Pearl Keawe Souza
description: Pearl Keawe Souza Pearl Souza, daughter of Pearl Keawe, teaches hula in the Kalihi Valley area on the island of O‘ahu. I believe we have just scratched the surface of hula kahiko. In the coming years the modern kumu will progress to an even deeper level than today and it will be done more openly. The halaus today are performing dances that I have never seen before and I find it fascinating and admirable that they have brought out so much. I began with my aunt Caroline Tuck when I was three-years-old. I learned basic footwork, how to bend our knees and stay flat on the floor. We then learned the hand motions and interpretation. I learned mostly ‘auwana from Caroline and she taught me that in the hula the story is everything. The motions are there only to project the story. I am trying to carry on Caroline’s definition of the hula in my teaching today. I went on to my mother when I turned ten and it was from her that I learned my ancient hula. Back then kahiko and ‘auwana were not used to define the hula. It was ancient and modern. My mother carried on exactly what Caroline Tuck had been teaching me. The basic principle throughout my training was not to be selfish with the knowledge that I was being given. Whatever I learned was to be shared and passed along to whoever wanted to learn. It had to be shared or it would be lost. After three years I joined Kent Ghirard’s Hula Nani troupe where I was fortunate to meet Pauline Kekahuna, Nāpua Stevens, and Vickie Iʻi Rodrigues. Kent taught me the commercial aspect of the hula. We performed for tourists and we projected to them the Mainland image of Hawai‘i. I saw the better part of him come out when we performed in front of local audiences and he performed as you would expect from a true Hawaiian. He was Haole but his love for the hula was genuine. He taught me that there was a time and place for everything and there are things that can and cannot be said in the hula world. I began to teach in 1976 because I felt as a dancer…