Halau
O’ Manulani was formed 25 years ago by Anna Linda “Manulani” Lampkin
in Chicago, IL. With 5
dancers and a passion for Polynesian dance, Anna Linda began performing
with her new “halau.”
Since
then, our halau has grown, and has become increasingly popular in the
Chicago area as well as Hawaii, and throughout the mainland.
We have performed at many of Chicago’s major attractions,
including the Taste of Chicago and Navy Pier.
We’ve also performed at the Daley Center, the Beverly Ethnic
Festival, the Evanston Festival of Life, and numerous wedding receptions,
wedding anniversaries, luaus, and fashion shows – sharing our love for
Polynesian culture and dance with our audiences.
Under
Anna Linda’s direction, Halau 'O Manulani made their debut at the
Second Annual World Invitational Hula Festival (known as “E Ho’i Mai I
Ka Piko Hula” which means “Return to the Source”) held in
Honolulu, HI on November 9, 10 & 11, 1993. In
the spring of 1994, Island Scene Magazine (based in Honolulu) published an
article written by Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi entitled “Hula from Afar –
Meet three hula teachers who have taken Hawaiian dance to distant
shores,” in which Halau 'O Manulani was featured, and Anna Linda was
interviewed. Here is an
excerpt from that article:
Born
at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, the second of nine children
in a military family, Anna Linda Lampkin was a world traveler before she
reached adolescence. “My
father was a sergeant in the Army,” she explains, “and we moved
around a lot during the 30 years he was in the service."
Love
of Hawaiian music and dance, however, always linked Lampkin to her place
of birth. “When I was
10,” she recalls, “my dad was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and
my mother hired a Filipino hula instructor, Gloria Morano, to teach me.
In the beginning, I was as stiff as a board, very awkward, but
really had the desire to learn. Everywhere my family moved I was able to continue dancing
because no matter where we were, we always met Hawaiians.”
Over
the years, Lampkin has been influenced by many Island kumu, including
Keith Awai, Chinky Mahoe and Ray Fonseca, who have all led hula
workshops in [the] Chicago [area]. “Ever
since these seminars started on the Mainland,” Lampkin says, “you
can see people doing hula the right way.
Now we (halau in Chicago) are all learning about hula from people
who really are masters of it.”
Fortunately,
Lampkin’s job as a sales representative for United Airlines enables
her to come to Hawai’i every year to meet with different kumu and
learn more about hula. “There
are so many rewards!” she says. “I’ve
developed a love for storytelling through dance and a real sense of
accomplishment from working with young people and keeping their
interests off the streets.”
In
Lampkin’s opinion, “It does not make a difference where you are
dancing the hula, as long as it is being done correctly.”
Ultimately though, it is the purity and simplicity of the dance
itself that moves her. Says
Lampkin, “Hula portrays the beauty of life without all the fancy
frills.”
In
1995, while preparing to return to Hawaii to compete in The Fourth Annual
Invitational Hula Festival, we caught the eye of Harry Porterfield of ABC
News, who profiled our halau in his weekly "Someone You Should
Know" segment.
Anna
Linda continues to instill her love and appreciation for the many
different cultures of Polynesia with her students, as we continue to share
the same with others.
ALOHA!