SOPHIA MUNOZ

Aloha I’m Sophia Aka (Sophie)!

Hula has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Dancing since the age of 4, practice was something I looked forward to every week! My summers were filled with weekends at the hālau and hanging out with my Hula sisters or going Holo Holo with my Kumu. The hālau was my second home.

Growing up in the Bay Area, hula was the only exposure to my Hawaiian culture. Born and raised on the Big Island my grandmother did not dance much, but my grandfather was a wonderful singer and guitarist who sang Hawaiian and Puerto Rican music.

My mom enrolled me in all kinds of activities. Ballet, tap dance, t-ball and even soccer. However I loved nothing more than hula. As a Keiki I remember begging my mom to take me early to class to be able to watch the Wahine class. I would admire the dances they did and tried to follow while dancing in the corner dreaming of dancing with them one day.

I thrived as a Keiki, Kaikamahine and eventually a Wahine and began competing at the age of 14. Summer time was dedicated to dance competitions and Hawaiian festivals. Competing in Kiki Raina, Heiva I Reno, Ka La Hula I Reno, Ia Oe Ka La and ending every summer with Aloha Festival.

My mom has been my biggest supporter in my dance life.

Driving me back and forth for practices night and day, even driving long distances for multiple dance competitions and workshops. Doing everything she could do to pay my tuition even when money was tight because she knew how much I LOVED to dance.

If you know my mom, you know she’s a cryer (sorry in advance mom).

She never fails to shed a tear when I take any stage. Since I was a Keiki she always told me I had something special (any parent would say that about their kids lol) but to her it’s because I always danced from the heart. There’s a difference when a dancer just dances versus a dancer that DANCES (if you know you know). You can just feel their mana, the trance they go into as they embody a dance and tell the story from within.

I owe a lot to hula as it is a part of my daily life and way of life. It has taught me self discipline and confidence. It was my first source of income as a teenager doing summer gigs and has brought me amazing opportunities that the little hula girl in me had one day dreamt of and most of all, friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

Fast forward to 2018, my childhood Hālau had suddenly closed and I had to make a decision. Stop dancing or find another Hālau. It just so happened that AHA was having their yearly open enrollment with 2 weekends left to sign up. After much thought, I took a chance and went after my Ohana recommended that I check it out. They were confident that with my potential and drive that the Academy of Hawaiian Arts would be the place for me.

They were right.....

After my first class and seeing the pro team dance I WAS HOOKED. I remember going home and telling my mom all about it. I felt overwhelmed as I thought to myself - “OMG did i really just sign up, did I make the right choice..... am I wrong for doing this?”.

After calming down I decided to YouTube videos of AHA with my mom.

As I showed her videos of AHAs past Merrie Monarch videos I remember telling her, “I’m going to be on that stage one day ...”

Long behold In 2020 I was offered the opportunity to train for Merrie Monarch and boy was I in for it! The training was intense. Blood, sweat and tears was an understatement - talk about mental!! It was a personal journey that was life changing. Unfortunately that journey ended as the world changed overnight. I remember getting the news with the team that Merrie Monarch was canceled due to the pandemic and just sat in disbelief. We tried to heal our sadness with comfort food at a local diner not knowing it would be 4 years till we all danced together again.

The Come Back......

Summer of 2022 I got an email that the halau was reopening and thought I was dreaming. I called up my hula sisters in a panic and said, “check your email NOW!”. It was an emotional day walking back into the hālau for our first practice. Within months we were in full motion, but boy were we out of shape (I was constantly frustrated thinking, I used to do this all the time?!? Why am I breathing so hard!!)

Fast forward a little over a year later we are training for Merrie Monarch again. As my hula brothers and sisters and I begin this journey once again we are going in with an open mind, older and maybe with a few extra pounds Hehehehe! But we are eager to pound and complete our journey this time.