Ambassador of Aloha: Michelle Kaulumāhiehie Amaral

By Gayle Kaleilehua Greco

Have you ever seen an angel dance?” asks Cultural Center Manager Earl Regidor as Michelle Kaulu Amaral starts to dance in the lobby of the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. With the first step, Kaulu begins to float as if on a cloud, weightless and timeless in a moment of elegant hula.

Her hands, so delicately precise in telling the story of the mele (song), arms moving like gentle wings of a bird, the current of air begins to transform into a breeze of aloha as Kaulu moves with extraordinary grace, eyes keenly seeing everyone near and far, being certain that no one is left without knowing the magic of her hula.

Her smile, whether with her eyes or facial expression, comes from her heart, warming the pure essence of each person in her presence. Breathing in this aloha, there’s an inexplicable calmness, compassion, and humility that instantly cast your troubles and worries far from this moment of receiving the beauty of Kaulu’s hula.

Said by many who know Kaulu, from longtime hula dancers and musicians, to returning hotel guests, “Kaulu is Aloha,” she is timeless in her beauty and heart, the embodiment of aloha to all who meet her. It is rare to actually meet the virtues love, kindness, and grace, yet in Kaulu’s presence these virtues come to life.

Named by her maternal grandfather, John Nicholas Perez, Kaulu remembers her ‘ohana recounting the story of her grandfather announcing her name as Kaulumāhiehie. In a prophesying moment, the meaning of her name was given as a delightful bundle; a growth of beauty who will mālama (care for) because of the beauty from within; her spirit is to care for others. The significance of a Hawaiian name is given with importance at the declared moment and as foreseen into the future. This name, Kaulumāhiehie, set the course for a young girl’s life of destiny.

Kaulu remembers her childhood in the 1960s with sweet reverence, “We learned hula at home or as an extra activity attending workshops.” Her first hula classes were with Aunty Margaret Moku in Kohala and replicated at family gatherings watching her aunties and cousins dance. Enrolling in Kamehameha School in Honolulu, Kaulu continued hula under the instruction of Kumu Hula Nona Beamer and other hula masters. Graduating from high school, Kaulu returned to Kailua-Kona and was hired by the Keauhou Beach Hotel.

Working in the hospitality industry as a young woman, Kaulu reminisces of her days and years as a Mea Ho‘okipa (host), “In every way I have been recognized and awarded, it is because I came from an ‘ohana mālama (caring family) and was raised with aloha. That feeling carries me to a place of being blessed to represent our culture.” Kaulu recites from the Ōlelo No‘eau, “A‘ohe lokomaika‘i i nele i ke pāna‘i, no kind deed ever lacks its reward.” She explains, “A kind deed can be a smile, sharing aloha, making everyone feel they are important, going above and beyond, and never expecting anything in return. I serve with a grateful heart.” The wise proverbs of the kūpuna (elders) provide the hā, the breath that formed this woman’s life as Kaulumāhiehie.

A legend in the professional hula world, Aunty Sally Alohikea Lyons of Kona became Kaulu’s mentor as she began performing in hula productions at various hotels and events.

“Aunty Sally called me to fill in for a dancer at the Kona Lagoon Longhouse,” Kaulu laughs at her innocent reticence and knocking knees as Aunty Sally coached her on the dance and pushed her out on stage. From there it was fate, as Kaulu became part of the Hawaiian show ensemble that would entertain visitors and locals for several years. Aunty Sally took Kaulu aside one night, sitting on the stairs outside the showroom, and shared with her protégée, “you will do this one day like me, all on your own.” In a moment of surprise, Kaulu did not know what to think of that statement, yet as the years went on, Aunty Sally’s words proved to be the foundation of a remarkable career.

In 1985, Kaulu was invited to audition for a position as a solo hula dancer at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Through a cast of many young women, Kaulu was awarded the job, and the owners of Mauna Lani committed to a trio of musicians and a solo hula dancer in the hotel’s atrium. Remarkably, the musicians were Kohala’s own Lim Family and the Lyn Flores Trio, with whom Kaulu started her journey into the world of a professional hula soloist.

Rodney Ito, General Manager of Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, comments on Kaulu as a charter employee with 30 years of service at the resort, “We feel special and blessed to have Kaulu entertain our guests over the years. Her commitment to the art of hula; her focus and passion; and her gift to make contact with everyone in the audience is what sets her apart.” He continues, “Many of our returning guests and homeowners say that once they see Kaulu, they know they are home.”

This sentiment is echoed over and over as returning guests gave their comments, each one having their own unique set of experiences that are etched in their memories. All consider Kaulu family as they speak of how she taught their children and grandchildren to dance hula over the years. Unconditionally loving each child, knowing their names and what grade they were in, year after year, never skipping a beat, Kaulu has put a kiss in the heart of these families, who repeatedly call her perfection.

Danny Kaniela Akaka, Cultural Historian at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel has known Kaulu from their days at Kamehameha School, ‘the BC days’ Danny laughs, “Before children.” Danny has watched Kaulu through the years, seeing her in every capacity she has endeavored, from a budding hula soloist, to 17 years a Pā’ū rider to Pā’ū Queen of Kohala and Kailua-Kona, and countless performances on island and internationally. Danny reflects on Kaulu through a lens of many decades and brings us forward to a time today where the maturity of this legendary hula dancer provides the elegance, confidence, dignity, and pride that captures people’s souls and brings them home to their hearts.

