Kumu Ab Valencia. Photo by Dino Morrow, courtesy of Volcano Art Center.
Volcano Art Center (VAC) will offer a unique hula workshop series led by Kumu Ab Valencia, “Hula Pele” in celebration of the annual Merrie Monarch festival.
Classes will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 9, 16, and 23, from 4 to 5 p.m. at VAC’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.
Kumu Valencia will teach oli and mele hula that pay homage to Pele and her home at Kīlauea. Students will learn basic hula steps and hand motions telling the story of Pele, as well as costuming and how to make hula adornments. On the last day, students will give a traditional hula performance to Pele.
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No prior experience is necessary and classes are suitable for anyone ages 15 and up who have a curiosity about Pele and indigenous cultural practices.
The fee for this four-session workshop is $200, including all plant materials and hula adornments. Students may be responsible for pā’ū hula (hula skirt for men and women), and are asked to bring a notebook and pen.
Register online or call Volcano Art Center at (808) 967-8222.
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Kumu Ab Valencia is a Honolulu native who began dancing hula in 1979. In 2004, Valencia and his wife moved from Honolulu to Volcano, Hawai‘i, where Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu ma Kilauea began in March 2006. Kumu Ab currently teaches hula in Volcano.
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