HONOLULU — The iconic Kodak Hula Show ran in Waikiki for 65 years before shutting down in 2002. Tourists and kamaaina alike remember watching dancers perform to “Lovely Hula Hands,” “I Ali'i No 'Oe,” “Kaimana Hila,” and other Hawaiian songs. Sometimes the hula dancers were even members of their families.
“My grandmother used to perform in Waikiki, and that’s the same for many of us local families,” said Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Chief Executive Director Kuhio Lewis at a news conference Thursday. “We all have a connection to Waikiki.”
Standing behind large red-and-yellow letters that read “Kilohana” and were reminiscent of the signage used during the Kodak Hula Show, Lewis announced that free hula performances will be returning to Waikiki.
The Kilohana Hula Show, which is inspired by the Kodak Hula Show, will occur Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The first performance will be on Feb. 15 at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell’s smaller adjoining amphitheater.
“Kilohana” is a Hawaiian word for the outer layer of a decorative kapa, but Lewis said, “metaphorically it represents the finest Hawaii has to offer.”
Lewis said he remembers when Hawaiian music and hula could be heard and seen “almost anywhere in Waikiki.” He said it was the tourism division of CNHA’s kuleana to bring that back to Waikiki.
The Kilohana Hula Show was created through a partnership with the nonprofit Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Honolulu City and County. CNHA is underwriting $125,000 a month for the Kilohana Hula Show that the non-profit raised through private donations.
The idea for the show first germinated almost three years ago, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. He said the show would proceed, despite objections from the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, a nonprofit focused on keeping the park free and open to the public.
“It's still being challenged legally, but we're gonna go ahead,” said Blangiardi. “We believe it is permissible.”
Spectrum News reached out to the KPPS for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Blangiardi, who moved to Hawaii in 1965 to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, remembers watching the Kodak Hula Show.
“There was always a crowd,” said Blangiardi, when speaking to Spectrum News Hawaii. He said the Kodak Hula Show used to have 2,000 people in attendance.
“We want to really showcase the best level of talent. I'm excited about that. It's not like a low-level commercial thing. This is tied deeply to a cultural statement,” said Blangiardi. “We're doing this for the right reasons. It's free. It’s at Kapiolani Park. It’s in Waikiki. When Kodak went broke, is the only reason why it ended before.”
The show will include 18 dancers from at least six award-winning halau, including the winner of the 2023 Merrie Monarch hula competition, four musicians, a chanter and an emcee.
The visionary behind the Kilohana Hula Show, Hawaii Entertainment Productions's Roy Tokujo, said the show will be an opportunity to tell the story of Hawaii’s culture and history.
“The culture and the history of Hawaii is embedded in its music and its chants, and that's what we want to bring to life,” said Tokujo, who will work with CNHA to produce the show.
He also said the show will include kupuna.
“We're bringing kupunas into that show, so they have an opportunity to share their talent as well as share their aloha to all the visitors,” said Tokujo.
Kimo Kahoano, who was an emcee for the Kodak Hula Show and is well-known as an emcee for the Merrie Monarch Festival, is one of those kupuna; he will return as an emcee for the new hula show. He became emotional, remembering the beautiful Hawaiian dancers and talented musicians from the original hula show.
“I have to cry. Not tears of sadness, tears of joy,” said Kahoano.
He told Spectrum News Hawaii it was a full-circle moment to be part of the heritage of the Kodak Hula Show and now to be part of the Kilohana Hula Show.
“You never realize what’s going to happen in your future,” he said.
Along with the hula show, CNHA tapped Rick Barboza, a Native Hawaiian plant specialist and co-owner of Hui Ku Maoli Ola, to transform green spaces at the Waikiki Shell by reintroducing 500 Native Hawaiian and Polynesian-introduced plants. These will include kalo, ulu, milo and more.
CNHA also plans to open a shop full of locally made products through its existing marketplace, the Pop-Up Makeke.
As for traffic congestion around the free hula events, CNHA hopes to reduce this by working with the City and private partners to promote the use of public transportation and to encourage walking from hotels by placing maps and signage in Waikiki.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information about who is paying for the free the hula show and how much it will cost. (Jan. 19, 2024)