Wednesday is Hōʻike Night at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, an evening of non-competitive hula showcasing Hilo’s hometown favorite Hālau O Kekuhi.
Among the hālau’s dancers are university professors, educators, marine biologists, and creative directors.
Much of Kūhaʻo Zane’s day for the last 30 years has been split between his commitments to his family’s hālau run partly by his mom Nalani Kanakaʻole, and his father’s store Sig Zane Designs.
“So technically my Sig Zane career on salary, cause you know my dad’s pākē, has spanned 20 years,” says Zane.
As the company’s chief of operations and creative director, Zane says his job is to be the glue within Sig Zane Designs.
“So making sure that the retail operations are going good,” says Zane, “Especially with a time like Merrie Monarch, it's almost like hōʻike time for all of the brands in Hawaiʻi.”
Zane is also a new father to 5-month-old Nāholowaʻa, who joins dad at work on Wednesdays.
“I literally dropped him in the other office, I was like, 'Can you feed him?' Aloha ʻanakē,” says Zane.
After work, Zane spends up to four hours at hālau, teaching the beginner classes and getting a workout in himself.
“How does hula feed me on a day-to-day basis cause obviously it doesn’t feed me financially," says Zane, “is it makes me feel responsible for a community.”
Zane comes from six generations of hula practitioners, including his grandmother the legendary Kumu Hula Edith Kanakaʻole, who he says is his greatest inspiration.
“To know that she was able to achieve so many things both for herself as well as for her community, as well as for the lāhui in that small span of years,” says Zane. “To me, it makes me feel like, you know what, every time I do a deep Instagram scroll, I better get off this Instagram stream. I better keep working. There's so much more to achieve.”
All that hard work and nonstop juggling, says Zane, is worth it.
“Obviously the hours of preparation on stage and the juggling that with a slightly more intense work schedule alongside ʻohana kind things,” says Zane. “It’s always a fun juggle, especially during this time of year.”
The Merrie Monarch Festival ends on Saturday, April 15.
