6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 It was her first week in Monterey County when, at age 11, Marleen Bush first went to Del Monte Beach. She was born and raised in Hawaii, until her father’s military career brought the family to Fort Ord. She still remembers him bringing them to the local beach their very first week in town, surprised by how cloudy and how cold the water was—this was not the Pacific Ocean that they were used to. But then they saw outrigger canoes, designed based on the double-hulled Polynesian vessels that indigenous people used thousands of years ago to populate the region, including the Hawaiian islands. It was the nascent Hi’ilani ‘O Ke Kai, a Hawaiian cultural club founded in Monterey in 1984. The nonprofit group is some 200 members strong and provides two major offerings: outrigger canoeing and hula dance. Bush, then a child, is now considered a founding member, and she is the head kumu (teacher) for the hula halau, or hula school. Dozens of dancers converge on Tuesday nights at the Moose Lodge in Del Rey Oaks, mostly wearing athletic clothing. When it’s time for the beginner group to start, about 50 dancers pull on colorful, patterned hula skirts and start to warm up. Bush and other leaders sit on the stage and each pound an ipu heke, a large double gourd drum, to make a beat. Bush calls out moves in native Hawaiian and in unison, the dancers rotate their hips to the right, then the left; they reach their arms up, then down. As the routine ramps up, they knock their knees together, then apart, all counting in unison. They get to 45, and Bush calls out: “Is it painful yet?” It’s athletic, but the dancers move gracefully, appearing to exert little effort. As they go on to practice a series of dance routines, they keep smiling through the music. “It’s not a race, the goal is to dance together—with control,” Bush says as they learn new choreography in one piece. They practice a routine to the English-language song “White Sandy Beach” playing from a boombox, and the knee emphasis from the warm-up returns. Bush nods with confidence after they complete it: “OK, three songs down, out of 18 we have to learn for our luau.” The annual luau, held at Sherwood Hall in Salinas each September, is the club’s biggest fundraiser, and features dancers of all shapes and body types, and all ages—as young as 4—on stage. (Bush herself started dancing hula at 2 back in Hawaii.) “Tickets sell out faster than a Taylor Swift concert,” Bush says of the luau. That’s partly because everyone wants to bring their family members, in keeping with the spirit of the club— something that Bush and other hula elders emphasize. “It’s more than just a canoe club, it’s a lifestyle. We call each other brothers and sisters,” Bush says. She just became a godparent to fellow dancer Serena Huerta’s new baby. Heidi Woodward was also raised in a military family, moving around frequently. She says Hawaiians would connect everywhere, even in Germany, to create a community. “We find each other,” she says “It’s how you perpetuate your culture—sharing food, drink, dance.” Hula dancing is perpetuating an ancient cultural practice with roots in worship; it was an art form meant to honor the gods. Christian missionaries objected to the practice and in 1830, Queen Ka’ahumanu, a Christian convert, banned hula, an edict that lasted for two years. Today, hula and outrigger canoeing are back on the world stage, including in Monterey County’s inclusive club, which welcomes members of all ethnicities, alongside many who are Polynesian. Despite a colonialist disruption, the traditions are again being passed down. “It is truly a family affair,” says Mel Latham, whose two daughters, 26 and 24, dance in the front row for every song in the beginner and advanced sessions on a recent Tuesday night. Latham danced since childhood, any type of dance, including ballet. Now Tuesday night hula halau is an important ritual. “Hula is my love,” she says. “It’s that happy place I can’t live without.” Hi’ilani ‘O Ke Kai hula club performs at 9pm Saturday, July 26 at Lovers Point, Pacific Grove. Free to attend; $200/annual club membership; $300/family membership. More information at paddle.kekai.org. Sea Song A hula group is more than a dance class or cultural club— it is an extended family. By Sara Rubin “It’s that happy place I can’t live without.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Marleen Bush teaches a hula class at the Del Rey Oaks Moose Lodge. Dancers of all ages from children to advanced adult groups take part in these classes, which are among the offerings of the Hawaiian cultural club Hi’ilani ‘O Ke Kai. SAVE THE DATE Friday, September 12 • Monterey Marriott Annual Leadership Luncheon Thursday, October 16 • TBD Monterey Bay Business Expo UPCOMING EVENTS See the full schedule of events and register today at montereychamber.com REGISTER TODAY!
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