Hale O Malo Polynesian Revue
A taste of warm, sunny Pacific Islands in Wisconsin
A taste of warm, sunny Pacific Islands in Wisconsin
| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher & Editor * 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA) |
(L-R) Malia Lani and Sandy Chow
| (Above) Haka Warrior Sean Ueta Taavao |
| (Top) sounding the conch shell; Angel Cuevas; dancing the hula |
by Heidi M. Pascual
It was definitely a very frigid February 21 in Madison, Wis., with fresh snow
on the ground, and wind chills that would have kept families, especially with
young children, home. But many Madisonians came out — with children in tow
— to feel the warmth exuded by the Hale O Malo Polynesian dancers from
Milwaukee. These professional dancers visually transported their audience to
the sunny, tropical islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, and Tahiti.
Even if it was only a few hours, Olbrich Botanical Gardens was transformed into
a “beach” where beautiful ladies wore colorful wrap-around or hula skirts, with
It was definitely a very frigid February 21 in Madison, Wis., with fresh snow
on the ground, and wind chills that would have kept families, especially with
young children, home. But many Madisonians came out — with children in tow
— to feel the warmth exuded by the Hale O Malo Polynesian dancers from
Milwaukee. These professional dancers visually transported their audience to
the sunny, tropical islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, and Tahiti.
Even if it was only a few hours, Olbrich Botanical Gardens was transformed into
a “beach” where beautiful ladies wore colorful wrap-around or hula skirts, with
leis and flowers on their long, curly hairs; and “tribal chiefs” with no shirts, showing off their big muscles and tattoos. The overall feeling of harmony
with nature, the warm friendliness of Pacific Islanders, and graceful, energetic dance numbers immediately captured everyone’s attention on the
floor. Hale O Malo is truly Milwaukee’s pride.
Sandra Chow, wife of the late Ron Chow, cofounded Hale O Malo years ago, with the goal of sharing Pacific Island cultures all over the
nation and the world, through music and dance. Chow is committed to continuing what she and Ron started, knowing that her family of performers
is one with her. Although the group started in Hawaii, they have settled in Milwaukee, and today, Hale O Malo is well known as the Midwest’s only
Hawaiian-owned, ful-scale Polynesian Production Company, family-run with an emphasis on ‘ohana (family) and the aloha spirit.
Hale O Malo’s performances at Olbrich Gardens’ Children of the Rainforest Series have always attracted big crowds. This year, Chow’s daughter,
Malia Lani, emceed the program that was both entertaining and educational. Malia Lani first asked her audience trivia questions about Hawaii
and gave away gifts from the Islands to those who gave correct answers. Some questions were:
“What does aloha mean?” Ans. Love, welcome, goodbye
“What side do you put a flower on your hair if you are married?” she asked the ladies, and not getting a correct answer, she said, “Your left.
And the reason you put it on the left side of your ear is that that’s where you put your wedding ring.”
“Can you name two of the eight major islands of Hawaii?” Ans. Oahu and the Big Island
The movements in the dance numbers had meanings, and the dances themselves represented some stories, mostly mythical or legendary. One
dance number was about Pele, the goddess of fire. The story, Malia Lani said goes , “Pele falls in love with the Chief Lohi’au , sends her sister, the
goddess of hula, to get him. On her way back, the sister and her lover fell in love. Pele, jealous and vengeful, tried to kill them.”
The group also performed a number from the movie Lilo & Stitch, with the song, “‘He Mele No Lilo.”
Enter the Haka Warrior
The Haka Warrior from New Zealand, portrayed by Sean Ueta Taavao, came in with his “spear,” big muscles, and contorted face, that sent
some little children crying. According to records about “haka,” they are not exclusively war dances, but are performed for various reasons: for
amusement, a welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions (McLean 1996:46-47). Today, haka constitute
an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the
importance of the occasion.
Taavao employed various actions, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of his eyes, the poking out of his tongue, slapping
his hands against his body and stomping of his feet. He also chanted and grunted.
“Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs,
feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the
occasion”.-Wikipedia
Learning hula dancing
“Hula is a story that you tell with the grace of your body and your hands,” Malia Lani told the children who volunteered to learn the basics of
hula. “And the best time to start learning hula is when you’re a child and the reason is, all that grace takes a long time to do.” After the sounding of
the conch shell and the drums, the children learned to dance the Huki Lao. “Huki Lao is a big party in a Hawaiian Village where all villagers go
fishing,” Malia Lani said. “And with all that food they caugh in their net, they share with the whole village and they throw a big party.”
Starting with the first move, kaholo, step together step together, the kids surely had fun swinging their hips and moving their arms, hands and
fingers in different ways, recreating ocean waves, the sun, the moon, and figures of love. Hula dancing indeed intertwines the performers with the
spirit of the universe by unifying their existence with nature.
