Kumu hula and activist Victoria "Vicky" Holt Takamine on Wednesday was awarded this year's prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, valued at more than $450,000 – one of the largest cash prizes for artists in the U.S.
The Gish Prize is given to someone from any art discipline who has pushed the boundaries of an art form, contributed to social change and paved the way for the next generation.
Her halau Pua Ali‘i ‘Ilima participated in many events in Hawai‘i. This year the group competed in the Merrich Monarch festival for the first time in nearly 40 years.
She said hula is her art form.
“The importance of this prize puts hula on a platform with every other art form that has received recognition, like ballet, modern dance, movies and actresses,” she said. “But what it does for me is put hula on that stage. While hula often is referred to as hula for tourism, I never see it that way. For me, hula is a form of resistance. It’s a way we’ve been able to reclaim our culture and our language.”
The prize was created in 1994 and is awarded annually. Past recipients include filmmakers Ava DuVernay, Ingmar Bergman and Spike Lee; poet Sonia Sanchez; and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.
