Hawiian Band Invited for Luau

Nicolas SonnenburgTHE SANTA CLARAMay 23, 2014

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ay “aloha” to Hawaii without an expensive plane ticket or missing your final exams at this year’s Luau hosted by the Hawaiian cultural club.

This Saturday, students will have the chance to immerse themselves into Hawaiian culture by sampling native Hawaiian cuisine, watching traditional hula dances and listening to a performance by The Green, a professional reggae band based in Oahu.

The 36th installment of the annual Luau, held by Ka Mana’o O Hawai’i, the Multicultural Center’s Hawaiian cultural club, will take place in the Locatelli Activity Center. This year’s theme is “Ka Pilaloha Mohala Na Na Kau a Kau” which translates to “Friendship that Grows Forever and Ever.”

Members of the club hope to spread awareness of Hawaiian culture and customs with an emphasis on the significance of the luau as more than just entertainment.

“Hula is a form of cultural storytelling,” said Lauren Shigemasa, club director of entertainment for. “Because the native Hawaiians did not have a written form of communication, (hula) is how they told stories.They passed stories down from generation to generation through these dances.”

[pullquote]“Hula is a form of cultural storytelling.”[/pullquote]

Hula dances reflect the diversity of the native people of Hawaii. Descended from different Polynesian groups, the Kahiko, ‘Auana, Tahitian and Samoan styles of hula represent the history of the people from around the Pacific. All forms will be performed at the Luau.

According to Nicole Mattson, co-chair of entertainment, awareness of Hawaiian culture has been declining in recent years, so there has been a movement to revitalize it.

The daylong event will be divided into a lunch show, a dinner show and a concert. The lunch and dinner shows, starting at noon and 6 p.m. respectively, will showcase student-choreographed dances and musical performances. The Green, a Hawaii-based musical group invited to Santa Clara, will perform at the concert. The band incorporates traditional Hawaiian rhythms and sounds into their musical style.

Contact Nicolas Sonnenburg at nsonnenburg@scu.edu , or call (408) 554-4852.