moʻolelo a me ka hana noʻeau i ka malu kaupoku hoʻi o ka hālau ʻike Hawaiʻi a ʻŌiwi. Noho pū ana kekahi o nā kāʻeʻaʻeʻa o ka poʻe e ʻimi noiʻi ana a e haku ana i nā moʻolelo, nā poema, a nā mele o kēlā ʻano kēia ʻano.

E hōʻikeʻike ana ka pānela i nā manaʻo a me nā hanana a nā mea noho pānela, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Dr. Kristiana Kahakauwila, Dr. ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui, Dr. No‘u Revilla, a me Dr. Brandy Nālani McDougall. E alakaʻi ʻia ana hoʻi ke kamaʻilio ʻana e Hiʻilani Okimura.

Pānela ʻElima - Performance & Literature is an initiatory exploration of the connections between literature and performance in the context of Hawaiian and Indigenous communities. An impressive group of researchpractitioners offer their personal experiences in this field and share their visions for its future. We welcome Dr. Kristiana Kahakauwila, Dr. ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui, Dr. No‘u Revilla, and Dr. Brandy Nālani McDougall to the stage, along with moderator Hiʻilani Okimura.

DR. KRISTINA KAHAKAUWIKA Kristiana Kahakauwila is a hapa writer of Kanaka Maoli, German, and Norwegian descent. She is the author of the award-winning story collection This is Paradise (Hogarth 2013) and the middle grade novel Clairboyance (HarperCollins 2024), both of which are set in contemporary Hawai'i. Kristiana earned a BA in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan, and she was a 2015-16 Fellow at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study. She has served as faculty at Western Washington University and the Low-Residency MFA at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and now is the Director of Creative Writing at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Currently she is at work on a historical novel set on the island of Maui.

DR. KUʻUALOHA HOʻOMANAWANUI kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui is an ʻŌiwi scholar, poet, and artist from Wailua Homesteads, Puna, Kauaʻi. She is a professor of Hawaiian Literature at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, where she specializes in Hawaiian and Pacific literatures. She is the chief editor of ʻŌiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal and director of Ka Ipu o Lono and Mana Moʻolelo, Native Hawaiian digital humanities resources of Hawaiian literature. Her first book, Voices of Fire—Reweaving the Lei of Pele and Hi‘iaka Literature (2014) won honorable mention in best new Indigenous scholarship (MLA 2017). She is a co-editor with Cristina Bacchilega and Joyce Pualani Warren on a forthcoming anthology of Pacific writing and art called An Ocean of Wonder—The Fantastic in the Pacific (University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2024). Her poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, and scholarship has been published both in Hawaiʻi and abroad.

DR. NOʻU REVILLA Noʻu Revilla is a moʻo from Maui. Born and raised with the Līlīlehua rain of Waiehu, she is an ʻŌiwi poet and educator who prioritizes gratitude, collaboration, and aloha in her practice. Her debut book Ask the Brindled (Milkweed Editions 2022) won the 2021 National Poetry Series. She also won the 2021 Omnidawn Broadside prize for her poem “Iwi hilo means thigh bone means core of one’s being.” Her work has been adapted for dance and theater productions throughout Oceania and art exhibitions for the Honolulu Museum of Art and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Noʻu teaches creative writing at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a lifetime “slyly / reproductive” student of Haunani-Kay Trask.

DR. BRANDY NĀLANI McDOUGALL From Kula, Maui, Brandy Nālani McDougall, is of Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Kauaʻi lineages), Chinese and Scottish descent. She is the author of a poetry collection, The Salt-Wind, Ka Makani Paʻakai (Kuleana ʻŌiwi Press 2008) and the co-editor of Huihui: Navigating Art and Literature in the Pacific, an anthology focused on Pacific aesthetics and rhetorics (University of Hawaiʻi Press 2014). A former Mellon and Ford postdoctoral fellow, her monograph Finding Meaning: Kaona and Contemporary Hawaiian Literature (University of Arizona Press 2016) was awarded the 2017 Beatrice Medicine Award for Scholarship in American Indian Studies and a Ka Palapala Poʻokela Honorable Mention. Aside from her scholarship and poetry, McDougall is the co-founder of Ala Press, an independent press dedicated to publishing creative works by Indigenous Pacific Islanders. In addition, she currently serves on the American Quarterly board of managing editors as well as the board of the Pacific Writers’ Connection.

McDougall is an Associate Professor specializing in Indigenous Studies in the American Studies Department. Courses she teaches in American Studies include AMST 220: Introduction to Indigenous Studies; AMST 405: Indigenous Literature and Film; and AMST 620: Indigenous Identity. She received a College of Arts and Humanities Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017. She is on sabbatical leave for the 2017-18 academic year. Her current research focuses on the rhetorics and aesthetics of Indigenous women’s activist fashion within land/water protection movements.

