About Kumu Patrick
Patrick Makuakāne is a kumu hula, director, raconteur and a 2023 MacArthur Fellow. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, he studied with two of Hawaiʻi’s most revered hula masters, Robert Uluwehi Cazimero and Mae Kamāmalu Klein. In 2003, he received the title of Kumu Hula through a traditional ʻūniki ʻailolo ceremony curated by Mrs Klein. In 2013 he was given a kīhei by Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero at Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi. He is the Founder and Director of Nā Lei Hulu i ka Wēkiu, hālau hula and cultural organization in San Francisco, and is known for his creativity and ground-breaking theatrical performances. While a passionate preservor of tradition, his artistry also crafts a provactive treatment of tradition that leaps forward in meaningful and surprising ways. Currently he is working on two exciting Hawaiian projects: The first, as a writer and choreographer for a new musical based on the Epic Tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. The second, as the director of a new opera, Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree, a Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre commissioned production based on the efforts of Timoteo Haʻalilio to secure the kingdom of Hawaiʻi as an indpendent sovereign nation. Both projects are scheduled to premier in Hawaiʻi in 2026.
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I Ka Wēkiu
