For many Hawaiians, the hula is a way of life, the art of native dance expressing all that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel. As a hula dancer and a filmmaker, I am dedicated to creating films that celebrate Hawaiian culture by exploring ways in which the ancient art is continued in the modern world.

Since 1998, I have been working on a trilogy of hula documentaries that reveal stories beyond popular stereotypes of ‘grass-skirt girls’ found in mainstream media. In my first feature, American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai’i, I focused on the largest communities of Hawaiians living in California who continue to perpetuate the hula while living away from the islands. Recently, I finished a second film for public television, Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula, that focuses on the revival of men dancing hula by following the only all-male school in Hawai’i. In hopes of completing the trilogy, I am researching and developing the final film entitled Tokyo Hula that will explore the explosion of interest in traditional hula dancing in Japan.

As a hula dancer who has spent extensive time studying the hula while living in New York City, I believe I offer a unique point of view from behind the lens in documenting hula as an artist who can navigate between cultures and locations with sensitivity and objectivity. I hope my films will not only educate a wide audience on the hula dance, but also illuminate my belief that dance is universal, and hula is not just for Hawaiians, but for everyone. Combining both my passions for filmmaking and the hula dance, each film allows me to open a door to another facet of my own cultural identity and share the voices of students and teachers who believe that ‘hula is life’ no matter where you are.

Me ke aloha,
Lisette Kaualena Flanary