OUR LEADERS

Kumu Malou Heleimakamaekamailekapilipoli “Kamaile” Smith

Kumu Kamaile is a Halau trained director with over 25 years of experience. Her love of Hula began in grade school when she would visit her family in Hawaii for summer vacations.
She formally began her dance training under the direction of the late Kumu Linda Danek and Kumu Kanani Densing of Hula Halau O Pi’ilani. Aunty Linda was a well-respected Kumu Hula in the Bay Area and to this day, her legacy lives on through her granddaughters. After a year of hula basics, language, and song, she was moved to the advanced class and was given her Hawaiian name, “Kamaile,” meaning, fragrant leaf used to make lei. After extensive training, she participated in the 1992 ‘Ia Oe E Kala Hula competition and the Ke Anuenue Hula festival in 1993. Being on stage was so exciting and rewarding! With the help of the Alaka’i (leaders) from Tiare Otea of San Francisco, the group started training in Ori Tahiti. The Halau entered Aparima group for Tahiti Fete San Jose and Kamaile entered Ms. Heiva and solos for the first time. Again, the drums took her attention. She knew at the time that Ori Tahiti was her first love and soon asked for her formal release. To this day, she will always love and appreciate the aloha that was taught by her first Kumu.
Formal protocol requires that a dancer cannot leave one Halau and immediately start with another. Since Kamaile was a firm believer in Halau, Protocol, and Aloha—she was not allowed to dance for one year but fulfilled the time by attending practices for Tiare Otea and learning from the sidelines. After one year, Kumu Marlo was ready to begin his own branch and she became his first student. In 1994 Na Kamali’i A Kiele / Te Mau Tamari’i A Tiare was born. She trained 5 days a week under the close direction of Kumu Marlo. After six months, the Halau formally started taking in students and she served as his alaka’i. She was given the Hawaiian name “Heleimakamaekamailekapilipoli” translating to, “fragrant Maile entwined within my heart.” She was given her own Keiki class and this is where she realized she had found her calling to teach. She has won 1st place awards for group and solo competitions. Her greatest accomplishment was to see the Haumana blossom into beautiful dancers.

Po’o Pua’a

ALAKA’I

Madilyne Hi’ilani Nguyen-Acosta

Madilyne Hi’ilani was born and raised in the Bay Area. She began dancing at the age of seven with Te Mau Tamari’i A Tiare / Na Kamali’i A Kiele (TMTAT/NKAK) under the direction of Kumu Marlo Caramat. Under his direction and training, she competed in the group division of the George Na’ope Hula Festival 2013. With Kumu Marlo’s blessing, she joined Kumu Kamaile as one of the first original dancers of Ha’a Hula in 2014. As the halau grew, Hi’ilani was always willing to help as Kumu Kamaile’s kako’o and now, alaka’i.
Outside of the studio, Hi’ilani is in her final year of college at the University of Oregon majoring in Public Relations. At the university, she is also the Co-Director for the university’s Hui ‘O Hawai’i where she continues her passion for dance and spreading the aloha spirit.
“My favorite thing about halau is the connection and bond we share not only as haumana, but as a family. I will forever cherish the memories I get to share with my hula brothers and sisters.”

Leah Nohealani Tupuivao

Leah Nohealani Tupuivao was born and raised in the South Bay of Los Angeles, CA. She started learning Hula and Tahitian basics at 4 years old from her Auntie Ermanie who always insisted she and her cousins dance whenever she was around. When the ukulele came out, it was a “don’t argue, just dance” situation. Leah is now thankful for these lessons as it was the foundation to what would become a lifelong passion for dancing.
At 7 years old Leah began her formal training with Kanani Kalama Hula Studio under the direction of Kumu Kanani Kalama. This would be her first introduction to Halau. At the age of 11, Leah joined Nualanis Polynesia under the direction of Rose Laolagi. Leah learned many dances from different Polynesian islands and was able to further grow her knowledge and experience. At the age of 21, Leah joined Kekaiulu Hula Studio under the direction of Kumu Kekaimoku Yoshikawa. She would later become one of his Ho’opa’a. In 2018 Leah competed as a soloist at the Uncle George Na’ope Hula Festival. This experience was a highlight of her hula career that she will always cherish. After moving to Hollister, CA in 2020 Leah was settling into her new life but was missing hula terribly. In 2021 Leah met Kumu Kamaile. The connection was immediately strong. After attending the Open House shortly after this meeting, Leah knew without a doubt that she had found her hula home and ohana with Ha’a Hula/Te Reva O Te Manu.
Leah comes from a long line of Polynesian entertainers, most of them, musicians. The one remembered as the dancer of the family was Leah’s grandmother, Billie JoAnn Tupuivao. Leah dances with the mana of her grandmother. The passion for hula has grown through the years but it also runs deep in her blood. There is a responsibility to carry on hula, her Polynesian culture, and to share the aloha with everyone she meets for herself and her family but especially for her daughter.

