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WHAT'S NEWSubscribe to The New Moon, ACTA's Monthly E-Newsletter. See the latest edition of The New Moon. An Apprenticeship in Hawai’ian Hula
Master artist Kawika Keikiali`ihiwahiwa Alfiche (right) and By Kawika Keikiali`ihiwahiwa Alfiche and Maka Aniciete Editor’s Note: Master artist Kumu Hula Kawika Keikiali`ihiwahiwa Alfiche and apprentice Maka Aniciete are current participants in the Alliance’s Apprenticeship Program, and have been working on the preservation of different types of chant, the tradition of hula pahu (dances associated with the shark-skinned drum) and the making of certain hula implements. From the mind of the master: Aloha mai kakou (greetings all)! My name is Kawika Keikiali`ihiwahiwa Alfiche and I am the Kumu Hula (teacher of hula) of Halau o Keikiali`i, a traditional hula group based locally in South San Francisco, for 15 years now. I am a Kumu Hula as well as a Native Practitioner of all things Hawaiian, which involves: lei-making, native plants, land cultivation and harvest, crafts, implements, and art. I am haumana (student) of Kumu Hula Rae Kahikilaulani Fonseca of Hilo, Hawai`i. His lineage of hula includes Uncle Henry Mo`ikeha Pa and Uncle George Lanakilakeikiahiali`i Naope who learned from many Kumu, including Mary Ahiena Kekuewa (Momma Fuji`i), Lokalia Montgomery and Thomas Hiona to name a few. Before I fell under Kumu Rae, I was haumana of Tiare Maka Olanolan-Clifford and Aunty Harriet Keahilihau- Spalding. I am part of the first ‘Uniki (traditional graduation for Kumu Hula) of Kumu Rae, who has been teaching for some 30 years. As teachers, it is important to know the Kumu of our own Kumu because they are the guiding lights in our search for knowledge and whose flame burns brightly in our path of life through the hula. Without them, we would not exist as these lineages take us back to the beginning of Hula itself. Not too long ago, learning hula would be mostly a one on one kind of learning – Kumu ia Haumana (master to apprentice). My Kumu, Rae Kahikilaulani Fonseca, actually lived with his Kumu (Uncle George Naope) for 3 years in his late teens so his learning was day and night. Sometimes Uncle George would get up in the middle of the night and be inspired to pass on some kind of lesson to Kumu Rae – a dance, a chant, or perhaps a style of lei making. Today, hula is learned mostly in masses. Although this process of learning is fine, it often lacks the personal connection and the full attention of both the Kumu and Haumana. I have heard of some classes or workshops (in Japan of all places) having upwards of 1,000 participants with just one teacher. Wow! This is amazing to me as I try to envision the Kumu calling out corrections, “Hey you… 14th row back and 3rd one on the left, please lift your arm higher.” I am truly amazed. Either way, hula must be taught on every level – but especially on the master-apprentice level, which is a rarity in this day and age. People often ask me how we continue hula here in San Francisco. My response is always that I have excellent Kumu and mentors, and I fly home to the Motherland [Hawai`i] as much as possible. At our halau in South San Francisco, my haumana are also involved with the cultivation of our small piece of land where we grow native plants that we use in dancing hula. Some of the plants are considered kinolau (vegetable bodies) of certain gods and goddesses. We pay particular attention with certain plants, especially that of one of our Hula goddesses, Laka. Some of these plants will be used in the lole (clothing), kupe`e and lei (adornments) of Maka Aniciete at her public Ho`ike (performance) at the completion of this Apprenticeship Program contract. The `aina (land) is an important part of our hula as it feeds us physically, mentally and spiritually. Our environment is our guide in our movements. All mele (traditional songs) and hula are expressions of the environment – the way the tree blows in the wind, the tides of the ocean or the different stages of a blossom. Mele teach us so much: from geography and geology to philosophy and prophecy. There is more to hula than meets the eye. Hollywood did well in exposing Hawaiian culture to a mainstream American audience, but it did very little in preserving the culture’s deep traditions. Hula is not just a dance. It is the history and language of our Kupuna (ancestors) and our Akua (gods). Hula is communication and reciprocation with the earth and the universe. Through the hula, we learn all that we need to know to live our life pono (in righteousness).
