KALIHI-PALAMA CULTURE & ARTS SOCIETY INC

KALIHI-PALAMA CULTURE AND ARTS SOCIETY, INC. (KPCAS) PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE NEARLY 1,000 CHILDREN SERVICED ANNUALLY WITH FREE AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES HULA, FILIPINO FOLK, OKINAWAN, AND AMERICAN DANCE TO THE HAWAI`I COMMUNITY WITH NOMINAL COSTS. KPCAS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT HULA LITERACY IN HAWAI`I AND ABROAD WITH ITS KEIKI HULA INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN 2004. KPCAS PRESENTS TWO MAJOR ANNUAL CULTURAL EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THE QUEEN LILI`UOKALANI KEIKI HULA COMPETITION (KEIKI HULA) AND THE MALIA CRAVER HULA KAHIKO COMPETITION ARE RECOGNIZED AS DISTINGUISHED EVENTS THAT PROMOTE HULA PRESERVATION FROM A LOCAL TO INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE. THE MALIA CRAVER HULA KAHIKO COMPETITION WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1988. IT IS A SHOWCASE AMONGST HAWAI`I'S SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS OF SONG AND DANCE. THE FIRST QUEEN LILI`UOKALANI KEIKI HULA COMPETITION WAS INSTITUTED IN 1976. SINCE THEN THE COMPETITION NOW REACHES APPROXIMATELY 500 KEIKI HULA PARTICIPANTS WITH AN AUDIENCE OVER ONE MILLION ANNUALLY. KPCAS ACKNOWLEDGES EXCELLENCE IN HULA PRESERVATION BY PROVIDING TROPHIES AND MONETARY AWARDS. KPCAS ALSO RECOGNIZES EACH YEAR ONE KAIKAMAHINE KUMU HULA AND ONE KANE KUMU HULA FOR THEIR LIFELONG DEDICATION TO TEACHING CHILDREN EACH OF WHOM IS AWARDED OUR LIKELIKE AND LELEIOHOKU COMMERMORATIVE PLAQUE. FINALLY, AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, KPCAS RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN HAWAIIAN LANGUGE ACHIEVEMENT WITH ITS ANNUAL KAWENA?ULA KEIKI HULA SCHOLARSHIP. THIS YEAR KPCAS EXPANDED ITS COMMUNITY OUT REACH BEYOND JUST OUR HULA COMMUNITY. WE CREATED A "VENDOR VILLAGE" TO PROVIDE A COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR LOCAL HAWAIIAN ARTISANS TO SELL THEIR CREATIONS. WE INCLUDED NATIONAL FASHION DESIGNERS SUCH AS MANAOLA AND KINI ZAMORA. WE SOUGHT LEI MAKERS AS WELL AS LEI HULU CRAFTERS TO HELP OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE THEIR DANCERS IN STYLE. WE OFFERED NON-COMPETING FOOD VENDORS AND JEWELRY MAKERS. IN ESSENCE, WE CREATED A SPACE TO PROMOTE THE ARTISTS WITHIN OUR LOCAL ARTISAN COMMUNITY. KPCAS KNOWS IT HAS HAD AND CONTINUES TO HAVE A PERVASIVE IMPACT ON OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY AS WELL AS ON MILLIONS OF OTHERS WHO LIVE BEYOND OUR BEACHES. WE KNOW THROUGH OUR SURVEYS, FOR INSTANCE, THAT OUR EVENT HAS TOUCHED NEARLY EVERY PERSON WITHIN OUR STATE. THIS IS SO AS WE HAVE HAD TENS OF THOUSANDS OF KEIKI DANCE HULA AT OUR EVENT IN THE LAST FORTY-FOUR YEARS. OR SOMEONE IN THEIR FAMILY HAS DANCED KEIKI HULA. OR SOMEONE AT WORK KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS A KEIKI THAT DANCES HULA. OR SOMEONE HAS A FRIEND WHO HAS DANCED KEIKI HULA. AND SO ON. WE ARE PROUD THAT WE HAVE BECOME A QUIETLY PERVASIVE AND POSITIVE FORCE, WHICH CONTINUES TO BE A SILENT SOURCE OF HAWAIIAN ENERGY