(Note from the editor: This is the latest in a series of reviews of films featured at CAAMFest in San Francisco. Hula: The Merrie Monarch’s Golden Celebration plays March 19 at the People’s Cinema in San Francisco at 6:20 pm)
By Prival Patel
Interested in learning more about the origins of Hula and the Merrie Monarch Festival? Hula: The Merrie Monarch’s Golden Celebration tells us exactly how the internationally renowned competition came to be. Today, the Merrie Monarch Hula Competition is a landmark event held every year in Hilo, Hawaii. It is the island’s biggest event and people from all over come out to watch a weekend of traditional and modern hula dance. The Merrie Monarch Festival was created after the tsunami of 1960, that devastated the city financially and killed 62 people. Helene Hale, the county chairman at the time, reached out to Kumu Hula George Na’ope along with the county administrator to help create an event that would bring tourists and visitors back to Hilo. They wanted to create an annual event that would boost the economy and lift the spirits of the people of Hilo, and thus the Merrie Monarch Festival was born.
Named after King Kalakaua, nicknamed “The Merrie Monarch,” because of his love for hula and dance, the festival had a rough start. However, now celebrating 50 years, the Merrie Monarch Festival is a respected platform for Hula dance and a dream for many dancers to be a part of. “Hula is the language of the heart, therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people,” King Kalakua. For the people of Hawaii, hula is not just a type of dance, it is a way of life. To this day, the Merrie Monarch Festival honors King Kalakua with dance and celebration.
Narrated by Palani Vaughn, the hour long program talks about the origins of the festival and the types of dances that are performed on the famous stage. The informational program interviews many of the Kumu Hulas (Hula Master/Instructor) that participated in the event. Their stories bring life to an otherwise dull narration by Vaughn.
The dancing, however, was far from dull. The footage from the past Merrie Monarch festival was a treat to see. For those looking to learn more about Hula and the festival, Hula: The Merrie Monarch’s Golden Celebration, is your front row seat.
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