LILY HIʻILANI OKIMURA Lily Hiʻilani Okimura is a Kanaka Maoli actress, educator, and activist. She graduated from UH Mānoa with a Bachelor's in Theatre and minor in American Studies in May 2020, and obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree in Hawaiian Theatre in May 2023. After graduating, she has worked as a preschool teacher aide and is now currently a substitute teacher at a private school, gaining classroom and teaching experience to hopefully become a permanent, full time teacher in Hawaiian theatre. Hiʻilani also uses her platform on social media such as Tik Tok to educate her audience on Hawaiian culture, language, history, as well as current issues pertaining all indigenous people. Currently, she is part of a grassroots initiative called Operation Olive Branch, which aims to help aid Palestinian families trying to survive the ongoing aggression and violent colonization from the Israeli military and government.

NĀ Hālāwai Hoʻonaʻauao | WorkshopS

Hana Noʻeau: ʻOhe Kāpala, Hawaiian Bamboo Carving & Stamping na Nalu Andrade* Nalu Andrade shares his knowledge of ʻohe kāpala carving, a bamboo stamping instrument that is used for imprinting designs and figures on kapa, traditional Hawaiian barkcloth, and modern materials as well. Attendees will be guided through the process of making ʻohe kāpala in this unique hana noʻeau experience.

Nalu first had an interest in carving at the age of six when he was witness to the 1978 voyage of Hokulea. He borrowed carving and voyaging books from his school library and began to try to make his own canoe with items found around his home. While still in high school, he was asked to help with the lashing on Hokulea at Pier 40. During his time with Hokulea he met many artists and carvers that were involved in the new Hawaiian renaissance. Keone Nunes became his good friend, mentor, and first formal teacher; guiding Nalu in his carving and hula. Wright Bowman Jr. along with Gil Ane asked Nalu to help with the construction of Hawaii Loa; were he continued his education in carving and lashing. After high school, Nalu began making bone ko'i and makau for craft fairs and for the Bishop Museum gift shop. In 2015, Nalu created Na Maka Kahiko. Blending the old with the new; he created his hand carved ohe kapala earrings inspired by designs found at the Bishop Museum. With his business, Nalu sells not only his earrings, but also hair picks, ohe kapala stamps, bone makau and koʻi pendants, ohe hano ihu, ohe pu, and hu oeoe. Na Maka Kahiko items can be purchased at the Bishop Museum Gift Shop, Native Intelligence on Maui, Hawaiian Force in Hilo, Merrie Monarch Invitational Craft Fair, Made in Hawaii Craft Fair, and various other shops and craft fairs. Nalu also has an online store where he sells his items all over the world. Nalu also teaches his craft though workshops. He has done workshops for Punana Leo schools, Keiki o Ka Aina, Kapiolani Community College, Kamehameha Schools, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and many others. Nalu resides in Honouliuli, Ewa with his wife Lisa and their two children.

TITO WAIATA / HAKU MELE: Song Composition MĀ me TARANAKI AH-YOUNG GRACE MĀ and Taranaki Ah-Young Grace pull directly from their powerful experiences as Indigenous artists, activists, and grounded practitioners to offer workshop attendees reflections, insights, and guidance in their own practice of composition.

MĀ MĀ is a Māori independent Artist/ MC/ Producer/ Singer from Wellington, NZ. Bringing a fresh perspective to the music scene, by weaving raw lyricism with soulful melodies to her rugged nostalgic beats. She effortlessly mixes hiphop, Jazz and funk with textual atmospheres to encapsulate the sounds of Wellington. Her music reflects her passion for storytelling and self-expression, creating an unfiltered sound that leaves a lasting impact on listeners. She began writing her debut album Breakfast with Hades (2021) to understand the many stages of grief after losing her mother in 2019. Every track explores a new emotion discovered.

Through her music, MĀ pay’s homage to the rich traditions and values of Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) Te Reo Māori and The Environment on and off the stage, sharing their cultural identity and experiences through her art form.

Eager to liberate herself from the heaviness of grief. MĀ joins forces with DJ WYNONA to create the duo Iti Bubbas designing a light, fun but momentous EP called Idiot Check (2023) Which combines their love of 90s hip hop and Aotearoa hip hop. In 2022 Iti Bubbas toured nationally playing support for Avantdale Bowling Club on their Trees tour & Ice Cubes 2023 tour in NZ. MĀ & The Fly Hunnies are an extension of MĀ’s sound. This 9 band piece band connected in 2023 and drew inspiration from the vibrant music scene of Wellington. The band has garnered attention for their dynamic live shows and infectious energy, solidifying their place in their local music scene. Creating music that can contribute to the responsibilities indigenous peoples have for their communities.

