Academy of Hawaiian Arts

So… just finished my third week of classes here. It’s intense; not gonna lie. I’ve danced ballet and tap when I was younger, which has served me really well for other activities (acrobatics, tissu, hoop, contortion), but seems to only hinder me here — my fingers are too open, my arms are too lax, my timing is off (okay, really I think THEIR timing is off — Hawaiian time, I think… even class starts ten minutes late) and my feet turn out. Damn the ballet!
The Level 1 (L1) class works only on three basic moves the whole two hours. I didn’t expect to be pouring sweat and feel it in my legs the next day, but there I was. Kumu Mark is hard but an excellent teacher. He and his staff make all kinds of micro-​adjustments; honestly, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing that needs to change, but by my third week, I think I’m catching on. I’m no longer the butt of all kinds of jokes (well, okay, this week I’m a Punahou-​Honolulu-​LA-​high-​maintenance gal) and I’m getting less and less micro-​adjustment attention. I can even hear Kumu Mark murmuring an occasional «excellent» and that means a lot, because he doesn’t hand out compliments lightly. Every time I see him walk by, I think, «CRAAAP, is my hip going up and down enough? Am I putting enough pressure into my down step? Is my chest forward enough? Pelvic bones down? Fingers closed? Does my face register my fear? OMGGGGAWWWWD!!» Otherwise, I know he’s going to sit down, push me off balance to demonstrate the strength needed for the kaholo, and make me feel a fool. But that’s the only way to get better. And it’s certainly worked. L1 doesn’t get into choreography at all, but there’s something very therapeutic about the repetition and many of the advanced students also attend the class.
This halau’s style is much more militant. I’m told the torso moves much more here than in other halaus and it’s much less «wavy». I like that. Performing hula is a political act. There is a fierce quality to it that has been taken out to make hula more palatable for luaus and Waikiki shows. But the school’s specialty is kahiko, and you should know that Kumu Mark is well respected and a leader in the hula world. I’m really pleased to have this school so near me and humbled that I can be a part of it.
I tried Level 2 today and it was way too much for me at this time. Can’t get my arms and legs coordinated enough yet! But watching the other dancers move in line, and hearing Kumu Mark provide the live music is really special. I’m in a weird place right now so this is part of my healing process.
This school is not for the occasional hobbyist. You need to be a dedicated practitioner and have thick skin. I was asked a couple times if I danced hula before (hooray! fooled you!), so I guess I’m doing okay, but I think mostly it takes good listening skills and an ability to translate the instruction given into your body. Otherwise, you might feel very clumsy and frustrated, as the staff demands perfection (as they should). But don’t give up — practice, practice, practice!

Kumu Mark is an amazing kumu and he definitely (obviously) knows what he is doing and what h is teaching.
I LOVED dancing for him and his presence at every practice (no matter how badly sometimes I wished he wasn’t going to be there — he’s TOUGH). He made me want to be a better dancer.
If it wasn’t for adult classes being right in the middle of the day and it being far from where I lived — I would’ve maybe stayed, but honestly the kokua was what ultimately turned me off!
I felt like it was vey clique-​y! Never a «good morning» or «oh how are you?» NEVER. It was disheartening. It’s very tough to get your okole kicked in class and then not have anyone bitch with you about it. lol.
Like I said I loved dancing for him, but his kokua really lacked.

I danced with this halau for around 5 – 6 months. I’d danced hula before, but not exclusively, and enjoyed my experience here. Practices were intense & productive, almost exclusively dedicated to mastering your basics, which was awesome. Those leading the classes were helpful and welcoming and anyone struggling with the movements was worked with — I never felt that I nor anyone else was ever overlooked, no matter how large the group was. Kumu Mark attended most classes, loved hearing the live chanting.
All that being said, the reason for the 3-​star review? One thing only: mandatory fundraising. I have no problem helping with a fundraiser for any cause that I support, hula included. However, being given a «quota» of tickets to sell, I was not able to sell all of mine (which, at the time, were $ 20 tickets to an all-​day hula competition… I just did not find enough people interested in attending this event, and believe me, I asked everyone I knew). I informed someone about not being able to sell all my tickets, and was told I should consider buying the tickets myself to give to others as gifts. That would’ve been $ 300!!! I couldn’t afford that, and it left me feeling a little put-​off. Especially as fundraisers are held year-​round and frankly, I am not always able to find 20+ people who are willing to buy tickets to different things from me every other month. And I can’t afford to spend hundreds myself, on top of tuition, to support the group. So, I left the group.
Speaking purely for hula itself, this is an awesome group, truly! But the dedication and commitment of both time and money towards the many fundraising projects undertaken in support of Merrie Monarch and other halau endeavors CAN be prohibitive.

Just had my first class with AHA, and loved it. The hula class is about endurance, technique, details and timing. The teachers are very patient. The halau as a whole is very focused on dancing hula well and with purpose, under the direction of Kumu Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu. They are also a high level competition halau, yet in speaking with the students, not all of them take clases to be able to perform or compete. Yet, these students are made to feel welcome. Mahalo AHA, and I hope to be back soon.

