Ku'uleialoha Beckman
Title
Ku'uleialoha Beckman
Description
Ku‘uleialoha Beckman
Kuʻulei Beckman is the niece of Aunty Alice Nāmakelua. She began her teaching career at the age of seventeen under the supervision of her family.
I think the greatest hardship I had as a dancer was believing that at one time I would appreciate the knowledge that was being given to me. I started my training in the hula at four- years-old and it wasn’t until I became a teacher at the age of nineteen that I realized and appreciated all of what was taught to me. My advice to the young dancers is to be faithful and loyal to what has been taught to them. Be grateful that someone opened up and shared the knowledge with you. It’s only when you grow older that you appreciate the beauty of your own culture.
I’m very grateful to have had three kumu hula who took precious time and effort in teaching me. My first kumu was my grandmother Emily Keko‘olani, and I studied under her for two years. My grandmother had trained under Pua Ha‘aheo and ‘Iolani Luahine so my classes were really in the style of the “old school”.
Everything was very strict and very disciplined, and I wasn’t allowed to speak my mind. My mother Katherine Kahanohano Keko‘olani Dambley and my aunt Myra Kolani Chartrand, took over my training after my grandmother and I found them to be much more precise. My mother was taught by my grandmother so I was consistently trained to be attentive to the precise motions of my hands. The result is that the dancer looks like she knows and loves what she’s dancing about and the audience is drawn into the hula.
The foremost kumu in my life was my mother and I began to teach at seventeen with her as my mentor. At nineteen I went out on my own because I felt I had been given so much knowledge and I wanted to pass on the knowledge to my own children before I began to lose it. I teach my students with less intensity than I believe my grandmother trained because today’s students don’t reside with their kumu. But I feel the best part of teaching is still and will always be helping students overcome their personal handicaps and limitations.
Kuʻulei Beckman is the niece of Aunty Alice Nāmakelua. She began her teaching career at the age of seventeen under the supervision of her family.
I think the greatest hardship I had as a dancer was believing that at one time I would appreciate the knowledge that was being given to me. I started my training in the hula at four- years-old and it wasn’t until I became a teacher at the age of nineteen that I realized and appreciated all of what was taught to me. My advice to the young dancers is to be faithful and loyal to what has been taught to them. Be grateful that someone opened up and shared the knowledge with you. It’s only when you grow older that you appreciate the beauty of your own culture.
I’m very grateful to have had three kumu hula who took precious time and effort in teaching me. My first kumu was my grandmother Emily Keko‘olani, and I studied under her for two years. My grandmother had trained under Pua Ha‘aheo and ‘Iolani Luahine so my classes were really in the style of the “old school”.
Everything was very strict and very disciplined, and I wasn’t allowed to speak my mind. My mother Katherine Kahanohano Keko‘olani Dambley and my aunt Myra Kolani Chartrand, took over my training after my grandmother and I found them to be much more precise. My mother was taught by my grandmother so I was consistently trained to be attentive to the precise motions of my hands. The result is that the dancer looks like she knows and loves what she’s dancing about and the audience is drawn into the hula.
The foremost kumu in my life was my mother and I began to teach at seventeen with her as my mentor. At nineteen I went out on my own because I felt I had been given so much knowledge and I wanted to pass on the knowledge to my own children before I began to lose it. I teach my students with less intensity than I believe my grandmother trained because today’s students don’t reside with their kumu. But I feel the best part of teaching is still and will always be helping students overcome their personal handicaps and limitations.
Citation
“Ku'uleialoha Beckman,” Nā Kumu Hula Archive, accessed February 23, 2025, https://nakumuhula.org/archive/items/show/36.