Napa, CA- Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, the dynamic Hawaiian dance company based in San Francisco, performs at the Napa Valley Opera House on Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m. The company’s performances are a rich blend of traditional and contemporary forms of hula. Their trademark style, called “hula mua,” is unique in the hula world. Its progressive style blends traditional movements with non-Hawaiian music. Hula mua brings the hula into a modern realm, and creates a greater depth and accessibility to the dance form. Performances are given in a “talk-story” format that incorporates narration and dance to provide a rich cultural context in which to understand the hula. Tickets are $35 and $30.

Founded in 1985, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu (“the many feathered wreaths at the summit, held in high esteem”) is committed to teaching and preserving the Hawaiian culture through hula¬¬. The company has a performance group of 40 dancers and offers classes to over 200 students in the beginning and intermediate levels. The organization holds educational workshops throughout the year in Hawaiian language, history, and arts and crafts. During their Napa Valley Opera House performance, Nā Lei Hulu will perform hula to a variety of songs, from traditional Hawaiian music to Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” and “Calling All Angels” sung by Jane Sieberry with k.d. Lang.

Led by Director/Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne, Nā Lei Hulu has enjoyed tremendous success in the Bay Area, garnering audience and critical acclaim with its theatrical hula shows. Nā Lei Hulu presents its annual fall hula production at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, and routinely sells out its five performances to a total of 5,000 audience members. The company has performed in locations throughout California, and in Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Honolulu. In 2004, the company returned to the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, and made its East Coast debut with performances at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival in New York City in August. In 2005, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary, and performed in Redwood City, Reno and Los Angeles.

WHO: Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu
WHAT: Hawaiian Dance
WHEN: Saturday, April 14, 8 PM
COST: $35/$30/$15 student with ID
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338