Spirit of Aloha | Message of Aloha | July/August 2001

This Place

Growing Up with Hula

Lynn Lehua Otake-Vierra, an Aloha Airlines Human Resources assistant, has dedicated herself and 12-year-old daughter Tori to hula ever since Tori was 6

Lynn Lehua Otake-Vierra has clear memories of 1989, the year she took maternity leave to give birth to daughter Tori Lee Kaliko Vierra. There were more than 500 Aloha Airlines employees at the time, about one-sixth of the 3,045 employees we count today. When Lynn returned to Aloha Airlines from her leave, she worked part time for 10 years in the Human Resources Department.

The decade has gone quickly, the company has grown, and today Tori Lee Vierra is 12 years old. Her mother, now a full-time Human Resources assistant, is a key element in the lives and workplace of Aloha's employees. "I'm the payroll paper pusher," Lynn chuckles. "I maintain the employment records and keep up with hundreds of pay rate changes, such as the pay increment raises for all employees." For each payroll, she processes, by hand, more than 400 rate changes.

We appreciate Lynn not only for her presence at Aloha Airlines, but also for her dedication to hula. Little did Lynn know that her daughter would become an enthusiastic participant in the Queen Lili'uokalani Keiki Hula Competition, an annual event for hula dancers 6 to 12 years old. Aloha Airlines is a major and longtime sponsor of this event, organized by the nonprofit Kalihi-Palama Culture & Arts Society as a tribute to Hawai'i's last monarch. To be held at Blaisdell Arena July 26, 27 and 28, the 26th annual Keiki Hula Competition is a celebration of Hawai'i's dance through the passion and skills of the young.

"Both Tori and I started dancing when she was 6 years old," explains Lynn. "We joined Mapuana de Silva's Halau Mohala 'Ilima. In the fourth grade, the halau [school] enters the competition with 'auana [modern hula], in the fifth grade it takes a break, and in the sixth grade it does kahiko [ancient hula]. But Tori and two other girls from her class were fortunate to be invited to dance in their fifth-grade year, so she was able to dance three years in a row with her halau."

This is Tori's last year at Keiki Hula. The halau's 22 sixth-graders will dance on Friday night (July 27) in the kahiko competition, and parents like Lynn will be among the "hulaholics" who have spent countless hours driving their kids to and from practice, making Spam musubi for fund-raisers and attending hula classes themselves.

"She's not one who's athletic and she was very hesitant at first," says Lynn of her daughter. "She asked, 'How long do I have to do this?' And I said, 'When you're 18 you can decide,' and she said, 'OK.' And that was it! She loves it."

Hula classes for mother and daughter take place Monday and Thursday nights, and there are events throughout the year, including excursions and Neighbor Island trips. The children even have "practice" sleepovers, where they take two-minute showers (for water and electricity conservation) and practice household etiquette. "The excursions include outings to 'Iolani Palace and a walk around Lanikai," Lynn continues. "The 6-year-olds go to Queen Emma Summer Palace. Because our kumu [teacher] is teaching them dances about those places, the excursions are very rewarding."

The Neighbor Island trips are a highlight. Third-graders go to Kaua'i, and older dancers visit Hawai'i island and Maui. Throughout it all, they keep journals, learn about place names and history, and study the chants and Hawaiian language.
And every July, it's Keiki Hula that commands their attention.

"We've had so many comments on how well-behaved the halau is," comments Lynn. "They're always together, they don't go running all over the place and they really enjoy each other.

"Our kumu is remarkable. She teaches them from age 4 that they need to look her in the eye and listen. It carries on. It's a commitment and it helps us to grow."

Glenn R. Zander
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aloha Airlines

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