Kumu Hula Kalani Viloria recalls dancing his first kaholo at 2 years old.
His parents — Kawika and Leinani and Viloria, who have been teaching hula for more than 30 years in Southern California, where he was born and raised — were his first kumu.
“Hula is what shaped and molded me,” he told Aloha State Daily. “This community is where everything started for me.”
While his parents were under the tutelage of Master Chanter and Kumu Hula, the late Charles Kaʻupu, Viloria later trained on Oʻahu under Kumu Hula Chinky Māhoe, who first learned to dance from Master Chanter and late Kumu Hula “Uncle” George Nā‘ope and joined “The Men of Waimāpuna” under late Kumu Hula Darrell Lupenui.
Viloria met his wife, Anjelica “Hiwa” Gacutan-Viloria of Daily City in Northern California, while at his parents’ hālau. She trained under Kapua Dalire-Moe, one of three renown hula sisters of the late Kumu Hula Aloha Dalire. Dalire-Moe's Hālau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniāke participated in this year's Merrie Monarch Festival in April on Hilo.
The Vilorias lived on Oʻahu for about nine years, he said, before settling down in Diamond Bar, California, to raise their four keiki and opening hālau, Kapiliwaiokeao, in 2023.
He noted that his journey to becoming Kumu Hula culminated in an ʻūniki, or graduation, ceremony where he recited a list of mele and chants in front of a panel. Part of the process was collaborating with Māhoe on the hālau’s name, Kapiliwaiokeao, which means “the water that connects us and the light that guides us.”
“There are dual meanings. So, knowing our hālau is going to be here on the continent, the water is the ocean that connects us back home (to the Islands) and the light, honestly, is God. My wife and I wanted to build the foundation with faith being the main motivator. We continue to find guidance from the teachings of Kumu Chinky and Kumu Kapua.”
“Starting hālau was our calling,” Viloria continued. “What we teach is kahiko (traditional hula) and 'auana (contemporary hula). For me as kumu, hula is what I grew up in. I don’t carry Tahitian, Samoan or Māori koko (blood), so I don’t offer those kinds of dance because I would want to do those cultures justice and make them proud.”
Kapiliwaiokeao’s mission is “to maintain and perpetuate beliefs, cultural practices, philosophies and traditions of kānaka ʻōiwi (Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi) through various papa (classes), in halawai (workshops) through hula, through oli and through ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi,” according to its website.
Viloria adds that while there was a period they were offering parent-and-me classes for young families, hālau generally is open to haumāna (students) ages 3 and older. Classes typically meet two to three days a week; kāne and wahine spend about four hours in class and meet three days a week, with some additional days when preparing for competition.
This year’s hōʻike, or showcase, was its largest yet, attracting about 600 people, he said.
“It was amazing to see our following and the work that our haumana put into showcasing themselves in hula,” Viloria told ASD, “It was good to see the growth of the students, and what made it even more special was that it was my daughter’s debut performance.”
Mele and fresh lei are part of the hālau’s culture. Accompanying the dancers at the annual event held earlier this month were musicians Mailani, Kaumakaiwa Kanakaole, Shawn Pimental, and three-man band, Ei Nei.
“We want to give people here on the continent a feel for Hawaiʻi, while showing off our talented friends,” he added.
One lesson Viloria has learned over the years, he said, is that not everyone learns the same way, and that’s OK. Visual learners, for example, need to write things down or watch videos. Overall, it has helped him to leverage teaching styles and refine practices.
His favorite part about being a Kumu Hula? “Seeing the journey unfold in a student. I like to take in new students and push all my students above and beyond their limits. Seeing them more spiritually grounded.”
“For us, my wife and I, faith is huge. Without Ke Akua being in our lives, we wouldn’t be blessed with the opportunities we have,” Viloria continued. “We know we wouldn’t be where we are today without Him, and we give thanks through pule (prayer) and worshipping Him in dance.”
Looking ahead, his goal is that Kapiliwaiokeao will be around for the long run.
He added: “We want to go back to Hawaiʻi to show that this continent hālau is more than just what people think. We’ve taken students to Merrie Monarch before to get the essence of the air in Hilo. But it would be great to get an invite from Aunty Luana and someday see them step on that stage as competitors and to make everyone proud. We want to plan more field trips like that for our students and give them opportunities to grow.”
(Note: Viloria performed at the 2023 Merrie Monarch Festival, according to his bio.)
“Further down the line, I want this hālau to be something I pass onto my own kids,” Viloria said.
Kapiliwaiokeao is readying for its next competition honoring Viloria's hula lineage, The George Naʻope Hula Festival, which runs from July 17-19 in Sacramento. Fundraising efforts are underway, per Instagram.
Viloria also notes that the hālau is deeply rooted in its own community, often bringing traditional hula to business grand openings and other events hosted by the city.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard and caliber,” he said. “We’re just trying to do our part, making out kūpuna and kumu proud, but also giving our hula community back home in Hawaiʻi this sense of comfort knowing we are trying to do our due diligence to work just as hard as the ones back home.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
