| The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long hula festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii. It honors King David Kalakaua, who was nicknamed the "Merry Monarch" for his patronage of the arts. He is credited with restoring many Hawaiian cultural traditions during his reign, including the hula.
Many hula halau (schools), including some from the U.S. Mainland and Japan, attend the festival each year to participate in the festival competitions, which are considered the most prestigious of all hula contests.
There are two divisions of competition. The male (kane) division and the female (wahine) division. Each halau has approximately seven minutes on stage, and during their performance halau are being judged on a variety of things. Just like in the Olympics judges are looking for different elements in each performance.
( Wikipedia ) |
