HONOLULU (HI Now) - Kāhuli Leo Le’a, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering aloha ʻāina through cultural practices and mele, will host its first-ever Mele Conference from June 16 to 18, 2025, at the Sheraton Waikīkī. This three-day gathering brings together haku mele (composers), kumu hula, cultural practitioners, and community members for a powerful exchange rooted in music, storytelling, and tradition.
The event begins with thoughtful plenary sessions and cultural conversations that explore the role of mele in community empowerment and identity. On the final evening, the conference culminates in the debut of the Mele Hula Festival—a new vision of hula competition that pairs original mele with live hula performances. Five renowned hālau hula will take the stage alongside their kumu and musicians, presenting newly commissioned mele that celebrate deep connections to people and place. Participating hālau include Hālau i ka Wēkiu (Karl Veto Baker & Michael Lanakila Casupang), Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima (Māpuana de Silva), Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka o Uka (Nāpua Silva), Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua (Kamaka Kukona), and Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai o Haʻehaʻe (Tracie & Keawe Lopes).
More than a conference, this is a movement. Kāhuli Leo Le’a’s Mele Conference invites attendees to deepen their relationship with mele as a living cultural practice and to celebrate the voices shaping its future. Whether you’re a composer, dancer, educator, or observer, this gathering offers a rare chance to witness mele and hula in their fullest expression—alive, evolving, and grounded in ʻāina.
For more information, visit https://www.kahulileolea.org/meleconference.html
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