Danny gives Kaulu the highest of compliments as he reverently describes her as a Kanaka Makua, an endearing and powerful Hawaiian designation that holds spiritual meaning for a person others look up to, one who has earned the respect through the dedication of their life work, whose accomplishments are many, and who has taken what they do to a new level.

“Kaulu has a timeless elegance, she lives her life softly and is the embodiment of old school hula, from the days of Aunty Io,” Danny says.

In a moment of inspiration, Anna Akaka, hula dancer, former Pā’ū Queen, and longtime friend of Kaulu, says, “In my dreams, I dance like her.” Anna describes her friend as the epitome of elegance and the personification of the spirit of hula.

Danny continues from a musician’s perspective, “I have played music for the greatest hula dancers ever, and Kaulu is really the ‘cream of the crop.’” Danny’s words provide a professional recount of the relationship between the musician and hula dancer. “Kaulu can haku (weave) any mele (song) on the spot. That’s the mark of a great dancer.”

Danny’s explanation provides the transparency of a hula dancer’s ability to be flexible in the moment; to move beyond their comfort level with any performance or musician; to connect with the audience, utilizing everything that is around them to portray the story with passion and emotion—this is the essence of a master hula dancer.

Kaulu is quick to state that an important element of her foundation is her hālau (hula school) life. Under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap (Kohala) and Leialoha Lim Amina (O‘ahu) of Hālau Nā Lei ‘O Kaholoku, Kaulu receives support, sharing, and guidance from her hula sisters and teachers. Being with the hālau since 1989, they have traveled the path together through multiple Merrie Monarch award winning hula performances and in life’s moments of blessings and challenges. A hula hālau is a place of renewing oneself and of continual learning as well. Kaulu says, “we live, eat, and breathe hālau.”

Kaulu’s achievement of becoming Kumu Hula in 2012 provided an opportunity to be further inspired under Wahine Ua, established by Tumu Nāleialoha Napaepae Kunewa. Tumu Nālei comments that Kaulu has all the traits of a traditional hula dancer and carries the customs of an era in hula that needs to be preserved.

Stepping into her mother’s hula footsteps is eldest daughter, Misti Ka‘iulani Manasas. Misti reflects on her mother’s ability to parent as a respectful and loving mother who instilled a solid work ethic in all of her children, noting that her mother lives aloha in every capacity of her life, personally and professionally. Misti comments that her mom has set the bar high for anyone dancing hula, “She is her own entity. I strive to be at her level. When dancing together, it is not work, it is our passion. It is my honor to dance with her.”

Kaulu has two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren. At the center of her family and support system is her husband, Albert, who shares, “As Kaulu’s husband, I have been honored by her in marriage and her never wavering steadfastness to her family and hula life. I regard my wife and her talents with the highest esteem and love.”

Whether mesmerizing dignitaries, resort audiences, private clients, or children, Kaulu is the breath that fills ones heart. Her revered kuleana (responsibility) is witnessed in everyday life as a wife, mother, grandmother, aunty, sister, and friend to many people. With a repertoire so wide, Kaulu reflects on what it is like to hula, no matter what is happening in her life, a good or bad day, the balance of family, multiple jobs, caregiving, teaching abroad and ministries. “Hula fulfills me, it empowers me, it puts a shot of light in me and I want to give more,” she says.

When asked what has made the difference in her life, Kaulu recites the many mentors, teachers, family and friends, and at the core of it all, she says, “Aloha has carried me there, through everything in my life, it is aloha.”

In the State of Hawai‘i, Kaulu is one of two professional resort solo hula dancers having the longevity of multiple decades entertaining audiences. The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel will honor Michelle Kaulumāhiehie Amaral in August 2015 at Twilight at Kalāhuipua‘a, with an evening of Hawaiian music, hula, and talk story to commemorate her 30-year anniversary at the resort. ❖

Contact Michelle Kaulumāhiehie Amaral

Contact writer Gayle Kaleilehua Greco

Michelle Kaulu Amaral’s Professional Achievements

Kamehameha Day Parade Judge
Ka Hula Le‘a Competition Judge
Kūpuna Hula Competition Judge
Miss Kona Coffee Pageant Judge
Little Miss Kona Coffee Pageant Judge
KBS-Korea “The Challenger” Judge
MBC-Korea “Friday-Wide”
May Day Queen—Keauhou Beach Hotel
Kamehameha Day Parade Pā‘ū Rider
Kamehameha Day Parade Pā‘ū Queen—­Kailua-Kona and Kohala
Merrie Monarch Hula Competitor/Hālau Na Lei ‘O Kaholoku
Aloha Award(s) Recipient
Kumu Hula—Hokupa‘a Voyaging Partners—Germany
Kumu—Various Hula Ministries
TV Host, ‘I Remember When’, Farish Media
Featured dancer with Dr. Paul Pearsall, Author and Inspirational Speaker
Featured dancer with the Lim Family and Solo Vocalist Lorna Lim—Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winners
Performer and Production Consultant—Tihati Productions
Performer and Production Consultant—POMAI Productions
Hula Model—Na Waiwai Collection

Through the years, Kaulu served as an inspiration to several artists who have captured her style of hula in photographs and paintings. Renowned artist Herb Kawainui Kāne’s Hula Holoku paints Kaulu’s graceful hula and displays a montage of her along with the true essence of hula ‘auana.

Artwork courtesy of Kaulu, who has written permission from the artist.