KAKO’O

Maddie Lehuanani Robledo

Maddie Robledo was born and raised in San Jose, California. At the age of 12, her parents moved to Hollister, California. In order to make new friends and adjust to the move, she started dancing Hula at a local club. Maddie fell in love with the traditional dance and culture. It brought her peace and joy while also letting her stay active and meet new people. In the year 2020, Maddie was introduced to Ha'a Hula Te Reva O Te Manu where she met Kumu Kamaile. She instantly felt a connection to the people she now calls family. Outside of the studio, Maddie is pursuing her passion for makeup and beauty while working at Ulta. She loves spending time with her family and making new memories with the people she loves.

Stephanie Pualei Cary

Stephanie grew up in the Bay Area and started dancing at the age of 16, when a friend brought her to her first open house at Te Mau Tamari’i A Tiare/Na Kamali’i a Kiele, under the direction of Kumu Marlo Caramat. The echo of the ipu and the beat of the Tahitian drums sounded so beautiful and mesmerizing, it only felt natural to get up and dance. The next thing she knew she signed up to join halau and made sure to save her allowances to keep coming to class each month. After graduating high school and moving away after college, the connection with hula and halau was still strong, yet the difficult decision to stop dancing was painful.
After a break from dancing and having moved to Hollister to start her own family, she saw a flyer in town for Ha’a Hula/Te Reva O Te Manu. It has always been a must for her to share the beauty of dancing hula and being a part of Halau with her own children. The same connection she felt with her first halau reminded her of how much she loved to dance hula, and immediately contacted the Kumu. Little did she know her first alaka’i, Auntie Kamaile is now the Kumu to the Halau on the flyer. Reuniting with Kumu Malou or Auntie Kamaile felt like finding her lost sister, and like she had come home.
Dancing hula is a completely different experience, which involves sharing a story and feeling a connection with your audience. There is something that happens to your spirit when dancing. The meaning of a mele or song of the hula gets translated thru your hands, where you are not only telling the story of the song, but the audience watches the story come to life. For Stephanie, being with a halau where the bonding of strangers change into sisterhood, dancing together to see smiles on the audience’s faces, and being able to share and spread aloha, is the way to living a fulfilled life.
“Dancing gives me peace and feeds my mana or spirit. There is just something about a Hawaiian mele that has the power to heal.”

Lisa Makamae Cortez Salud

Lisa Makamae was born and raised in the Bay Area. She started dancing with Ha'a Hula in 2017. Makamae was always drawn to the beauty and energy of the polynesian culture. Being a very spiritual and connected person, she found herself surrounded and attracted to the same energies around her. What she once was afraid of, she now understood and embraced. The connection with our ancestors has opened doors to understanding the spiritual connection she has experienced for years, but could never explain. When she first joined Ha'a Hula, what she thought was a workout session turned into a gift of life long friendships that soon became family and a love for sharing the ALOHA spirit.
“The feeling I get, when I get on that stage and dance my heart out, is a feeling like no other. I get lost in the moment and the fear of being on stage disappears. I feed off the energies in the audience. To know that I have somehow connected to even 1 person and touched their hearts through a dance, brings me joy. To have the opportunity to share a bit of Aloha and bring tears to their eyes, for whatever reason it may be, lets me know we have connected and being able to share this gift with them is such a blessing and gives me a sense of purpose.”

KIA’I

KUKULU

Our Kukulu, or, Armor Bearers, are special prayer warriors for our halau. Chosen carefully by Kumu Kamaile, each Kukulu holds a special gift of spiritual prayer. They pray with us and for us in times of need. Their prayers keep a hedge of protection around our haumana to keep us safe mentally, physically, and spiritually.

OUR LEADERS

Kumu Malou Heleimakamaekamailekapilipoli “Kamaile” Smith

Po’o Pua’a

Carina Alana Guinto

ALAKA’I

Madilyne Hi’ilani Nguyen-Acosta

Leah Nohealani Tupuivao

KAKO’O

Maddie Lehuanani Robledo

Stephanie Pualei Cary

Lisa Makamae Cortez Salud

KIA’I

Kia’i: protector, guardian

KUKULU