I feel like a fraud reviewing this, since I only survived 2 classes.
It’s been a while since I took a hula class here, but I recommend it. The classes I attended were not beginner classes, so don’t expect a lot of instruction. I went on a Saturday and got thrown in with everyone else, most of whom danced with the competition team. I just tried to copy what people were doing.
Kumu Mark tried to help me because I suddenly had no rhythm. His singing/​chanting really made me want to do it right, but that did not happen, and I started wondering if I knew what rhythm was.
The warm ups, which included more push ups than I had done in my lifetime combined (and I used to play a lot of sports), almost killed me. My friends laughed at me for days about how sore I was after one class. God, I hate push ups.
I moved not long after starting the classes, so I had to stop, but if you’re interested in hula, check Academy of Hawaiian Arts out.

My first five stars for Unilocal!My cuz is a wonderful teacher there. She inspires each and everyone with her personality and her dance routines. I highly recommend this place for dance and the history behind by our hawaiian culture! To my cuz the SUN!

i had fun in my first ukulele workshop. it was a drop in class and the teacher is so nice. I can not wait to go to my next class.

This place is great! Its definately a good place to be at if your interested in the hawaiian culture as a whole. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Kumu Mark and the pro team are a lot of help and will not hesitate to answer any question that you might have. It may be a little intimidating at first but it will quickly subside. Aunty puanani is the class representative for the beginning class in saturday and she helped inform me all the options that they offer.
AHA is the best at what they do and i recommed this place for everyone who is interested in learning hula and the Hawaiian culture.

Terrible Experience!!! I took my 13 year old daughter to their classes and during the first class she was ridiculed and called names by their Kumu Hula. Name calling, ridicule and intimidation are not acceptable teaching methods. We came to AHA excited to enhance our knowledge and love of Hawaiian dance but instead experienced a very ugly side of it.

Ahhh. if you’re reading this then, you’re probably looking for the perfect halau for you or curious to see what AHA is all about! I’m a ‘newbie’ but, after a few months I found it all here! EVERYONE is very friendly and treat you like ‘ohana the second you get out of your car. I’ll be honest. it’s quite intimidating at first but, it makes you want to learn as much and as fast as possible! The pro-​team is very helpful and encouraging. As for Kumu Mark… AMAZING! To be able to hear his voice, his music — it’s mesmerizing!
I wish you the best in your halau search…

I’ve been to a few performances and their grand opening this weekend and i can say that each time after, i’m reminded of how i want to move to hawaii and like, never come back. but then what would i do in Hawaii? would i ever be motivated to find work…
anyway, i digress…
AHA, they have great performances and the grand opening was fun, a jumpy jump for the kiddies and food for the adults and performances.
If I ever find time i would do hula… :)
not sure about the pricing, but they also have ukelele classes! :)

AHA is not only about the hula– the Hawaiian music ensemble class is a fun, but serious way to appreciate Hawaiian culture through music.
The course welcomes players (primarily ukulele players, but guitars and singers as well) of all skill levels to learn Hawaiian music. Advanced players can earn a place in ‘Ahamele, the performing group of the class.
The class instructor, Kainani Hartnett, is full of aloha spirit, and always makes classes fun and meaningful, channeling Kumu Mark’s vision for the halau and breathing life into the music.
If you want to make a serious investment in learning Hawaiian music via singing, ‘ukulele, or guitar, AHA is definitely a halau you should check out.

Simply the BEST. No other halau comes close in the level of professionalism and hospitality. Curriculum is top notch, and so much more than you would expect from a hula school. If you’re looking for a halau in the bay area or in cali for that matter, you will definitely find home here… I know I did! and YES, the commute from Modesto to Oakland is WELL worth it. =]

Definitely among the best of the best! This is NOT your typical hula school. It’s everything you want in a halau, but nothing you imagined. Known all over the world in hula communities on 4 continents and in the mainstream for the first Lilo and Stitch movie, Kumu Mark completes the circle his hula nterpretations — Deep rooted Hawaiian culture, entertainment, and a sense of today… HERE in the BAY AREA!
You get 3 times the class on average of other hula and performing arts schools and he sings/​chants LIVE for nearly EVERY class. AHA offers the full service curriculum from children 3 and up to adults of all ages — to an internationally traveled pro-​team. The school is in Oakland which some may think is far from the rest of the reaches of the bay. But realistically, the students travel from all over the bay and beyond. Modesto, Fresno, Vallejo, San Jose, Monterey, and San Francisco — you name it. Students from Canada and Japan have even made the leap to get a chance to train under Kumu Mark.
Before you settle on a halau (hula school) in the Bay Area, experience one of Kumu Mark’s performances — they’re breath taking and will leave you amazed!
OK — I just sounded like a public service announcement… but I’m serious… check him out!
Recent YouTube at Merrie Monarch, Hilo — Hawaii

Real Hawai’ian Spirit.
Amazing Kumu Hula, Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu.
Great people.
Talented performers.
Fun events.