TRULY HAWAIIAN IS ‘UMI-A-LILOA’

The hula alaapapa will be one of the special entre act features of the performance of “Umi-a-Liloa” at the opera house next Thursday evening. This hula is danced standing in contradiction to the older hulas which is called for a sitting position. It will be interpreted by a band of four young girls, who are experts in the art of the real Hawaiian dance. They are assisted by a man who beats the hula drum in old-time style. It is only in recent years that the hula has been accompanied by the music of instruments.

The second act contains an elaborate representation of the court of the king of Hawaii in the year 1640 and during the scene of the royal festivity some of the very ancient dances are introduced. They are danced, if one may call it so, sitting cross-legged upon the floor and the beauty of the performance lies in the grace and graphic intensity of the gestures of the body and arms of the dancers.

Another of the between-acts features will be a solo, “Aina Aloha,” by Mrs. W. C. Cummings, whose sweet soprano voice has called forth applause whenever it has been heard in public.

The meles, which are changed in the course of the play, and the incidental songs will be given in Hawaiian, but the dialogue throughout the drama will be entirely in English. E. H. S. Marino is acting as stage director of the rehearsals. This is the first public performance given by the Royal Dramatic club, now two years old. The members of the club and all who take part in the play are of Hawaiian blood which ensures a truly Hawaiian atmosphere during the evening’s entertainment.

(Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1/29/1917, p. 7)

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Volume XXIV, Number 7736, Page 7. January 20, 1917.