Kawika tests Maka on the Oli Oli recitation and its meaning. From the heart of the apprentice: I believe this Apprenticeship Program contract is so important to the traditional art form of hula because it allows the one-on-one mentorship that is not often experienced anymore. In our current halau model of teaching, our Kumu teaches a class of 20 dancers on average – that’s 20 pairs of hands, 20 pairs of feet, 20 voices, etc., to watch. Although there is the belief (ok, the fact) that Kumu Hula have “many eyes,” Kumu may not always be able to correct or teach each person on the nuances of a movement or the emotion to be expressed. We, as haumana, are taught to ho`opili (follow) and ho`olohe (listen) as best as we can, but there are just some things that cannot be addressed when there are so many others to consider. For me, being able to go through this process has been completely inspiring, invigorating, exasperating and humbling. Inspiring because I am allowed to stand in the direct light of my Kumu’s brilliance; invigorating because I have the undivided attention of my Kumu, who can then guide me through his vision and his expectations; exasperating because it is so much information – more than one person can absorb and keep intact; and, in that respect, it is truly humbling to realize all that hula encompasses and recognize how much I still need to learn. Experiencing this process with Kumu Kawika has taught me many things about the artistic and spiritual reasons behind the mele or hula we have worked on, such as why certain motions are used, why those colors would be appropriate to wear, or even what he was thinking when he composed the mele. Also, being able to make my own implements by traditional methods has given me a renewed appreciation for them. In today’s culture of online shopping and mega-pack retailers, we often take for granted that we can just buy what we need and put in very little effort to get it. Seeing the raw materials needed and using my own hands to make my implements allows me to recall the connection to the earth that I myself must have as a dancer, and that these are an extension of me in the dance. For me, Hula goes beyond the swaying grass skirts and well-placed coconut shells – it is an artform that remains closely tied to the customs of a people, their beliefs and their natural environment. Hawai`i’s last king, King Kalakaua once stated, “Hula is the language of the heart, and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.” Hula demands and deserves to be perpetuated. Kumu in Hawaiian literally means “source”. And, as haumana, our Kumu are indeed our sources of knowledge and the ones who breathe life into the chants and dances we learn about. I, as haumana, honor my Kumu and our hula lineage by keeping the “heartbeat” alive. An Apprenticeship in American Tap Dance
Master artist Sam Weber and apprentice Tal Oppenheimer By Tal Oppenheimer Editor’s Note: Tal Oppenheimer is an apprentice working with master tap dancer Sam Weber as a participant in this year’s Apprenticeship Program. Prior to their apprenticeship, Oppenheimer had worked with Weber for two years, and has performed with the Bay Area Rhythm Tap Company in Berkeley since 2006. Below, she shares her thoughts on the form, its history, and her work with Weber as she completes her apprenticeship with him and prepares to attend Harvard University in the fall as an undergraduate, where she will also continue her tap dance practice. Weber, whom Oppenheimer describes as “a master in all senses of the word,” is a nationally and internationally celebrated dance instructor, choreographer and virtuoso based in San Francisco. For me, tap dancing is something I do all day, every day. I am constantly tapping my feet or practicing my newest dance under my desk in school, in the car, or when I'm just walking down the street. I tap to challenge myself, relax, and just have fun. I started tapping when I was six and don't plan to stop any time soon. I have taken tap classes from various teachers who each have distinct styles and methods of teaching, but that's what makes the classes so much fun. I believe that tap is about expressing oneself and communicating with others.
