MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and kumu hula Patrick Makuakāne debuts an album this month that brings his San Francisco hālau and 10-piece band to Oʻahu. And to celebrate its 40th anniversary, his halau, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, has a number of shows planned.
"It's kind of, you know, a few innovative, modern kind of developments and twists and turns, but we really foundationally, you know, I feel that we are Hawaiian, and it grows from that place," he said.
Makuakāne’s show, "KUPUKUPU," is on March 15 and 16 at Leeward Community College.
Last year, his hālau also had the opportunity to dance for the late singer Roberta Flack, who had ALS and died Feb. 24 at age 88. Flack’s manager, Suzanne Koga, is from Hawaiʻi and had invited the hālau to perform hula to Flack’s song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
Makuakāne shared that something spiritual happened last month following an event at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where he is also the artist in residence. He had been sending video clips of love and encouragement to Flack, including one from the cathedral.
“Suzanne sent me a picture of Roberta watching it on the big screen," Makuakāne said. "You can see her feet, and she's watching the big screen TV... And then we found out that she died the next morning. So Suzanne told me that it was her last standing ovation."
"What an artist, and to be able to afford some kind of like relief or love at the end of her story for right now, you know, it's like, it brings me so much joy."
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 4, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