TARANAKI AH YOUNG-GRACE Taranaki Ah Young-Grace (they/them) is a multidisciplinary maker, political disrupter, and academic based in te Whanganui-ā-Tara (Wellington, New Zealand) with whakapapa to Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou, Sāmoa, China, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and France. With a background in music, illustration, and theatre, they are best known for their current work as a bassist with Mā & The Fly Hunnies and their previous, DIY solo project under the moniker NahBo, where they produced two albums of neo-soul/indie-rap with a decolonial message. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Te Reo Māori and Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, they are passionate about reclaiming their indigenous language and exploring decolonial narratives to envision an Oceanic future.

HAKU POEMA: Poetry Writing MANI YANGILMAU In this two-part workshop, Mani Yangilmau guides attendees through the process of poetry composition, using their deep understanding of Indigenous performing arts and its mobility in creating, grounding, and molding movements of resistance, decolonization, and empowerment.

Mani Yangilmau is a mixed Pasifika performance artist currently living in DC. They have performed, directed, devised, and written for many stages in DC and MD. They are most proud of their work with Groundwater Arts, an Indigenous-focused nonprofit production company.

They have produced decolonizing theatre workshops occasionally since 2017, mostly based on ritual theatre, theatre of the oppressed, and workshops of La Pocha Nostra. Their goal is to produce and uplift art with and by Indigenous people of all backgrounds.

Movement: WAITING ON THE HOST: Lessons on IRL Connectivity from Our Time on Zoom JONATHAN CLARKE SYPERT In this movement session we will reflect on protocols we’ve learned from joining online spaces, then explore movement that embodies these rituals for deeper connections to our IRL selves, fellow participants, and the entities we invite into our meeting spaces.

Jonathan Clarke Sypert, “a smiling, encouraging dance teacher who makes even the most reticent students feel like they can fly” (Lee Cataluna, Star Advertiser), is from Honolulu, and an accomplished actor, dancer, singer, slam-poet, teacher, choreographer, and hip-hop artist known as iNTREPiD. Jonathan currently teaches Hip Hop Dance in the Dance Program in the UHM Department of Theatre and Dance. Jonathan has choreographed for and performed with the Hawaiʻi Shakespeare Festival, Kumu Kahua Theatre, Chaminade Theatre, HI Frequency Dance Squad, Vocal and Dance Expressions, tours of Why?, and legendary Hawaiian artist Henry Kapono. He has danced for Iona Dance Company, Tau Dance Theater, Derek Daniels Productions, and Waikiki Neī; and has appeared with Manoa Valley Theatre, Diamond Head Theatre, Army Community Theatre, and Hawaii Opera Theatre. Stage production highlights include Paul in Six Degrees of Separation, the title character in MacBeth, Hector in Troilus and Cressida, and Cole in The Underneath.

On-screen credits include appearances in Hawaii Five-O, Street Wars, and Lost. Above all else, Jonathan enjoys passing along the joys of being a lifelong learner.

HANA NOʻEAU: Hoʻokāhiko Lauoho (continuation of 1a) NALU ANDRADE In this continuation of the first workshop, attendees will continue their learning of ʻohe kāpala creation as well as the incorporation of their work into uniquely Hawaiian hair styling. (Please see Workshop 1 for more details).

TITO WAIATA / HAKU MELE (continuation of 1b) MĀ me TARANAKI In this continuation of the first workshop, attendees will continue to delve into the process of song composition under the guidance of MĀ and Taranaki. (Please see Workshop 1 for more details).

HAKU POEMA MANI YANGILMAU In the second iteration of this workshop, a new group attendees will take part in the guided-composition of original poetry under Mani Yangilmau. (Please see Workshop 1 description for more details).

COGNITIVE MOVEMENTS: Confluence of Indigenous Cosmologies, Bodygames, and Eco-somatic Practices - Dancing the Dikenga DR. CRISTINA FERNANDES ROSA The practical workshop will focus on 12 Bakongo concepts/symbols or ideograms drawn from the scholarship of Congolese philosophers -e.g.

Fu-Kiau (2001), Malomalo (2022) - on the system of thought and organization of the Kongo people, and its cosmogram (the Dikenga dia Kongo, see line drawing). As Fu-Kiau explains, the Dikenga may be understood as a type of cartography for navigating the Bantu-Kongo worldview and making sense of it. For this workshop, Dr Rosa has devised a series of creative experiments based on capoeira angola tying the Dikenga and its underlying ideograms to drawing, writing, moving and music playing tasks as means of translating abstract ideas into tangible information.

