Entwined with matters of the spirit

Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau

Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang

circa 1990s

While the origins of hula may be shrouded in mystery,

they are always entwined with matters of the spirit.

~Unknown

Itʻs hard to imagine that 40 years have passed since my Kumu Michael Pili Pang began his hālau in the uplands of Waimea on Hawaii Island. I started studying with him 38 years ago in 1988.

My husband and I had just moved to Waimea from Venice Beach, California where we had lived for a year. I wanted to be closer to my father who had just suffered a heart attack.

At 3,000 feet elevation, Waimea is cooler than most of Hawaii, with gentle rolling puʻu (hills) and pasturelands. Our new home sat at the foot of majestic Mauna Kea. Sunrise and sunset on the mountain always took my breath away.

Almost immediately, I looked for a hula teacher. I met Michael – he was in his mid-20ʻs - and asked him who his teacher was. He said Maiki Aiu Lake. I didn’t know her or many other hula teachers for that matter and I liked him. It also felt right because classes were held at Kuhio Hale, just five minutes from our new home.

I enjoyed his beginner class. About a month after starting the class, he invited me to attend the kahiko class. During that first kahiko class, I remember sitting and watching while six women in white muslin skirts danced to Kumu Michaelʻs chanting No Luna i Ka Hale Kai (among others) to the rhythm of his ipu-heke. It is one of the oldest hulas in our repertoire.

I was mesmerized. by the beauty of the chanting and the dancing. There was something about their hula that took me to another place. It was simple yet elegant, grounded and subtly radiant!

It naturally became my practice. No matter what I was doing – whether I was working in Hilo or Kona or Honolulu or even Kauai where I helped during the reconstruction after Hurricane Iniki - I would make it a point to attend class. It was a solid commitment.

It is said that Hula can be a jealous mistress. I worked full time, but I limited distractions, and instead made hula a priority. When my kumu wasn’t satisfied with our performance, he didn’t hold back his frustration. He was a fierce guardian of his hula lineage.

I received that as strong encouragement to study and practice even harder. My hula sisters and I practiced hula over and over again. The dance and its meaning became etched into our bodies.

And that is how the lineage has moved from our ancestors to us in this place and time. I had, do, and will always have deep gratitude for my kumu and this practice of grace, fierce compassion and wisdom.

Malama pono (take care of body, mind and heart),

June Kaililani Ryushin Tanoue

Kumu Hula, Roshi

P.S. Recently at our Zen Life & Meditation Center:

2025 ZLMC Year in Photos: https://youtu.be/i0N2zhelWew
Patrick Ungo OʻShea - the Monastery We Live In https://youtu.be/UmcOsnoxV5E
Rev Dan Taigen Leighton https://youtu.be/HnrnNVp8KfY
Ericka Mencken-Trevino "AI and Mindfulness https://youtu.be/llLenivIOEc

Nā Pua e Hoʻōmau i Ke Ea

The Flowers Will Continue to Perpetuate Sovereignty

A Lā Kū'ē Lei Celebration

Honoring Kumu Michael Pili Pang's 40 Years of Hula

August 1st, 2026 | 3:00-7:00 PM

Doors Open at 2:00 PM

Zen Life & Meditation Center, 46 Lake St. Oak Park, Illinois

The day after Lā Kū'ē (Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day), we gather to appreciate lei, share hula, and celebrate four decades of

Kumu Michael Pili Pang's dedication

to keeping Hawaiian culture alive and well!

Nā pua - the flowers, the people, the students, the practice.

Hoʻōmau - to continue, to perpetuate, to tend and sustain.

Ke ea - sovereignty, breath, rising, life force.

As long as we tend to our collective responsibilities:

dancing hula, making lei, gathering in community -

we continue to rise, to breathe, to enact sovereignty

for our past and future ancestors.

We are still here!

Join us for a hula performance, lei contest,

raffle, and delicious food!

All proceeds support Halau i Ka Pono's journey to Honolulu to honor

Kumu Michael's 40th anniversary celebration.

For More Info Contact June.tanoue@zlmc.org

Get Your Show & Raffle Tickets Today!!!

Sensei Jitsujo Gauthier, Venerable Clear Grace Dayananda, Hsiao-lan Hu, and Radiant Joy Chen will join Kumu June for a 5-day working creative residency at Zen Life & Meditation Center to explore Buddha Dharma through movement, voice, creative expression and not-knowing.

The work of the week will be shared with the public in two Dharma offerings:

Voicing Moving & Exploring Zen

Sat., Aug. 8th, 7-8:30 pm (CST) - Hybrid: at ZLMC
Sun., Aug 9th, 10-11:00 am - offered as part of ZLMC Sunday Morning Zen program

Free and Contributions Appreciated

Voicing Moving & Exploring Zen - Register Today!

Mindful Menopause Workshop

Presence, Compassion & Movement for Our Ever-Changing Bodies

Saturday August 22, 2026

1 - 4 pm

In-Person Only

Join Juri Sekiguchi and Dr. Melanie Jessen

Menopause is a profound transition—one that touches body, mind, emotions, energy, and sense of self. Juri and Melanie will help you navigate with clarity and compassion, offering thoughtful insights grounded in medical wisdom.

Youʻll explore guided mindfulness meditation and movement practices designed to bring calm, grounding, and ease. These gentle tools will fit naturally into your life, whenever you need them.

Early Bird Special Deadline: August 7th!

Limit: 16 participants

Mindful Menopause - Register Today!

MAHALO NUI LOA!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Mahalo Nui Loa to the following people in July 2026 who helped

Halau i Ka Pono

Susan Akers, Robert Althouse, Ruben Hanohano, Clare Martin, Lorel Madden, Ela Public Library, City Motivators, Emerald Place, Camp Champion, Anna Rudzinski, Lizzy Powers, Mary Huyck, Moira Singh, Zen Life & Meditation Center