We recently connected with Mahealani Taisague and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mahealani, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

As both a creative and a 9-5 corporate working woman, being able to tackle both successfully is definitely a challenge. There are many thoughts throughout the day during my day job that I capture via a simple notebook. Inspiration comes from everywhere and everyone! Even from a corporate position, I learn every day how to deal with people of different personalities, how to address them differently and also how to support them well. But so it Hula! Hula is life! Having the Halau and being able to embrace and perpetuate my Hawaiian culture has those same aspects. I wouldnʻt approach one of my keiki (child) dancers the same way that I would a Makuahine (a mom or a seasoned dancer). I have been very fortunate to have great managers as well as a wonderful Kumu Hula who taught me a lot of life lessons, but they translate the same way. Be kind because you donʻt know everything that happens in anotherʻs life nor do you need to. I think that wisdom also comes with age and in being a former manager and also now a Kumu Hula. To lead is to have the opportunity to help those around you grow in life, in dancing and in careers. The parallels are evident and relevant in my every day life.

Mahealani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Aloha all. My name is a Mahealani Taisague and Iʻm a born and raised San Diegan. I am of Hawaiian, Filipino and Spanish descent. Iʻm happily married to my husband, Vincent Taisague, but no kiddies yet. Just two dogs that I love and cherish with my whole heart.

By day, I am a Navy federal contractor and financial accountant. I have been in this industry since I was in college and have been grateful to have the opportunity that I do to support the Fleet and our foreign partners.

All of the other hours of the day I am a Kumu Hula (master Hula teacher). Our Hula Halau (hula school) is Na Pua ʻIlima. I say “our” because it truly is a family-run organization. Without the support of my ohana (family) I wouldnʻt be able to uphold this Hula legacy that I became a part of at the young age of ten. Starting to dance hula and being a part of our Halau was me being able to connect to my Hawaiian heritage as well as learn discipline, hard work and dedication in doing so. From the young age of ten I was taught to carry my own Hula bag, to take notes on my songs, to learn and respect every aspect and everything that Hula represented and perpetuate my culture through song and dance.

It became routine, going to practice every week a few times a week, taking knowledge home and practicing hard. Practice paid off, I was so grateful to have so many opportunities to compete both as a Hula dancer and a Tahitian dancer and place in both group and solo competitions. It became my life and something I looked forward to every day. And it still is. I started as a keiki dancer, quickly became a show group keiki dancer, and then when I got older, a Wahine show group dancer. Eventually she saw something in me as well and invited me to become an Alakaʻi (assistant teacher). Become an Alakaʻi was one of the greatest honors of my life. Itʻs always “the plan” to eventually start my own studio, continue her teachings and honor her and the legacy that she was also a part of.

Little did I know that I would eventually inherit the Halau by the time I was thirty.

My late Kumu Hula Kehaulani Wilson was someone that I looked up to, and adored and had the wonderful opportunity to learn from. And in her finally weeks and days I was at her bedside, trying to learn and never feeling ready to be without her. She gave me her Halau as one of her dying wishes, she entrusted me to do what she had always planned for me to do.

I have now had the business and the Halau for nearly eight years, and something Iʻm so proud of is that it has grown tremendously over the last few years! We onboarded over forty dancers just this past year. Whatʻs also interesting about our Halau is that we donʻt have a current website. Everyone who has joined our Halau has known somebody within our Halau or was referred to by a friend or relative. We have have had a few dancers that have returned after so many years of not being able to commit to dancing. Itʻs amazing to see it full circle.

I have danced with our Halau nearly all my life and now get to see that life happen around me. Some of my Hula sisters Iʻve been with through high school graduation, through marriage and now more Blessings with starting families of their own. I have had the wonderful opportunity to have created lifelong friendships and relationships because of what we do. We are a welcoming and loving and safe space for all of our dancers and their families.

My youngest dancer right now is three-years-old, and it goes all the way up to 70+ and my Tutu (grandma) who still continues to dance when she can. Hula can be learned and taught at any age, and becoming a part of our Hula Halau is just the first step. We are family overall.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first took over, it was supposed to be a partnership. After my Kumu Hulaʻs passing it was a power struggle for all of those involved, including myself. I was one of the younger assistant teachers, and was the only person that sustained and stayed with our Halau. Although, I am grateful that others have joined other groups and have continued to dance even if not for my late Kumu Hula and for me. Their continuance is an honor to my culture and to her legacy.

I was only thirty, about to get married and had no idea what having my own business meant. Nor creatively what and how I was going to teach. I needed more time with my late Kumu Hula. She used to visit me in my dreams (mostly to yell at me and tell me to fix something), but as time went on and I was more motivated to perpetuate and honor those that came before me, it got easier. I sought out more information, I wanted to do more, I was researching more and every other hour occupied inspiration and listening to Hawaiian music to build my curriculum for the next year.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate goal is the perpetuate my heritage, but also to share and have people experience the same upbringing that I was allowed to have in our Halau. I had so much fun spending time with my Hula sisters on the weekends and doing shows during the summer. And even now, when we donʻt have shows we somehow find ourselves planning the next gathering or get together to spend even more time with each other.

Our Ilima Legacy lives, through our dancers and hopefully beyond. Itʻs not only about dancing Hula, itʻs about the love and honoring those that came before us and sharing the legacy so that it sustains to be that, a legacy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @napuailima, @myhanicomb, @hanihalepua

Image Credits

@napuailima, @pifasandiego