1- Energy or informational dynamics [bottom right] Minika ye minienie: waves/vibrations and radiations.

Kalunga: most elevated energy [Nzambi].

Ngolo: life force [related to warriors].

2- Relation or interactive dynamics [top right] Ubuntu: [process of] Be-being, open to the other; relational ontology or calland-response.

Makuku matato: three fireballs/sheres; triads and threefold.

"V" kia zingo: "V" of life [focusing/expanding spectrum].

3- Circulation or trajectory dynamics [top left] Dingo-dingo: Process of continuous change [of life].

Makwenda-makwîza: “What comes around, goes around”; patterns; breath work; ginga.

Luzîngo: spiral or serpentine pathways [in time and space].

4- Balance or convergence dynamics [bottom left] Yowa: Crossings and crossroads; confluence.

Kolo: Most vibrating knot [person] Kinenga: Health as dynamic equilibrium; coolness.

Dr. Cristina Fernandes Rosa is the 2024 Indigenous Environmental Justice Artistin-Residence at the Dance Program of the Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and sponsored by the SEED IDEAS grant and Roger Long Fund.

She is an artist-scholar who makes work at the intersection of dance, bodily arts, and visual culture. Rosa is currently a Visiting Professor at the School of Dance of the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil (2021/23). Dr. Rosa was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Roehampton in London (2016-2022) and at various universities in the USA (2010-2016), such as UC Riverside, FSU Tallahassee, Tufts University, Reed College, CalArts, CSU Chico, and UCLA.

alternating

3a. HANA NOʻEAU: Hulu LELEAʻE KAHALEPUNA WONG Leleaʻe Kahalepuna Wong introduces attendees to traditional Hawaiian feather working through a hands-on, guided workshop that explores the significance of this practice in Hawaiʻi’s past, present, and future.

MOVEMENT: ʻOri Tahiti Basics with Tahiti Mana MANARII & NALINI GAUTHIER Tahiti Mana founders and cultural practitioners Manarii and Nalini Gauthier introduce attendees to Tahitian dance, gifting them with a somatic exploration of Indigeneity and embodied storytelling, language, and cultural revival through this beautiful medium. No experience required.

Wear comfortable clothing.

Class may cover: Basic Technique Conditioning/Strengthening Cultural Topics Reo Tahiti (Tahitian Language) ʻŌteʻa & ʻAparima Choreography Drum Beat (Pehe) Combinations Improvisation Elevating our Body/Mind/Spirit/Community

TAHITI MANA Tahiti Mana was founded in 2011 by Manarii & Nalini but has become the vibrant dance family it is today because of all the talented and passionate individuals who share the love for Tahitian dance and culture. In 2022, Tahiti Mana were the inaugural Moananuiākea artists-in-residence, sponsored by the SEED IDEAS grant and Center for Pacific Islands Studies to address educational diversity gaps in providing embodied knowledge for peoples of Oceania. Currently, they are Lecturers of Tahitian Dance deepening connections between students of the Dance Program at Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the broader Tahitian cultural community.

MANARII GAUTHIER Manarii Gauthier is the Founder & Ra'atira (Director) of Tahiti Mana. He is also the Tane (Male) Choreographer and Dance Instructor as well as lead Musician.

Manarii, born and raised in Tahiti, was immersed in 'Ori Tahiti from birth. His mother danced with Coco Hotahota’s group, Te Maeva, for 20 years. His first dance teacher besides his mother, was the world renowned & highly respected Makau Foster of Tamariki Poerani. In school, he first performed at age 5 under the direction of legendary tane dancer, “Teve”. In 2004, he danced with Makau Foster's troupe Tamariki Poerani, for Heiva i Tahiti; and in 2005, he represented Teva i Tai in the 'Best Dancer' contest in Heiva i Tahiti. His journey to Oahu was to play golf at UH Manoa where he graduated with a B.A. and met and married fellow dancer, Nalini. In 2005, he won the title of ‘Tane Polynesia’ in Kauai. In 2008 and 2009, Manarii choreographed the tane section for the groups that went on to win 1st place overall, Heiva i Honolulu, professional division.

MANARII GAUTHIER ctd.

In 2005, he won the title of ‘Tane Polynesia’ in Kauai. In 2008 and 2009, Manarii choreographed the tane section for the groups that went on to win 1st place overall, Heiva i Honolulu, professional division. He was a performer at Magic of Polynesia from 2007-2015. Manarii won 1st Place Tane from the Polynesian Cultural Center's Tahitian Solo Invitational 2012 as well as Tane Overall at Heiva i Hawaii 2019. Sharing his culture with others has kept Manarii from missing his homeland and keeps his sons in touch with their Tahitian heritage.

