Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, April 1, 2018 29
Repeat From page 28
And I went, ‘Oh, I think
we found our Merrie
Monarch song.’”
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2018 Merrie Monarch Festival
Lum will perform the
song with an all-star group
of musicians, including
Ikaika Blackburn, Chad
Takatsugi and Iwalani Apo.
Ka La ‘Onohi Mai o
Ha‘eha‘e also is entering
a Miss Aloha Hula contestant,
Ecstasy Jetta Laverne
Kamakalikolehua Ligon.
Tracie Lopes said Ligon’s
kahiko is “Ka Li‘a,” which
she described as “a mele that
celebrates the Waianae side of
the island where she’s from,”
specifically a train ride taken
by Queen Lili‘uokalani to
the Leeward Oahu coast.
Ligon’s ‘auana is “Ku‘u
Hoa Hololia,” a song written
by Alice Namakelua about
sweethearts riding on horseback
in the evening, said
to be inspired by her youth
on the Hamakua Coast.
This is the second time
Ligon, who’ll turn 25 this
month, will dance in the
prestigious Thursday night
competition, open only to
solo wahine dancers ages
18-25 who have never been
married nor had children.
Perhaps the second time
will be the charm for Ligon,
as it was for Tracie Lopes. As
Tracie Ka‘onohilani Farias, she
won hula’s most coveted solo
title in 1994. Farias, daughter
of famed Hawaiian entertainer
Karen Keawehawai‘i, was first
runner-up in 1992. Her successful
second shot came at the
request of her late kumu hula,
Thaddius Wilson and O’Brian
Eselu of Na Wai Eha ‘O Puna,
who believed she was destined
to be Miss Aloha Hula.
Whether one is dancing
solo or in a group, hula’s
biggest stage is a crucible
— an audience of more than
4,000, plus seven expert judges,
lights and cameras with
statewide television and a
worldwide webcast audience.
“There’s always pressure
going to Merrie Monarch
because you want to represent
your legacy well and
you have all these dancers
that you have to organize and
make sure they’re in the right
frame of mind,” Tracie Lopes
said. “You could talk for days
about the logistics, too, of
just getting to Hilo. I guess,
though, because it’s such a
huge part of our life already
— it’s been 10 years and I’ve
been able to experience it
onstage with O’Brian before,
too, but it’s not as much
pressure as responsibility.
“We have a style and we
stick to it, and we make sure
each one of the students have
it before they step onstage.
And we make sure that style
is in line with the legacy of
our teachers and our lineage.”
HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald
Kumu Tracie and Keawe Lopes of Ka La ‘Onohi Mai O Ha’eha’e
react to winning first place overall in the 54th Annual Merrie
Monarch Festival.