The Tahitian number
There was beauty, drama, and power in the Tahitian dance number. Its history has been linked with all aspects of Tahitian life. It is said that
a Tahitian would dance for joy, to welcome a visitor, to pray to a god, to challenge an enemy, and to seduce a mate. Dance is an important part
of Tahitian culture, and the music uses a lot of percussion instruments and is a way of expressing joy, happiness, greetings, war, peace, prayer and
seduction. Tahitian music uses a lot of percussion style instruments like drums, shells and flutes.
Aloha Oe
Aloha Oe (Farewell to Thee) is Queen Lili?uokalani’s most famous song. Hale O Malo’s finale was very apt and truly an inspiration.
Aloha oe, aloha oe
(Farewell to you, farewell to you)
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo (The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers)
One fond embrace, One fond embrace, A hoi a e au
Ere I depart
Until we meet again Until we meet again.
with nature, the warm friendliness of Pacific Islanders, and graceful, energetic dance numbers immediately captured everyone’s attention on the
floor. Hale O Malo is truly Milwaukee’s pride.
Sandra Chow, wife of the late Ron Chow, cofounded Hale O Malo years ago, with the goal of sharing Pacific Island cultures all over the
nation and the world, through music and dance. Chow is committed to continuing what she and Ron started, knowing that her family of performers
is one with her. Although the group started in Hawaii, they have settled in Milwaukee, and today, Hale O Malo is well known as the Midwest’s only
Hawaiian-owned, ful-scale Polynesian Production Company, family-run with an emphasis on ‘ohana (family) and the aloha spirit.
Hale O Malo’s performances at Olbrich Gardens’ Children of the Rainforest Series have always attracted big crowds. This year, Chow’s daughter,
Malia Lani, emceed the program that was both entertaining and educational. Malia Lani first asked her audience trivia questions about Hawaii
and gave away gifts from the Islands to those who gave correct answers. Some questions were:
“What does aloha mean?” Ans. Love, welcome, goodbye
“What side do you put a flower on your hair if you are married?” she asked the ladies, and not getting a correct answer, she said, “Your left.
And the reason you put it on the left side of your ear is that that’s where you put your wedding ring.”
“Can you name two of the eight major islands of Hawaii?” Ans. Oahu and the Big Island
The movements in the dance numbers had meanings, and the dances themselves represented some stories, mostly mythical or legendary. One
dance number was about Pele, the goddess of fire. The story, Malia Lani said goes , “Pele falls in love with the Chief Lohi’au , sends her sister, the
goddess of hula, to get him. On her way back, the sister and her lover fell in love. Pele, jealous and vengeful, tried to kill them.”
The group also performed a number from the movie Lilo & Stitch, with the song, “‘He Mele No Lilo.”
Enter the Haka Warrior
The Haka Warrior from New Zealand, portrayed by Sean Ueta Taavao, came in with his “spear,” big muscles, and contorted face, that sent
some little children crying. According to records about “haka,” they are not exclusively war dances, but are performed for various reasons: for
amusement, a welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions (McLean 1996:46-47). Today, haka constitute
an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the
importance of the occasion.
Taavao employed various actions, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of his eyes, the poking out of his tongue, slapping
his hands against his body and stomping of his feet. He also chanted and grunted.
“Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs,
feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the
occasion”.-Wikipedia
Learning hula dancing
“Hula is a story that you tell with the grace of your body and your hands,” Malia Lani told the children who volunteered to learn the basics of
hula. “And the best time to start learning hula is when you’re a child and the reason is, all that grace takes a long time to do.” After the sounding of
the conch shell and the drums, the children learned to dance the Huki Lao. “Huki Lao is a big party in a Hawaiian Village where all villagers go
fishing,” Malia Lani said. “And with all that food they caugh in their net, they share with the whole village and they throw a big party.”
Starting with the first move, kaholo, step together step together, the kids surely had fun swinging their hips and moving their arms, hands and
fingers in different ways, recreating ocean waves, the sun, the moon, and figures of love. Hula dancing indeed intertwines the performers with the
spirit of the universe by unifying their existence with nature.
The Tahitian number
There was beauty, drama, and power in the Tahitian dance number. Its history has been linked with all aspects of Tahitian life. It is said that
a Tahitian would dance for joy, to welcome a visitor, to pray to a god, to challenge an enemy, and to seduce a mate. Dance is an important part
of Tahitian culture, and the music uses a lot of percussion instruments and is a way of expressing joy, happiness, greetings, war, peace, prayer and
seduction. Tahitian music uses a lot of percussion style instruments like drums, shells and flutes.
Aloha Oe
Aloha Oe (Farewell to Thee) is Queen Lili?uokalani’s most famous song. Hale O Malo’s finale was very apt and truly an inspiration.
Aloha oe, aloha oe
(Farewell to you, farewell to you)
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo (The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers)
One fond embrace, One fond embrace, A hoi a e au
Ere I depart
Until we meet again Until we meet again.