NALINI GAUTHIER Nalini Gauthier is the Co-Founder of Tahiti Mana, as well as the Creative Director, Costume Designer and Vahine (Female) Choreographer and Dance Instructor. Besides over 20 years of Tahitian & Polynesian dance experience, Nalini also received a B.A. Minor Degree in Dance. She is passionate about teaching and grateful to be able to pass on the knowledge that has been graciously shared with her. Coming from a Traditional Style of Tahitian Dance, with Makau Foster being her main dance inspiration, she believes in the importance of tradition.

Studying the Tahitian language and learning ancient legends and history is important to her process and at the same time, when it is appropriate, she is not afraid to push her own boundaries and find inspiration in unexpected ways. She has been blessed to be able to tour Japan performing and has taught workshops in New Zealand, Japan, mainland US as well as around the Hawaiian islands. Her choreography is featured in Waikiki Shows and around the world from Japan to Italy, to Korea and more. She sees dance as a way to strengthen community and to invigorate an individual's body/mind. She believes performing is an honor and a gift to share with the audience.

Response to “Glitter in the Paʻakai” KAIPULAUMAKANIOLONO (moderator) Kaipulaumakaniolono offers a critical response to Thursday’s production of Glitter in the Paʻakai, analyzing its exploration of Hawaiianness, identity, sexuality, and belonging. This is a unique opportunity to engage performance as a medium to express, process, and heal.

Kaipulaumakaniolono hails from the Pali Hāuliuli o ke Koʻolau, the verdant Kahaluʻu, Oʻahu in the center of the Hawaiʻi archipelago. His studies in the MFA for Hawaiian Theatre program at UH Mānoa culminated in staging his thesis production He Leo Aloha (2021), which garnered eight national awards by the Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival. Kaipu is a practicing Moʻolono of the Makahiki practice on Kanaloa with the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana. His current research aims at developing a theory of a Hawaiian subject, a Kanaka that is overdetermined by their Kapu which deracinate them from the neoliberal Noa settler hegemony. In addition to his academic work, Kaipu composes Hawaiian chant and poetry. His vocal talents were featured at the Art of the Chanter (2017) and his latest compositions are available on Nā Palapalai’s Back to the Patch (2019) and Ikaakamai’s I Kuanoʻo (2020).

PERFORMANCES

I ka hopena o ka lā mua o ka ʻaha kūkā, e mālama ʻia ka hana keaka ʻo Glitter in the Paʻakai ma ka hale peʻa. E like nō a like ia ma nā hula, ka moʻolelo, a me nā mele me kona pukana mua, akā, e kū ana ia i kēia kahua hou, ʻo ia hoʻi ka i kūkulu ʻia ma lalo o ka hale peʻa.

To close the first day of our inaugural conference, our feature performance of Glitter in the Paʻakai will take place in our Outdoor Venue. This special remount performance will bring the same ʻohana, hula, moʻolelo, and mele as seen in its original run, but will offer a new iteration in a new space under the canopy of the outdoor tent.

NO KA HANA KEAKA: After moving away nearly a decade ago, Kaʻōnohi reluctantly returns home to attend his nephew’s first birthday lūʻau in Hōnaunau, Kona. No longer separated by the vast distance, Kaʻōnohi must examine his fragile relationship with his family members who are struggling with their own precarious reality. Hula and mele are at the heart of this story, revealing the polarizing complexities of this Hawaiian ʻohana as they navigate loss, identity and healing. This hana keaka production will be performed in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, with some English and Hawaiian Creole English.

View the Playguide for more information on the original production.

CAST in order of appearance MOM - Leleaʻe “Buffy” Kahalepuna-Wong HIAPO - Pono Cummings KAʻŌNOHI - Kaipo Dudoit ‘ĀNELA - Noelani Montas* ALFIE - Armando Molina Gómez

‘OHANA ENSEMBLE alphabetically by performer's last name KĀNE (HIAPO†) - Elijah Apulu KAʻIMI - Landon Ballesteros AUNTY KUʻUIPO - Mika Pualilelile Cox BABY KAHALIʻAALOHA: Andre Jr. Gaisoa NANEA - Maile Kalama KEONI (ALFIE†) - Bryce Kekoapilialoha Linsangan UNCLE GENO (KAʻŌNOHI†) - Ikaika Mendez* WEHI (‘ĀNELA†) - Wahinepōʻaimoku Nahale-a KAUʻI - Pualalea Panaewa AUNTY SHERRY - Christine “Tini” Paletu’a Shimasaki KAʻENA - Anneliese Wirsching

