Photo: Courtesy Napua Greig

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola

With her ability to make every strike of the 'ili 'ili audible, her breath control honed by twin forces of oli and opera, and her submission to the rigors of study for an 'ūniki, it's hard to imagine what new borders are left for Napua Greig to cross. But the youthful kumu of Maui's Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka is determined to lead her dancers into a more profound practice of hula that will be reflected in their performance this year at the Merrie Monarch Festival. “I wouldn't teach without purpose, and I know the purpose of hula is to learn about yourself and learn respect of the Hawaiian people that we come from,” says Greig, who last year finished fourth overall in the annual “Olympics of Hula.”

Grieg, who is appearing for the 5th time at Merrie Monarch, can now be counted on to hold her own alongside hula legends she had admired from afar as a child. In fact, Grieg is squarely in the vanguard of new kumu, who grew up in “hula immersion” and never knew what it was to only hope for a Hawaiian cultural renaissance. Her grounding in the whole spectrum of Hawaiian music comes through in her quiet confidence and has made her one of a growing number of hula teachers who multi-tasks as a recording artist. She has recently released Pihana a CD that includes some of her original compositions. “I see recording as an irresistible chance to highlight the hālau,” she says.

Issuing from a graceful and athletic figure, her full-bodied singing voice may be a surprise. It comes from training with several noted local vocal instructors who helped her expand her octave range, perform arias from Verdi operas and break some of the falsetto singing habits that can hurt the vocal chords. Greig, in other words, is a consummate artist who bridges many worlds but will always return to hula.

“I thank Auntie Hokulani Holt for instilling not only the love but the discipline of hula in my daughters,” says Greig's mom, noted songstress Hulu Lindsey. Greig couldn't agree more. She and her sister Kakulu Maluo-Huber, with whom she now shares kumu hula duties, have plunged into intensive study with Holt, mastering the distinctive hallmarks of no less than 25 styles of hula, leading up to the conferral of an 'ūniki, or hula graduation ceremony – acknowledgement that one can be trusted to pass on one of the world's most comprehensive dance traditions.

As for how she will combine her life's experiences for a few spellbinding moments on the Merrie Monarch stage, in April Greig says her goal is to represent her island, her family and her hula lineage, including the lessons taught to her by one of her famed mentors: Hilo's iconoclastic Johnny Lum Ho. In 1991, he selected her to be his Miss Aloha Hula soloist in what was a memorable showcase for the lighter side of hula, which she pulled off with finesse, even though it was full of rhythmic swats and all about the pesky 'uku. “Uncle Johnny writes his chants to fit the girl's attributes: In the previous year, Johnny's Miss Aloha Hula contestant had beautiful flowing hair so her dance was about mermaids, so I was thinking what glamorous chant am I going to get? And when he told me, my jaw dropped to the ground,” she says. “As it turned out, it was a joy to be the vehicle for the creativity of a great kumu. What can be more pleasing in hula?”

See KWO calendar for Merrie Monarch telecast info.