Lovey Leina‘ala Yau Choy Apana
Title
Lovey Leina‘ala Yau Choy Apana
Description
Lovey Leina‘āla Yau Choy Apana
“Aunty Lovey” Apana began to teach on O‘ahu in 1963 and in 1970 opened her studio on Kaua‘i.
As I reflect upon my growing- up years I was always involved in school programs that involved Hawaiiana whether it was the May Day program or commemorative honors for King Kamehameha. While still young I worked within the tourist industry and I traveled throughout the world. I entertained on the side but I still felt something missing in my life. There was an incomplete ingredient to “level” the bread of life and happiness. Thus I went to my tūtū lady for advice and discussed my future with her and she encouraged me to teach hula. She said I possessed the gift of laughter and patience and that I should continually teach children. She also said the hula was an integral part of our family many years back and that I had the responsibility to study hard and to try my best to perpetuate the art. I am very grateful to my late tūtū Caroline Apao and my mother Christine Apana who still inspire me today as I dance or teach the hula. I also look to other teachers who were and are part of my life in the Twentieth Century such as Tūtū Roberts, Aunty Kuchie Kuhns, Aunty Sally Wood Nalua‘i, and Aunty Hoakalei Kamau‘u among others. All of these people served as my resources in my Hawaiian studies.
There have been tremendous changes in the hula but I cannot downgrade or resist these changes because the Hawai‘i of the past is not the Hawai‘i of today. We have no choice but to grow and adapt to this modern world. What makes me uneasy is that many people today seem to see the production of the dance and not the intrinsic value of the art and the traditions. If someone wants to create in the traditional hula they must use a composition written today in the traditional style and choreograph that.
Today young people are going deep into certain facets of the culture and they wish to recreate and relive the ancestral ways of their forefathers. They must have the proper training and preparation or they will be lost because they are modern people trying to go back into an ancient world.
“Aunty Lovey” Apana began to teach on O‘ahu in 1963 and in 1970 opened her studio on Kaua‘i.
As I reflect upon my growing- up years I was always involved in school programs that involved Hawaiiana whether it was the May Day program or commemorative honors for King Kamehameha. While still young I worked within the tourist industry and I traveled throughout the world. I entertained on the side but I still felt something missing in my life. There was an incomplete ingredient to “level” the bread of life and happiness. Thus I went to my tūtū lady for advice and discussed my future with her and she encouraged me to teach hula. She said I possessed the gift of laughter and patience and that I should continually teach children. She also said the hula was an integral part of our family many years back and that I had the responsibility to study hard and to try my best to perpetuate the art. I am very grateful to my late tūtū Caroline Apao and my mother Christine Apana who still inspire me today as I dance or teach the hula. I also look to other teachers who were and are part of my life in the Twentieth Century such as Tūtū Roberts, Aunty Kuchie Kuhns, Aunty Sally Wood Nalua‘i, and Aunty Hoakalei Kamau‘u among others. All of these people served as my resources in my Hawaiian studies.
There have been tremendous changes in the hula but I cannot downgrade or resist these changes because the Hawai‘i of the past is not the Hawai‘i of today. We have no choice but to grow and adapt to this modern world. What makes me uneasy is that many people today seem to see the production of the dance and not the intrinsic value of the art and the traditions. If someone wants to create in the traditional hula they must use a composition written today in the traditional style and choreograph that.
Today young people are going deep into certain facets of the culture and they wish to recreate and relive the ancestral ways of their forefathers. They must have the proper training and preparation or they will be lost because they are modern people trying to go back into an ancient world.
Citation
“Lovey Leina‘ala Yau Choy Apana,” Nā Kumu Hula Archive, accessed June 29, 2025, https://nakumuhula.org/archive/items/show/31.