A wonderful way to feel the energy of Hawaii, gently tone your body, strengthen your core, and enjoy dancing to the beautiful music of Hawaii. No experience necessary. Men, Women age 16 years and older welcome!   

Mondays

6 - 7 pm 

Tuesdays 

11 am - 12 noon 

Saturdays

8:30 - 9:30 AM 

   

  Wednesdays    

6 - 7 PM     

When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.

Our eyes, briefly,

see with

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.

Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their

radiance,

fall away.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance

of dark, cold

caves.

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

hosted by the

Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Sunday, June 1, 2014, 6pm

Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street

with

$30 General,
$25 Student/Senior

June Kaililani Tanoue

Kumu Hula

Tanya McBride

Tanya McBride was born in Los Angeles to a Vietnamese mother who came to the US from Saigon in 1975.  Her father is a native Los Angelean.  She started acting in high school and received her M.F.A. in Acting from The Ohio State University.  She's working as an actor here in Chicago.  She joined Halau i Ka Pono recently.

I had the pleasure of seeing her perform recently in the White Snake at the Goodman Theatre.  I laughed out loud and smiled during the whole play as I watch Tanya do an outstanding job!  Here's Tanya McBride telling us about this experience and a little about herself.

Tanya McBride:  I was cast as Green Snake (or "Greenie") in 2012 for the inaugural production of "The White Snake" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  Mary Zimmerman, the director, is very unique in that she doesn't write the script until we start rehearsal.  The only elements that existed in completion were the set, and the actors (the costumes, music and props all evolved as we rehearsed). 

There wasn't much preparation I could do except read different versions of the Chinese fable, which has been in existence for over a thousand years and has many different variations.  Once we began rehearsal, Mary would go home and write a few scenes each night, and we would stage those scenes the next day.  Mary is very responsive to the rhythms, personalities and skills of the actors she casts, so Greenie is very close to my own personality.  Greenie is very earnest but also a bit of a trouble-maker.  She's a classic comic sidekick.

Now that the production has been running for two years, I have a very set routine for preparing for the show.  I do a very thorough physical and vocal warm-up that takes about 30-40 minutes.  Greenie is a very physical role, and the stage is raked on an angle, so I have to make sure my body is strong enough to take the impact for long runs.  

June Tanoue: What got you interested in hula?

Tanya:  I was first introduced to hula in 1998 as a fluke!  Kumu Tiana Tehiva in Monrovia, California needed to replace a dancer in her troupe, so she contacted my ballet teacher who recommended me.  I learned the entire repertory in about a week and a half - it was really trial by fire.  We did Kahiko as well as Tahitian and performed at various festivals around the Los Angeles area.  

I fell in love with hula immediately.  I love that hula has a very clear sense of story, and as an actor that appeals to me.  Hula also makes me feel very connected to my fellow dancers, and it makes me feel more grounded. 

I know that hula has influenced my acting in that when I'm developing a character I'm very aware of physically directing the audience's attention to the story and developing a presence that is grounded but energizing.  To me, a character's arc is like a dance - there's a clear beginning, middle and end, and I'm part of a greater whole.  

The White Snake plays at the Goodman Theatre through June 8th.  Delightful, magical, wondrous!  Don't miss it!

Jason Poole, Na Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang and June Kaililani Tanoue, Davin Kawailana Pasqual, Al Fortuna

It's always exciting when Kumu Michael comes to town! We danced hard in his hula workshops and chanted from the heart in his chant workshop!  We watched beautiful hula pahu masterfully chanted by Kumu Michael and danced by Davin and Al in the performance at DePaul University.  We enjoyed dancing in Cortelyou Commons, and loved Jason Poole's songs and stories of Molokai!  What a dynamite weekend we had with Kumu Michael, our Hawaiian hula brothers and Jason Poole fresh from Molokai!!!  Stay tuned for next year!!!