Master artist Sam Weber offers apprentice Tal Oppenheimer Tap originated in America and is truly an American art form. Although tap is rooted in African American drumming and Irish dance, modern tap only came into existence when the two combined. During the time of slavery, because drumming was frowned upon, many slaves began using their feet to produce a similar effect, and thus created the basics that would later evolve into tap. After the abolition of slavery, many slaves attempted to improve their social and economic standings but were soon forced to live in the worst and poorest neighborhoods. During this same time, the Irish potato famine caused an influx of Irish immigrants to America. Their poor economic state forced them to live in the destitute neighborhoods alongside the newly freed slaves. This mesh of cultures on the streets soon produced modern tap, as groups would dance together and share steps and ideas. The mix of African American drumming culture with the technique and shoes of the Irish dancers fused to create tap dance. Although tap originally used hard shoes that created noise, the invention of metal taps made it easy to turn any shoe into a tap shoe, and as a result, furthered the spread of tap. Now, tap shoes have evolved to be, most commonly, black leather shoes with a metal plate on the ball of the shoe and a metal plate on the heel of the shoe to provide sound. The taps on the shoes are screwed into place so that their tightness can be adjusted. Some tap dancers prefer to have very tight taps, others enjoy the resonance that slightly loosening them provides. Tap shoes are an instrument, and the specific weight of the shoe or tonality of the tap can change the overall sound the shoe produces. Treating tap shoes as an instrument is important because tap dancing is a fusion between an instrument and a dance. During this apprenticeship, I have learned about and improved in both of these aspects. Sam Weber and I have worked on musicality, time signatures, technique, and improvisation. Sam has also been teaching me various routines, some of which he choreographed himself and others which were originally choreographed by famous past tap dancers. He has taught me routines to jazz versions of the classical “Goldberg Variations” composed by Bach, a big band swing piece “Slipped Disk” by Benny Goodman, a bebop piece “Billie's Bounce” by Charlie Parker, and a more modern jazz piece “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter. We are also working on a piece choreographed by the Condos Brothers to “War Dance for Wooden Indians” by the Raymond Scott Quintet which is an avant-garde jazz group from the 30's. All the routines have been fun and the musical variety has made it both more interesting and challenging as each dance is distinct and requires a different type of energy. Sam has spent many classes working with me on my musicality by helping me improve my ability to switch between 8th notes, triplets, and 16th notes. He has helped explain to me their general meaning and has come up with a multitude of exercises that test and refine my ability to switch between them, no matter what the actual steps of the exercise are. Coming into this apprenticeship, I knew very little about this, and although Sam had worked with me on this before, the constant practice and correction have helped me improve greatly and acquire a basic grasp of the subject. More recently, Sam has been teaching me routines in various time signatures. We have worked in the more common 4/4 time and have also done several pieces in 3/4. Sam has also made sure that I can actually identify these various time signatures by playing different pieces and having me tell him what time signature it's in – whether it be in five, seven, or even thirteen. Although I used to struggle with this, I can now accurately identify these different time signatures on a fairly regular basis. Throughout the entire apprenticeship, Sam has made sure to correct my technique to improve my sounds as well as the speed and accuracy of my tap. When I first started with him, I had a habit of ankling (using my ankle to move my foot rather than relaxing the ankle while using the entire leg to maneuver the foot and create the sound). Sam and I spent many classes both before and during the apprenticeship working on getting over this unfortunate habit and understanding the importance of relaxing the foot and ankle in order to produce sounds more efficiently. The old habits of ankling creep back in every now and then, but I have become well acquainted with recognizing this and working to correct it. Many times I won't get a new step during the first class, but Sam patiently explains to me how to do it and corrects little things like knee placement, where to start the step, or how much force I should put into it. The steps that I fail to get are always my favorite, as they force me to completely concentrate and experience the utter joy of being lost. I love to be confused about a step because it provides me with a goal to work towards, as well as a fun challenge to overcome. Sam is always able to find something impossible for me to try – making all of my classes with him unbelievably fun. Learning all of these different aspects is a challenge, but applying them on the spot has been even harder for me. A large portion of tap culture involves improvisation and trading bars. Every once in a while, at the end of class, Sam puts on some basic jazz music and we trade eight bars, or four bars, depending on what we decide. Improvising is not only about making up steps on the spot but is also about accompanying the music nicely while still listening to the other participants' ideas and playing off of them. When we improvise, we always do trades rather than one of us improvising an entire number. For me, this serves as a springboard, as I can play off of ideas Sam introduces while still adding my own into the mix. In short, this apprenticeship has allowed me to grow in all aspects of tap dancing and gain both appreciation and love for this art. The Alliance Featured on KFPA’s Music of the World with Kutay Derin KugayOn Monday, June 7, 2008, the Alliance’s Associate Director Sherwood Chen and Apprenticeship Program participants Kawika Alfiche, Anuradha Sridhar, and Sruti Sarathy were featured on KPFA’s Music of the World hosted by Kutay Derin Kugay. Visit KPFA’s website to listen to an audio archive of the program. Only One More Traditional Arts Roundtable Left in 2008!The Alliance for California Traditional Arts continues with its Traditional Arts Roundtable Series, a free, participatory monthly series of gatherings at various locations in San Francisco for folk, traditional, and tradition-based artists and arts advocates. Sessions focus on specific themes and offer opportunities to engage in discussion, networking, and technical assistance in order to develop critical community amongst traditional artists and their allies. Join us for our final session in 2008!The Role of New Technology in Traditional ArtsDate: Featured Participants: Join us to discuss examples of online and media tools for traditional arts promotion, learning and cultural transmission, strategies to bridge the digital divide, new network developments online and online-only trends respective to opportunities and application/proposal processes. To RSVP to this session, please call (415) 346-3800 or contact us via email. This series is made possible with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Grants Program.
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