Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu's THE HULA SHOW 2012 Plays San Francisco, Now thru 10/28

Patrick Makuakane and his award-winning dance troupe, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, return to the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco for The Hula Show 2012, with 15 world premieres featuring traditional hula and Makuakane's renowned hula mua, which brings the ancient Hawaiian dance form into the modern realm by setting traditional hula movements to non-Hawaiian music.

Performances of The Hula Show 2012 are tonight, October 20 at 8 p.m., Sunday, October 21 at 3 p.m., Friday, October 26 at 8 p.m., Saturday, October 27 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 28 at 3 p.m. A special children's matinee will take place on Sunday, October 28 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.

The opening suite of dances was inspired by King Kalakaua's jubilee in 1886, celebrating his 50th birthday. King Kalakaua reigned from 1874 to 1891 and is credited for the revitalization of hula in Hawaii. Makuakane created the suite of dances from a collection of chants commemorating the jubilee. The tribute to King Kal?kaua will also feature historic photos from the jubilee.

The show will include the world premiere of "The Little Black Dress Hula," a smoldering, jazzy hula suite derived from a collection of songs that range from jazzy, contemporary Hawaiian to bluesy, swampy, soul. Other dances honor one of the most famous beaches in the world - Waikiki.

"There is a freedom in hula mua that allows me to fuse not only the past and future, but also traditional hula movements with contemporary music," says Makuakane. "We are excited to present The Hula Show 2012 to fans throughout the San Francisco Bay Area."

Tickets for the opening night performance tonight, October 20 will be followed by a champagne reception. Tickets may also be purchased for the Gala Benefit on Saturday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m., featuring a pre-performance Lu'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 28 at 12 p.m.

Founded in 1985, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu ("the many feathered wreaths at the summit, held in high esteem") is committed to the preservation and education of the Hawaiian culture through hula. It has a performance group of nearly 40 dancers and offers classes to students in the beginning and intermediate levels. The organization holds educational workshops throughout the year in Hawaiian language, history, and arts and crafts.

For further information on Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, call 415-647-3040 or visit www.naleihulu.org.

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