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Patrick Makuakāne

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Patrick Makuakāne
Born
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Awards2023 MacArthur Fellow
Websitehttps://naleihulu.org

Patrick Makuakāne (born 1961) is a Hawaiian dancer, chanter, kumu hula and cultural preservationist.[1] In 2023 Makukāne was received a MacArthur Award, colloquially known as the "genius grant."[2] He is the founder of the dance company Nā Lei Hulu i ka Wēkiu.[3]

Career

[edit]

In 1985, he founded a company of dancers, known as Nā Lei Hulu i ka Wēkiu in San Francisco.[4][5]

The company's style blends traditional movements with non-Hawaiian music like opera, electronic, dance, alternative, and pop.[6] The company's stage productions showcase both hula mua[7] and authentic, traditional pieces.

He frequently incorporates English-language lyrics, popular music, and modern attire and theatrical presentations. His extended narrative performances challenge stereotypes and delve into both historical and contemporary threats to Native Hawaiian people and culture.[8] The Natives Are Restless (1996) examined the history of colonialism and the ongoing occupation of Hawai’i, highlighting the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the push for sovereignty by Native Hawaiians. “Salva Mea,” a frenetic, communal dance set to progressive house music, illustrates the damage caused by Christian missionaries in the nineteenth century.[9]

The creation and performances of The Natives Are Restless were documented in Constance Hale's 2016 book of the same name.[10]

In 2000, he began intensive traditional studies with hula master Mae Kamāmalu Klein in Hawai‘i and, after three years, achieved the recognized status of kumu hula. This achievement culminated in a traditional ‘uniki ‘ailolo graduation ceremony, connecting Makuakāne to a hula lineage stretching back for generations.[11]

Makuakāne is dedicated to preserving Hawaiian language, history, and culture through his choreography and hālau (school), which provides classes for both adults and children.[8] He was inspired to create Ka Leo Kānaka, The Voice of the People,[12] in 2013 after his hālau participated in a project aimed at digitizing Hawaiian-language newspapers.[13] Nā Lei Hulu transcribed more than 1,200 pages, securing a first-place position. Makuakāne considers this as one of the most important achievements of the hālau.[14] This work narrates stories from twentieth-century Hawai’i, set to a variety of musical genres from that era.

In 2022, Makuakāne and his company collaborated with Hawaiian transgender artists to produce the full-length piece MĀHŪ.[15][16][17] In 2025, he wrote and directed The Return of Kapaemahu, a hula based on the animated film telling of the moʻolelo of four māhū who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaiʻi. This piece was performed weekly on the Waikīkī Beach hula mound adjacent to the Kapaemahu stones as part of the Lei Pua Ala Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project.[18]

Makuakāne has performed numerous times at the Burning Man festival.[19][20]

Alongside his role as a kumu hula at his school, Makuakāne also acts as a spiritual and cultural advisor for the Native Hawaiian Religious Group at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.[8]

He directs the upcoming Hawaiian language opera Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree based on the story of Haʻalilio's service under Kamehameha III for the Hawaii Opera Theatre, the opera opens in the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in May 2026.[21]

Awards and honors

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He was featured on the podcast This Is Love, on the episode "Hula with Teeth".[26]

References

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  1. ↑ Gold, Sylviane (2004-08-08). "DANCE; Dancing in Tongues". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  2. ↑ Kuo, Christopher (2023-10-04). "When the Phone Rings and the Voice Says: You've Won a MacArthur Award". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  3. ↑ Cruz, Catherine (2025-03-05). "40 years strong, Patrick Makuakāne celebrates the milestone and is busier than ever". Hawai'i Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  4. ↑ Looseleaf, Victoria (5 August 2001). "This Isn't Your Grandmother's Hula". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ "Master Hula Teacher Patrick Makuakāne Receives MacArthur Award". www.sfcv.org. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  6. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (2004-08-17). "HULA REVIEW; Wit Is Wrapped in Grass Skirts As Hawaii Meets Lincoln Center". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  7. ↑ Times, The New York (2007-08-05). "The Week Ahead: Aug. 5-11". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  8. 1 2 3 Namkung, Victoria (December 31, 2023). "'Hula is my church': how Patrick Makuakāne is reinvigorating Hawaii's traditional dance". The Guardian.
  9. 1 2 "Patrick Makuakāne". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Hale, Constance (11 October 2016). The Natives Are Restless. SparkPress. ISBN 978-1-943006-06-9.
  11. ↑ "Kumu Patrick Makuakāne". Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  12. ↑ "Don't miss the Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu presentation of 'Ka Leo Kanaka; Voice of the People' at the Hawaii Theatre". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. 2014-05-10. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  13. ↑ Fawcett, Denby (2014-04-22). "Denby Fawcett: A Hula Show Devoted to Early Hawaiians' Love of News". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  14. ↑ "Hawaiian Language Newspaper Project". Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "Māhū". Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "MĀHŪ". San Francisco Dance Film Festival. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  17. ↑ "Wailuku Film Festival unveils first wave of films | Maui Now". | Wailuku Film Festival unveils first wave of films. 2026-04-07. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  18. ↑ Burke, Sarah (October 10, 2025). "Hula Mua". Lei: The Journal of Queer Hawaiʻi. 10: 20–29.
  19. ↑ Wilson, Emily (24 May 2021). "Patrick Makuakāne on Balancing Tradition and Innovation". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  20. ↑ Bauer, Claudia (17 October 2018). "Hula travels from Burning Man to Times Square at SF's Palace". Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Cruz, Catherine (10 April 2026). "King Kamehameha III comes to a new production by Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre". The Conversation. Hawai'i Public Radio. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Artistic Legacy Grant | San Francisco Arts Commission".
  23. ↑ "Dance/USA Artist Fellows".
  24. ↑ "Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions".
  25. ↑ Beaty, Thalia (4 October 2023). "Who are the 2023 MacArthur fellows? Here's a list". PBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  26. ↑ "Episode 96: Hula with Teeth". This is Love. Vox Media. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
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