PRODUCTION STAFF & DESIGN TEAM Assistant Director: Sheila Miles Musical Director: Taisamasama Kaiminaauao-Eteuati Hula/Mele/Language Alakaʻi (Leader): Ikaika Mendez Hula Choreographer: Kumu Kuʻuipo Tavares Stage Manager: Kekela Oku-Fernandez Scenic Designer: Antonio Hernandez Lighting Designer: Christopher Patrinos Costume Designer: Kaʻiukapu Baker

I pani ʻia ka lā hope loa o ka ʻaha kūkā, e mālama ʻia ana kahi pukana hou ʻo Ka Pō Leʻa o Halāliʻi i ʻike mua ʻia i Nowemapa, MH 2023. Aia ana hoʻi ia ma ka hale peʻa. I ia pō o ka haku poema a haku mele hou, e loaʻa hou ana nā haku poema, nā puʻukani, a me nā haumana mai ʻō a ʻō o ka Moananuiākea.

To close the second day and final day of our inaugural conference, our feature performance of Ka Pō Leʻa o Halāliʻi will take place in our Outdoor Venue. This evening of original poetry and music builds off of our first iteration of Ka Pō Leʻa o Halāliʻi in November 2023, and will again feature students and artists from across Oceania.

The night begins with a poetry readings and is followed by new compositions from students from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa as seen in the first iteration of this event. These new compositions were developed under the mentorship of Tawaroa Kawana, Hera Hanita-Paki, Mā, and Taranaki Ah Young-Grace.

Later, we are again treated to a special performance Waiata Māori, brought by Mā & Taranaki of Mā and the Fly Hunnies.

Finally, the night is culminates with original Hawaiian band These Guys, featuring Ikaakamai, Ka‘ikena Scanlan, Sensual Cocoa and Doctah Feel.

No Halāli‘i Chief Halāli‘i reigned over the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau and was known as a true patron of the arts. Historically, performing arts events known as Ka Pō Le‘a o Halāli‘i (a night of entertainment) were dedicated in his name. Ka Pō Le‘a o Halāli‘i featured song, dance, storytelling, and games. The Hawaiian Theatre Program continues to honor chief Halāli‘i through its series of guest kumu, Ka Unulau o Halāli‘i, as well as the annual Ka Pō Le‘a o Halāli‘i showcase of original student work.

Halāli‘i is also a lake on the island of Ni‘ihau.

THESE GUYS ʻIKAʻAKA NĀHUEWAI - IKAAKAMAI ʻIkaʻaka Nāhuewai is an educator and PhD student in Indigenous and Hawaiian Performance Studies at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Hailing from the winds and rains of Hilo and Puna Hawaiʻi, this scholarly artist has a M.A. in Hawaiian Language and Literature with research in contemporary Hawaiʻian language music and an emphasis on Hawaiʻian reggae. He is also “Ikaakamai,” a live and studio musician/songwriter/composer/producer and studio engineer that has over 25 self and collaborative productions. Popular releases including “He Noho Papa” (2020), “Aloha ʻĀina Meds” (2021) and recent release “Puʻuwai Kahe Like” (2024) that can be found on all digital media outlets. He is also a curriculum developer and multimedia producer for Hale Kuamoʻo, the Hawaiian language center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

KAʻIKENA SCANLAN Former teacher at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and full-time farmer, Kaʻikena Scanlan now embraces the stage to educate his audience and cultivate awareness. He and his band, These Guys, perpetuate the heart of roots reggae music through the concepts and values of Hawaiian culture. On lead vocals and guitar, Kaʻikena crafts meaningful messages and displays an exciting showcase of Hawaiian Creole English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Such craftsmanship can be witnessed in hit tunes such as “He Kanaka” (2016), “Smoke All Day” (2018), and “Hawai’i Aloha” (2023).

JALEN BALUNSO Born & raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, Jalen started playing music from an early age. He’s been playing reggae bass for the last 15+ years & is living his dream as the bass player of These Guys. He has backed various artists such as Eli Mac, Wehilei, BET, Tenelle, Ilona Irvine, Pati & Norm to name a few. In his free time he enjoys fishing, working out, & laughing at/sharing memes with his friends.

PAUL BATTAD - SENSUAL COCOA “Hi Im Pawl!” Paul is entering his 19th year in the Hawaii music scene as a drummer and multiinstrumentalist. He has also been a touring musician since 2016 and is now currently the drummer for These Guys.

