Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Kawena Garuba.
Hi Kristin, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My family is from O’ahu, Hawai’i, and as a young girl, I recall learning that my mom danced hula. Watching live performances and years of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival on television, I was always amazed at how much grace, strength, and beauty the dancers had. I was a committed athlete in my youth and as a result, I only danced hula for a short time and couldn’t dedicate the time required. Hula is more than a dance class. It is a way of life. Rich in tradition and culture, hula requires dedication and commitment to learning.
After I moved to San Diego to attend college at UCSD, I decided San Diego was where I wanted to raise a family. Shortly after the birth of my first daughter, I knew I wanted to her and I to share the special bond of dancing together. I was lucky enough to find a hula hālau (hula school) that had a distinguished lineage under Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, and my daughter and I started dancing together. Over the next several years, I was able to study the traditions, culture, and language (‘olelo Hawai’i) which serves as the foundation of hula. I was able to continue advancing my technique and understanding following Lehua’s teachings through the last 16 years.
In 2018, I was invited to ʻuniki which means to be formally trained as a kumu hula (hula instructor) under Lehua and his daughter, world-renown recording artist, Kumu Hula, Ula Hewett. This training includes mastering chanting in Hawaiian language, playing various ancient instruments, dancing hula, and developing a greater understanding of the culture, history, and tradition as shared by generations of hula masters. Uncharacteristically for ‘uniki, our kumu also challenged us to learn to sing in Hawaiian language and play ‘ukulele.
During this period, I had a chance to open my own hālau – San Diego Hula Academy, located in North County San Diego. Our studio has seen tremendous growth over the past several years, and I am so grateful to all those that have helped make it successful. With ‘uniki training graduation taking place in March 2022, our school was also gifted the formal Hawaiian name of Kūhai Hālau O Kawenaokalā’īokalani Pā ‘Ōlapa Kahiko.
Today, San Diego Hula Academy has over 100 amazing students. San Diego Hula Academy offers classes in hula (Hawaiian dance), ‘ori Tahiti (Tahitian dance), and ‘ukulele classes for all ages and levels.
I am so blessed to be able to share my love and passion of hula with others and can’t wait to see what the future has to offer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with most new businesses, the road has definitely not always been a straight path. We were extremely fortunate to have students who quickly embraced our hālau and probably even more fortunate that they were willing to stay with us throughout the pandemic.
Looking back, opening our studio shortly before the pandemic began created lots of challenges, but it also gave us an opportunity to find new and creative ways to engage our students in ways we didn’t previously consider. As life has begun to return to normal, we see the signs of San Diego Hula Academy continuing to flourish along with our ability to provide a wide variety of high-quality instruction.
I constantly remind myself that we are right where we are supposed to be. The foundation of our hula academy is our students. I am first and foremost a student myself – continuing to learn and deepen my own understanding. It is my responsibility to guide our students and share the information that I continue to be blessed to receive from our teachers and from those who came generations before us. My journey does not have shortcuts but instead continuous milestones that allow me to grow, be creative, and to bring more energy and knowledge to my students.
While I know there will be bumps and turns in the road ahead, we strive to encourage our students to try their best. Persoanlly, I try to approach our classes with joy and light-heartedness. The spirit of hula is one of aloha and to not take ourselves so seriously. Our students are reminded to leave their to-do lists and stresses at the door and enjoy their time at the hālau. Watching each of our students flourish makes it all worthwhile.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Rooted in tradition, all San Diego Hula Academy students are given an authentic environment to learn Hawaiian culture and ‘olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian language) through song, dance, and mo’o’olelo (stories). Additionally, all students are provided opportunities to enrich their knowledge in Hawaiian and Tahitian crafts and workshops in a variety of skill sets, such as creating their own instruments, costuming, lei/hei making, pupu o Ni’ihau (Ni’ihau shell), and lei hulu (feather crafting) to name a few.
We pride ourselves on inviting students from all walks of life and levels of experience. Our students are encouraged to explore to enrich their experience. We place great value on supporting each other and fostering relationships that grow and last outside the walls of our dance studio.
What do you think about luck?
I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by incredibly talented, generous, and loving individuals.
San Diego Hula Academy is blessed to be guided Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett and his daughter, Ula Hewett. Both have proven to have an unwavering commitment to sharing the Hawaiian culture through hula and song. This year, we celebrate Lehua’s remarkable 50 years of teaching – an incredible devotion to perpetuating his lineage and legacy.
I also have had the good fortune of being surrounded by amazing women who are like-minded, remarkable businesswomen in their own right. Without them, the struggles of being an entrepreneur, wife, and mother would be a heavy burden to carry. And I certainly owe thanks to our incredible teachers who give endless hours and energy to our students and who I will always be indebted to.
Finally, I am grateful to have an incredibly giving, patient family who supports every step of this adventure. I am blessed with children, and the best “hula husband” someone could ask for. While they didn’t initially sign up for a house full of costuming or hours of drumming and chanting, I am always continuously encouraged to keep going.
The determination and hard work are certainly ingrained in me, but walking together with all of these amazing people and an extra teaspoon of good timing is much more than a bit of luck. All of this together has created a very loving environment, and the students that we attract are exceptional. Together, our SDHA ‘Ohana (family) lives on well beyond our time together in the 4 walls of our hālau.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sdhula.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sdhulaacademy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sdhulaacademy
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC8fHz4TuCbm4nXtRybl2O4Q
- Other: www.pinterest.com/sdhulaacademy
Image Credits
John Bryant
Bryson Kim
Solifoto
