Kahiko night at Merrie Monarch Festival

Eighteen hula halau presented two dozen performances of hula kahiko, or ancient hula — 17 by wahine groups and seven by kane groups — Friday night during the Merrie Monarch Festival.

Among the performances were two by Big Island halau, Halau Hula Ke ‘Olu Makani O Mauna Loa of Volcano under the direction of kumu hula Meleana Manuel, and Halau Kala‘akeakauikawekiu of Kailua-Kona under the direction of kumu hula Kenneth Dean Alohapumehanaokala Victor.

Both halau are competing in the wahine division.

Also competing are last year’s overall and kane overall winners, Kawai‘liula of Kailua and Manoa, Oahu, under the direction of kumu hula Chinky Mahoe, and last year’s overall runners-up and wahine overall winners, Halau Kekuaokala‘au‘ala‘ili of Wailuku, Maui, under the direction of na kumu hula ‘Iliahi and Haunani Paredes.

Both of last year’s winners are competing in the kane and wahine divisions.

Friday night’s hula kahiko ran past deadline, West Hawaii Today will publish details as they come available.

The same groups will dance hula ‘auana, or modern hula, tonight. At the end of tonight’s hula, the scores of the seven judges will be tabulated, winners announced and trophies awarded in all divisions. That includes the Lokalia Montgomery Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the overall winning halau.

The competition is televised live statewide on K5 Television, which also has a worldwide livestream of the “Olympics of Hula.”