TAWAZ Wairarapa)

TAWAROA

KAWANA

(Rangitāne,

Tawaroa Kawana is a graduate of Mana Tamariki Te Kōhanga Reo me Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, the first Māori immersion school established in 1989. He is a life-long member of Te Piringa Kapa Haka. In 2012 Tawaroa’s vocals garnnered national attention on New Zealand’s Got Talent. As a composer, producer, and ensemble member of Maimoa and most recently Tini Whetū, Tawaroa uses waiata reo Māori to embrace and connect with his culture and people. Tini Whetū’s documentary about the making of single Tū Mai Rā was released as a part of the Waiata Anthems Matariki.

His creative artistry utilizes waiata as a vehicle to heal and uplift his people, placing special focus on issues of mental health. Tawaroa is a multidisciplined artist who often serves as a reo adviser and composes and translates waiata for independent artists like Stan Walker.

HERA HANITA-PAKI Wairarapa)

(Muaūpoko,

Ngāti

Porou,

Hera Hanita-Paki is a graduate of Kōhanga Leo me Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Waipupu o Punahau. Hera is the first in her family to go straight through Reo Māori immersion education. She is a life-long member of Te Piringa Kapa Haka.

Te Piringa set her foundation in the practice of Waiata and Haka.

Hera considers herself a multi-creative and is an emmerging artist who has been featured on TAWAZ and Tini Whetū’s recent albums. Hera is also an entrepenure in the beauty industry of Aotearoa, embracing Te Ao Māori to enhance and nurture true beauty for Wāhine Māori.

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session Mai ka hola 12:00pm a i ka hola 1:00pm, kono ʻia nā mea a pau e uhaele mai i kekahi hanana i māama ʻia i wā no ka hōʻikeʻike ʻana i ka ʻimi noiʻi, i wā hoʻi no ka poʻe haumana o ka Hana Keaka, ka Hulahula, a me ka Hana Noʻeau e hoʻopahola mai i kā lākou papahana e ʻimi noiʻi ʻia ana. ʻOiai, ʻaʻole nō e lōʻihi aku, e lilo auaneʻi lākou ʻo nā alakaʻi o kēia hana, eia kahi wā e launa pū ai me nā haumāna From 12:00pm to 1:00pm on Friday, all conference attendees are encouraged to attend a special event we have designed to highlight the incredible research of UH Mānoa students in Theatre & Dance and other fields of study. As the future leaders of this field, this poster session demarcates a setting upon which attendees will be able to engage with these new, yet powerful voices, and learn, make connections, and give advice in direct conversation. Of course, food and refreshments will be provided for all who attend.

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session Students from DNCE 450: Indigenous Dance Studies

WĀ HŌʻIKEʻIKE HANA ʻIMI NOIʻI | Poster Session

HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM The MFA in Hawaiian Theatre was established in 2014 with its inaugural mainstage production being Lāʻieikawai (2015).

Lāʻieikawai was also, in fact, the very first production of any sort of Hawaiian content to be featured on Kennedy’s mainstage over a half a century after its founding. The program includes courses on the history of theatre in Hawai‘i, the study and analysis of indigenous Hawaiian theatre, and training in both traditional and contemporary Hawaiian performance forms. Original hana keaka productions reflect and honor the language, traditions, history and values of Kānaka Maoli. A primary focus of the program is to grow practitioners of hana keaka; actors, playwrights, directors, designers, technicians, and patrons in order to grow the profession of hana keaka. Through the vision and intentions of Ka Hālau Hanakeaka, a Hawaiian-medium theatre troupe founded by Hailiʻōpua and Kaliko Baker, coupled with the curriculum and productions of the Hawaiian Theatre Program, our hui continues to serve the community and build capacity in the discipline of Hawaiian theatre. Ua ao Hawaiʻi, ke ʻōlino nei.

To watch previous Hana Keaka Productions, visit the Nā Keaka page.

Visit the Hana Keaka website for more information on the program.

HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM

HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM

HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM

HAWAIIAN THEATRE PROGRAM

PhD IN HAWAIIAN & INDIGENOUS PERFORMANCE Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance is the newest concentration for the PhD degree in Theatre, building upon the Hawaiian Theatre MFA program that was established in 2014. Doctoral study in Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance centers performance practices of Hawaiʻi in a global context through the study of indigenous performance traditions, indigenous methodologies and concepts, as well as indigenous language, culture, politics, history, environment, and sustainability. The Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance track serves our Hawaiʻi community by providing an academic program born out of a commitment to turn the Department of Theatre and Dance into a Hawaiian place of learning, and the desire to elevate Hawaiʻi and our unique knowledge systems here for generations to come. Although Indigenous Studies degree programs have begun to materialize across the globe, this track in our doctoral program is the only one of its kind focusing primarily on performance.

Visit the Department website for more information on admissions.

Download the PhD Informational Guide for more details.

