Academy Of Hawaiian Arts Classes Hali'a Aloha Haumāna Contact

ALYSON AU

Aloha, I’m Alyson! 

Like many others in this group, my first taste of hula was as a little girl trying to get in touch with my family’s Hawaii roots. I remember feeling challenged but determined having come from recreational dance classes that were all about fun, to being in a more regimented activity and adding in foreign elements such as oli, ‘olelo, and building a deeper understanding of the dances we were taught.
 

Over the years, Hālau became home and my hula sisters, aunties, and uncles became ‘ohana.

Dancing along at the back of the room, I hoped one day to be as strong and confident a dancer to take the stage in Hilo alongside them.

 

At seventeen, I finally felt sure enough of my dancing abilities, but was also about to graduate high school and (dramatic teenage me) couldn’t fathom the idea of being away for weeks in Hawaii and missing out on crucial highlights of senior year. 

 

I chose to step away from dancing, later realizing what a mistake I had made as I moved away for college, heartbroken from missing my last opportunity to “make the line”.  

 

Fast forward a decade, I was on the hunt for a post-pandemic hobby. Before I knew it I was sitting on the floor for my first class at AHA and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

To start back at step one and dive back into the very basics of hula a decade later has been eye opening. Having grown up in a hālau rooted in “tradition”, I’ve appreciated the perspective and insight that Kumu Mark brings to the topic and how he drives our class discussions in an intentional way to be relevant to the current curriculum. Learning to dance as a keiki, I would just mimic what I saw until I looked the same and didn’t give much thought into the mechanics of how my body was moving. My new found self awareness as an adult and the attention to technique enforced at the Academy has been foundational in helping me to re-learn best practices as a dancer, especially in the moments when the instructions feel like they’re going against everything ever previously ingrained in me. It was at first intimidating to dance in the presence of haumana who have been part of AHA for decades, but everyone’s welcoming eagerness to help us succeed quickly dissolved that.

 

While my 2024 Merrie Monarch journey has been a learning curve, I feel very lucky to have this unexpected opportunity and am ready to give it my all. A quote I hold close in times like these is, “there is no such thing as bumps in the road-- that is the road,” as a reminder that if we are headed towards an extraordinary destination, challenge is inevitable. What matters most is our dedication to overcome these hurdles and stay our best selves along the way.

I am forever thankful to my first Kumu, Kapua Dalire-Moe and my Kalaniākea hula sisters for the influence they’ve had on my life leading up to the present. As I think into the future, I am equally grateful for the joy, encouragement, and fulfillment that dancing with AHA has brought me and am so excited for all that is to come.

Thank you for supporting the Academy of Hawaiian Arts and our journey to Merrie Monarch!