THE HULA SHOW 2013 Presented at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, Now thru 10/27

Patrick Makuak?ne and his award-winning dance troupe, N? Lei Hulu I Ka W?kiu, return to the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco for The Hula Show 2013, with 20 world premieres featuring traditional hula andMakuak?ne's renowned hula mua, which blends Hawaiian dance with modern music. Performances of The Hula Show 2013 are today, October 19 at 8 p.m., Sunday, October 20 at 3 p.m., Friday, October 25 at 8 p.m., Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m.and Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. A special children's matinee will take place on Sunday, October 27 at 12 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through City Box Office at 415-392-4400, on the web at cityboxoffice.com and at all tickets.com locations.

From 1834 to 1948 over 100 Hawaiian-language newspapers were published and circulated throughout the islands. This totaled over a million typescript pages of text-apparently the largest native-language cache in the western world. The Hula Show 2013 is inspired by this newly-discovered and profound repository of culture and history.

A project called "?Ike K?'oko'a" was launched in 2012 as a global initiative enrolling thousands of volunteers to transcribe these newspapers. Over the course of eight months, Makuak?ne?s hula school worked diligently to transcribe nearly 1,200 pages-making them the largest contributor to the effort.

Kumu Hula, Patrick Makuak?ne, received a highly competitive choreographer's grant awarded by the Gerbode Foundation of San Francisco to integrate these unmined journalistic gems-from epic tales to news of the monarchy and feisty editorials to original songs submitted by readers.

"Hula expresses experiences through chanting and dance. These are the mediums N? Lei Hulu uses to tell the stories of love, sadness, and transformation," says Makuak?ne. "We were incredibly honored to help transcribe the Hawaiian archival newspapers by diving into the print medium to continue our passion for storytelling."

A featured collection of chants and dances are based on the epic saga of Hi?iaka, the favorite sister of the volcano goddess Pele. This story was presented to Hawaiian readers as a daily series in the newspaper Ka Na?i Aupuni between 1905 and 1906 containing hundreds of chants and a treasury of cultural knowledge. The opening suite of dances breathes new life into this beloved classic as audiences join Hi?iaka's adventure traversing the Hawaiian archipelago.

By 1916, Hawaiian recordings were outselling almost all other music genres on the mainland. Jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and many Hawaiian recording artists, including Andy Iona, recorded hit after tropical hit. The Hula Show 2013 celebrates this unique hybrid of pop and jazz with Hawaiian melodies in a nostalgic yet contemporary hula suite.

The Hula Show 2013 will also feature both traditional and contemporary renditions of dances and songs from Buke Mele L?hui or Book of National Songs an extraordinary historical treasure. This rare collection of over 100 songs from the close of the 19th century contains the largest number of political and patriotic Hawaiian songs ever printed in one place. They echo the steadfast resilience of Hawaiians during a time of political upheaval.

Performances of The Hula Show 2013 are Saturday, October 19 at 8 p.m., Sunday, October 20 at 3 p.m., Friday, October 25 at 8 p.m., Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. The opening night performance on Saturday, October 19is followed by a champagne reception. Tickets may also be purchased for the Gala Benefit on Saturday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m., featuring a pre-performance L?'au, with food from favorite San Francisco restaurants, live Hawaiian music and VIP seating to the 8 p.m.performance. A special children's matinee (one-hour performance) will take place on Sunday, October 27 at 12 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through City Box Office at 415-392-4400, on the web at cityboxoffice.com and at all tickets.com locations.

For further information on N? Lei Hulu I Ka W?kiu, call 415-647-3040 or visit www.naleihulu.org.

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