KOZUE MITSTUNARI
Aloha kÄkou!
Here's a story about a little Japanese girl growing up in Hawaii dancing hula. And this story...you guessed it, is about me šĀ
Ā My hula life began at the age of 9 but it started off with me being "forced" to go to class. Growing up, I was a dancer of all sorts (ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop) and I was always told by my family that I should dance hula because we lived in Hawaii. But I imagined hula to be this slow boring dance, maybe because all of the hula dances that I've seen or the May Day performances that I've participated in were slower songs so I assumed that hula would be boring.
Ā just "try it out".
One day my mom decided to take me to my best friend's halau to just "try it out". I did not want to go because I knew that I wouldn't be placed in the same class as my friend since she was a lot more advanced, instead I would be placed in the beginners keiki class. But it was at this class that I saw all the upbeat dances and the more classes I attended, I realized how fun it was.
My Kumu (Kamalei Sataraka of Hui 'O Kamalei in Oahu) was known for her comical, flamboyant, and unique style of dancing and I absolutely fell in love with hula.
From then on, hula became my LIFE! Over the years, I performed in monthly shows at the Aloha Tower, Ward Warehouse and private shows, competed in numerous competitions and like most hula dancers, it was my dream to one day dance on that prestigious stage at the Merrie Monarch! But that dream came to a stop in 2005 when two of my biggest hula supporters/influencers suddenly passed away; my Kumu and my Grandfather. My Grandfather was my biggest supporter and fan of hula, he would fly out from Japan for every big performance or competition that I danced in so when they both passed away, it was a shock and it affected my love for hula. I could no longer dance because every time I did, it would remind me of them both and I would become an emotional wreck. What was once a happy moment in my life, hula became a sad memory. A few years later, I moved away from Hawaii for college and hula just became a thing of my past. But every time I watched a performance or even listened to Hawaiian music including Kumzā albums, something inside me just didnāt feel right. I felt empty inside and I felt like something was missing.
Fast forward to June 2022, I moved from New York City to the Bay Area and decided to get back into hula.
I looked up the Academy of Hawaiian Arts and much to my surprise, the halau was reopening post pandemic so I signed up for a class to again ātry it outā. And just like the first time, I fell back in love with hula.
It was surreal being in the class seeing Kumz in front of me and even calling my name because to me, Kumz is a celebrity; I grew up dancing to many of his songs. So now Iām realizing that Kumz has always been a part of my life š
Even though Iāve had about a 15yr pause, thanks to Kumz and AHA, I am once again back on this journey to pursue my dream to dance at the Merrie Monarch. Iām fortunate that I have this second chance and taking this as a once in a lifetime opportunity because not every hula dancer gets to be on that stage! I want to do this not just for myself but for all those who have supported me thus far. I know thereās a long journey ahead of me but I am ready to take on that challenge and I am putting my 100% into this!
As my late Kumu Kamalei instilled in me, I wonāt just go out there and dance but I will get out there and DANCE!
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