NĀ MEA E HIKI MAI ANA | UPCOMING EVENTS

NĀ MEA E HIKI MAI ANA | UPCOMING EVENTS CAATA ConFest, May 24-28 2024 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Hana Keaka, The Hawaiian Theatre Program in Department of Theatre and Dance, at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, in partnership with TeAda Productions., and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists will host the Seventh National Asian American Theater Conference & Festival (ConFest) on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi from May 24 – 28, 2024.

CONFEST 2024 will focus on celebrating new works by Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), Pacific Islander, and local Asian American theater practitioners.

We are restructuring CONFEST so that attendees can enjoy multiple live performances at our host venue UH Mānoa Theatre Department and our partner theatres in Honolulu over the weekend. Following the weekend, in lieu of panels, attendees are invited to participate in consequential conversations, workshops and attend staged-readings.

CAATA ConFest is a biennial theatre festival & conference that gathers AAPI, MENA, SWANA, Native, & Indigenous artists nationwide.

Link to eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/confest-2024-kuu-ainakuu-piko-kuu-kahua-reconnecting-and-rebuilding-tickets-806957099407

NĀ MEA E HIKI MAI ANA | UPCOMING EVENTS

Jonathan Y. Okamura Undergraduate Student Endowed Scholarship Three one-year, non-renewable, $1,000 scholarships will be awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year to undergraduate students from Hawai‘i attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Please see the scholarship requirements listed below to determine if you qualify. Information on the scholarship is available at https://scholarships.uhfoundation.org/scholarships/schol arship_detail.aspx?acct=12992302 To apply, please write and submit a one-page letter that indicates how you meet each of the scholarship requirements listed below. Devote most of your effort to those concerning academic merit and financial need.

1. Graduate of a public high school in Hawai‘i 2. Full-time undergraduate student at UH Mānoa 3. Academic merit 4. Financial need 5. Demonstrated interest in Filipino or Filipino American culture (e.g., member of a Filipino club, taken a course on Filipinos or a Philippine language).

Please send your application letter as an attachment by March 15, 2024 via email to the Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED) Office at seed@hawaii.edu. In the subject area, write “Jonathan Y. Okamura Endowed Scholarship.”

HE LEO MAHALO | GRATITUDES He mahalo palena ʻole kēia i ka poʻe i kākoʻo nui ma ka hoʻolālā ʻana, ma ke kūkulu ʻana, a ma ka hāʻawi ʻana i ka manawa, ka lima, a me ke aho i ka holo pono ʻana o kēia ʻaha kūkā. Eia ma lalo iho nā kānaka o ke kākoʻo nui ʻana mai.

We extend our deepest gratitudes to all those who helped in the planning and building of this conference, to those who gave their time, their labor, and their breath to its complete fruition. We mahalo: The Office of Provost Michael Bruno for selecting ANNO as a Strategic Investment Initiative and for their continued support of our endeavors.

Dean of CALL Peter Arnade and his office, especially Administrative Officer Dawn Wakamura and Fiscal Officer Sandee Toma.

Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance Markus Wessendorf, the department faculty and staff, especially Lindsey Rice, Lori Chun, Justin Fragiao, Jessica Jacob, Christine Lamborn, and Hannah Shauer.

KA HUI HOʻOLĀLĀ | CONFERENCE PLANNING TEAM NĀ KUMU | FACULTY T. Hailiʻōpua Baker - Professor and Director, Hawaiian Theatre Program, Dept. of Theatre & Dance, CALL Christopher Kekoa Patrinos - Assistant Professor, Dept. of Theatre & Dance, CALL Lorenzo Perillo - Associate Professor, Dept. of Theatre & Dance, CALL, Co-Director, Center for Philippine Studies Maile Speetjens - Associate Professor, Dept. of Theatre & Dance, CALL NĀ LIMAHANA | STAFF Noelani Montas - Graduate Assistant, ANNO Web/Media Publicity Development Sonny Kuehuikapono Seto Myers - Graduate Assistant, ANNO Research Assistant Kaneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua Baker - Graduate Assistant, Hawaiian Theatre Program Iāsona Kaper - Graduate Assistant, ANNO Research Assistant, 2023 THE CAST OF GLITTER IN THE PAʻAKAI & WRITER, DIRECTOR JOSHUA KAMOANI‘ALA BABA TAVARES ALL VOLUNTEERS PANELISTS, WORKSHOP LEADERS, & PERFORMERS And mahalo to all of you for being a part of this celebration of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance here for Noi‘i Nowelo.

Feedback FORM Please use THIS FORM to provide us feedback on the event! Mahalo nui in advance!

MARCH 14 AND 15, 2024 UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT mānoa kennedy theatre

OFFICIAL PROGRAM