Earlier this spring, Flamenco Vivo had the incredible opportunity to spend two weeks in Hawai‘i—a first for the Company! Following four performances of Quinto Elemento and a series of masterclasses at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea, and the Hawai‘i Theatre Center in Honolulu, we returned to the Big Island for three unforgettable days of cross-cultural exchange between flamenco and hula.

Our first morning began on the UH Hilo campus with Pelehonuamea and Kekoa Harman, Kumu Hula of Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo for a session on their hula lineage, oral tradition and the importance of relationships (familial/and non-familial) in passing down the art forms. 

Pele is UH Hilo’s inaugural director of Native Hawaiian engagement and Kekoa is an Associate Professor of Hawaiian Studies and Language. They’ve dedicated their lives to the revitalization of Hawaiian language and culture and as revered practitioners of their art form, it was incredible to learn from them first hand.

Pele shared her hula lineage and how the practice was passed down to her by way of her great grandmother Mary Kawena Pukui. Pele then translated A Hilo Au, one of the melé (chants) and taught us the dance that accompanies it. She explained the significance of each stanza and how it relates to Hilo and the Big Island – the ʻŌhiʻa Lehua (a vibrant red flower known for its ability to thrive in volcanic landscapes), a plain in Haili inhabited by birds, the deadly man holes in the river at Wailuku, and more. These chants not only tell a story or describe a place but they pass down wisdom and warnings and are a central component of hula’s oral history.

Information flowed through many channels that morning – in spoken language translated from Native Hawaiian, to English, to Spanish, and back – but also through gaze, vocalization in the chanting and the physical gestures that help tell the story.

Afterwards, Flamenco Vivo’s artists improvised por bulerias and answered questions about flamenco’s structure and cultural history. We continued the discussion informally over a delicious lunch and got to learn more about the students who study at the halau.

That afternoon, we headed back to the Performing Arts Center where Flamenco Vivo performed a lecture demonstration for University students and audience members who had attended our performance of Quinto Elemento the previous week. Lorena Franco led a dance workshop for the UH Hilo Dance students where they learned a letra por tangos and had a chance to perform for each other accompanied by guitarist Antonio Gonzalez and singer Manuel Soto. That evening, the Dance Department students showcased Haliʻa Aloha No Kaimu by faculty member Kea Kapahua and The Last Oʻo, a collaborative choreography created by the students.

The next morning, Kea and the students took us to Kaimu Beach, an area south of Hilo on the Big Island that was completely covered by lava flow during the 2018 eruption. This was Kea’s home and the place referenced in the choreography we saw the night before. She shared more about the history of Kaimu, her family’s connections there and how the land influenced her work. She taught us some basic chants connected with the waves and the students performed the chants they used in the choreography. During this visit we learned that one of the UH Hilo students was originally from New York City and participated in Flamenco Vivo’s arts education programs at Repertory Company High School with Teaching Artist Arielle Rosales. It was incredible to discover that connection over 4,800 miles away from home!

On the final day, The Company was taken on a tour of Volcano National Park led by UH Hilo Geology Professor and Vulcanologist Cheryl Gansecki, PhD. and Kama, a cultural expert/geology student. Although Kīlauea—the only currently active volcano in Hawai‘i—had been erupting periodically since December (with two episodes occurring during our stay!), there was no eruption happening during our tour. Still, we viewed the caldera and watched steam rise from active vents, learned about Pele’s hair—a delicate volcanic glass formed during eruptions—and explored the Thurston Lava Tube.

This experience profoundly deepened our understanding of hula, Native Hawaiian culture, and language, while also offering moving points of connection to flamenco. We are deeply grateful to the artists, scholars, and students who welcomed us with such warmth and aloha. Their generosity in sharing their stories, their art, and their histories touched us deeply, and their open-hearted spirit will stay with us always. Mahalo, mil gracias y hasta la próxima!

A special thank you to Lee Barnette-Dombroski for coordinating the entire exchange and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation for the financial resources to make this possible.