Mo’olelo

Leimomi Ho, Kumu Hula of Keali’ika’apunihonua Ke’ena A’o Hula established in March of 1984.  This school of hula perpetuates the traditional hula stylings and legacy of Victoria Keali’ika’apunihonua II Rodrigues.  Kumu Hula Leimomi instills within each haumana the importance of respecting the art of hula and the cultural traditions passed down by our kupuna.  This is furthered with the understanding  that this hula family’s participation at performances where each dancer shares the love of hula to the very best of their ability.  Hula has always been a part of Leimomi’s life.  As a young child, taken in the tradition of “hanai” (adopt) by Auntie Vickie Rodrigues, Leimomi was raised as a “punahele” (favorite) along with Auntie Vickie’s own children.  Music and hula were an inherent part of the Rodrigues’ family life.  Learning hula from Auntie Vickie required close observation and listening.  Words and motions were pronounced and performed three times with the expectation that it be committed to memory.  There were no lyric sheets or writing motions and steps when Auntie Vickie taught.  Leimomi will confess that much of what her kumu has given her remains unwritten and the only repository is inside of her heart and mind.  Leimomi is currently a dance instructor of the hula at the Kapi’olani Community College of Honolulu for over ten years.  Leimomi Ho along with her halau has performed and competed in countless Hawaiian events and programs gaining notoriety for her work and sharing of her hula legacy throughout Hawaii and the world with travels to Japan, U.S. Mainland and Tahiti to name a few.  She has entered in the annual Merrie Monarch, King Kamehameha, Hula ‘Oni E, and more bringing home several top awards.  Although Leimomi and her haumana live in a Christian world today, she instills within her members the importance of respect, love, and compassion for the hula, for the ancestors, for family, and for God.  Auntie Vickie Rodrigues would have wanted it no other way.

Mo’oku’auhau

The Late, Auntie Vickie Rodrigues - The symbols of the halau and what they represent are an
 introductory part of each student’s learning.  The blossoms of this halau hula are three yellow roses which are Auntie Vickie’s favorite.  Each rose represents the Holy Trinity, the father, and our matriarch, “Vickie” for whom this school is named.

‘Olelo No’eau

“I ho’okahi kahi pu’uwai, I ho’okahi kahi ka mana’o, I ho’okahi kahi ke aloha, I mau ke ‘ea O ka ‘aina I ka pono”

“We strive towards the goal to be of one heart, one thought, and of one love, so that the
goodness of life may always be perpetuated”