Hālau only get seven minutes to perform each number on stage at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.
To ensure precise timing, some kumu hula on Oʻahu created a replica of the Hilo stage in vacant retail space in Kalihi.
The women of Hālau Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima carefully sync their footwork to the beat of the drums as they make their way onto the replica Merrie Monarch stage in Kapālama Kai.
Kumu Hula Vicky Holt-Takamine keeps a close eye on precision.
"You know, you get judged for precision. You get judged for your kaʻi, your hoʻi. And unless we have the space, the dimensions, we really don’t know how long it’s going to take us to get on, and how long it's going to take us to get off," Holt-Takamine said.
The Merrie Monarch stage is 56 feet wide by 46 feet long.
Holt-Takamine said most kumu hula hold practice in school gyms to allow them enough space to do some creative line changes. So, when landowner Kamehameha Schools offered up space in Dillingham Plaza, she said yes.
"And I went to Home Depot and I bought all the 4-by-8s and bought all the tape," she said.
Holt-Takamine called fellow Kumu Hula Sonny Ching and Niuliʻi Heine to help set up the stage, and the three hālau have been using it to prepare their dancers for this week’s competition.
This year, Holt-Takamine is returning to the Merrie Monarch stage for the first time in 39 years alongside her son and Kumu Hula Jeffrey Takamine.
"I looked at my son Jeffrey, who really stepped into his role as kumu hula, and I thought I think you’re ready. So, the next generation of kumu hula. And none of the dancers have ever been at Merrie Monarch. It’s their first time. So, they’re all virgins," she said.
"You know when you say like sports people you gotta peak at the right time, right? I really think that they’re right at the cusp. That’s where I want them to peak, right on the stage."
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