Welcome to Hawaiian Skies, the in-flight video magazine of Hawaiian Airlines. In our latest edition, we visit two very different museums…hear top pianists in action…go bouldering without a rope…experience the beauty of hula…catch a windsurfing competition at the sport’s spiritual home…meet the family that sets the standard for ukulele making…and witness artists doing what they do best.
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Thanks to the success of a new generation of musicians led by Jake Shimabukuro, the ukulele is riding a wave of popularity these days. But the little instrument has been big in Hawai‘i ever since its introduction a century ago.
The diversity of Hawai‘i. The beauty of Hawai‘i. The soul of Hawai‘i. It’s all there in the music of Hawai‘i, and there’s no better place to experience it than at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. In this story, Kuuipo Kumukahi, President of the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts, gives us a personal introduction to these prestigious awards and explains what they mean to the artists and to the Islands.
This story is your passport to a Hawai‘i many people never see. We travel to Lahaina, on Maui, to explore an ancient treasure located in the unlikeliest of places: beneath the softball mounds of a county park. We also visit Chef Chai Chaowasaree, a master at incorporating local flavors into his menus, who shares one of his favorite recipes with us.
The Brothers Cazimero, one of Hawaii’s best-loved musical acts, recently invited some young guests to share the stage. Their concert at the historic Hawai‘i Theatre featured performances by the winners of the Keiki Hula Festival.
Viewers of Hawaiian Skies were recently treated to a special documentary entitled “Journey to Emalani,” chronicling a hula festival featuring three talented halau, or schools.
The festival is held yearly in commemoration of a journey taken in 1871 by Queen Emma Naea Rooke to the upland forests of Kokee in West Kaua‘i. It is a powerful evocation of a time and a spirit that have persevered through the ages.
There is no larger stage for hula than the Merrie Monarch Festival. This annual competition, held in the town of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, brings together the finest dancers and halau, or schools of hula, that the Islands have to offer.
The dance form Hawai‘i is most associated with is, of course, hula. But dance is taking several fascinating new directions here as well, exemplified by Tau Dance Theater. A blend of ancient stories and contemporary tools and techniques, these productions are at once utterly new and eternal.
Viewers of Hawaiian Skies were recently treated to a special edition of Hawaiian Skies featuring a true musical treasure, singer Emma Veary. Over the course of a long and distinguished career, Veary has performed many of Hawaii’s favorite songs at a number of iconic venues.
There’s a place in Waikiki where a volcano erupts every night…where a waterfall comes to life…where people appear, disappear and float in thin air. It’s the famous Magic of Polynesia show at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. Illusionist John Hirokawa puts on a truly amazing show, which also features Polynesian dance, song and chants.
As this spectacular performance proves, Hawaii’s attractions don’t end when the sun goes down.
We recently marked a first for Hawaiian Skies – an entire program dedicated to one concert. This special musical event showcased the talents of The Brothers Cazimero, a group whose music has become a true Island tradition.
Over the course of a career that has spanned 35 years and counting, “The Caz” have put their own mark on the culture of Hawai‘i by combining hula, drama and contemporary influences. If you’re interested in exploring the music of the Islands, this is a great place to start.
