Kumu Hula Leimomi Ho has experienced a life blessed by hula masters revered in the realm of the hula world for over seven decades and has proven credit of her own recognition as one of Hawai‘i’s most prominent kumu hula today.
Aunty Leimomi (Duarte) was born on July 22, 1944, in Hanapēpē on the island of Kauaʻi. She recalls that she has always danced hula, often joking that she was taught to dance before she was taught to walk. She believes “if it’s in your heart and it’s meant to be, Hula will find you.”
She started hula with Helen Waiʻau on Kauaʻi and continued under the direction of Kamuela Naeole, John Piʻilani Watkins, Uncle Joe Kahaulelio and Vickie Iʻi Rodrigues on Oʻahu.
Aunty Vickie and Leimomi’s lives were intertwined with hula masters such as Aunty ‘Iolani Luahine and Lokalia Montgomery. Leimomi Ho was “the hands and feet” of Auntie Vickie for many years. She taught the hula to those who sought out Auntie Vickie to learn songs and hula. After a while, Auntie Vickie decided that instead of Leimomi going here and there to “teach”, that it was time Leimomi should establish a ke‘ena a‘o hula, a place to teach/learn hula. On March 5,1984, Keali’ika’apunihonua Ke’ena A’o Hula was established with Aunty Vickie’s blessing and her name - Keali‘ika‘apunihonua – “The Chief who traveled around the world.”
Her hula school, true to its name, has performed and competed throughout Hawaii, Japan, U.S. Mainland, Rome, Belgium and Tahiti. They have brought home top honors and awards from competitions such as the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, King Kamehameha Hula & Chant Competition, Hula ‘Oni E, and Iā ‘Oe E Ka La Hula Festivals. Leimomi continues to share her manaʻo and wealth of knowledge as a judge at hula competitions and workshops.

Ainsley K Halemanu is a Kumu Hula, Musician, ʻŌlelo Makuahine, Composer, and Mentor of Hawaiian Cultural & Arts. He also serves as a judge for many competitions.

As the daughter of one of Hawaiʻi’s great masters and entertainers, Twyla has been nurtured and groomed throughout her life as a dancer, hoʻopaʻa, and alakaʻi. Her mother, the beloved, late Leilani Sharpe Mendez, lovingly guided her daughter, with the intention of passing on her legacy. Since the day she was born, hula has been Twyla’s way of life. Throughout their hula history, they have entered numerous competitions and placed with top honors. Twyla had the honor of being named Miss Aloha Hula 1984 at the esteemed Merrie Monarch Hula Festivals. With over 30 years of hula experiences, she continues to pass on the style and beliefs of her mother’s hula to new human (students).

Twyla currently teaches on the Leeward side of Oʻahu and has chosen the halau name “Halau Na Put A Lei” in honor of her mother. It means: “The many blossoms of Lei.” As Twyla says, “It is with pride and dedication, that I carry on my mother’s labor of love.” “Being given the task of teaching such an important aspect of our culture holds a deep responsibility,” says Twyla. “Respect for our culture comes with the God-given gift of being born to carry on a legacy.”

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Tracie Ka‘ōnohilani Lopes was raised in Kaimukī surrounded by the music of her mom, Karen Keawehawai‘i and hula shared by her aunty, Johnette Keawehawaii, cousin and haumana of Uncle George Holokai. She now resides in Pū‘ahu‘ula, Kāneohe, Oahu with her husband of 26 years Dr. Keawe Lopes Jr. and their three daughters Pi‘ikea, Ka‘ōnohi and Hāweo. A 1989 Kamehameha Kapālama graduate, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s in Public Administration from UH Mānoa. She received an honorary doctorate from Hawaii Pacific University in 2024 where she taught language and hula for 16 years. Tracie also taught at Kalani High School, Saint Louis School and Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies classes at UH Manoa. She is an accomplished dancer blessed to have been awarded the titles of Miss Hula Pākahi, Miss E Ho‘i Mai I Ka Piko Hula and in 1994, Miss Aloha Hula at the Merrie Monarch Festival. She also received 1 st place chant awards at the Kamehameha Day Competition. In 2005, Tracie and Keawe founded their hālau Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e and continues the traditions of kumu O’Brian Eselu, Thaddius Wilson, Kimo Alama Keaulana, Johnette Keawehawai‘i, Mapuana Yasue and Flo Koanui. The hālau shares hula, language and loina Hawai‘i to kaikamahine, wahine, kūpuna, keikikāne and kāne of all ages. In 2024, they celebrated 15 consecutive years of participation at the Merrie Monarch Festival and received first overall placement in the competition. This year, the hālau will celebrate 20 years in August.
Tracie is now a full time Instructor of Hula and Chant in the UHM Theatre and Dance Department.

R. Keawe Lopes Jr. resides in Pū‘ahu‘ula, Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu with his wife Tracie Ka‘ōnohilani Farias and three daughters, Pi‘ikea, Ka‘ōnohi and Hāweo. He is a professor at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where he currently serves as its director. For the past 30 years he has taught courses that include the study and performance of mele in the enhancement of Hawaiian language acquisition. He is also the director of Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha, an interactive resource center for the promotion, preservation and perpetuation of mele. He and his wife are the kumu hula of Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai o Ha‘eha‘e. 

Born into a legacy steeped in tradition, Kauiʻilikea Kahanaoi carries the heartbeat of her ancestors in every movement. Raised within the sacred rhythm of hula, she was not simply taught — she was born remembering. From an early age, the echo of oli resonated deep within her soul, guiding her to truths long whispered by generations before.

Kauiʻilikea does not merely dance — she becomes the story. Each sway, each chant, each beat of the ipu carries the breath of those who came before. Her identity is intertwined with ancestral memory, woven through lineage like lei of ʻilima and palapalai. When she dances, she is not alone — she moves with the mana of her kūpuna, their voices alive in her oli.

In hula, she finds both refuge and revelation. It is through the moʻolelo passed down, through chants preserved in time, that Kauiʻilikea continually rediscovers who she is. Her journey is not only one of cultural expression, but one of spiritual reclamation — a life led in harmony with the past, grounded in ʻike, and forever guided by aloha.