Kani Kō: Competitive Hula & Mele
Mele Conference 2026
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1h 7m
Kani Kō: Competitive Hula and Mele
As an extension of the Mele Conference 2025 panel, “I Leʻa i ka Hoʻopaʻa: Reflections of a Hula Musician,” “Kani Kō: Competitive Hula and Mele” features the reflections of kumu hula who often engage in the competitive realm of hula and mele. Moderated from the perspective of a hula musician, the panel will have special emphasis on the unique relationship between hula and mele, kumu hula and musician, on and off the competition stage.
Up Next in Mele Conference 2026
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Kani Nahe: Haku Mele Competition
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Hakukole | Featuing Kealiʻi Reichel
Hakukole
Offered by renowned mele practitioner and kumu hula, Kealiʻi Reichel, this session explores
a specific genre of mele, “hakukole,” which Pukui and Elbert define as “to defame, ridicule, as
in figurative language and chant; defamer.”
