About me
Kumu Hula Pōhaikealoha Souza has been dancing hula since she was 3 years old. Her hula
lineage traces back to influential hula masters like George Holokai (her first teacher), then her
aunt Maiki Aiu Lake, and then Mae Kamāmalu Klein under whose mentorship she graduated
with ʻūniki rituals in 1991. She remained with Kumu Kamāmalu as a Kumu Kōkua until she
founded her own school, Hālau Hula Kamamolikolehua in 1996. Based in Kakaʻako, Oʻahu, her
hālau is noncompetitive and focuses on the educational and cultural aspects of hula. She is
known for starting the first hula class at the Sacred Hearts Academy and for being a frequent
guest speaker and featured Kumu Hula a hula workshops in Hawaiʻi, Japan, and the continental
United States. Her numerous awards and honors include the E Pili Kākou i Hoʻokahi Lāhui
Honoree for 2020 where she was honored for her work in perpetuating Hawaiian culture through
hula and as the recipient of the Malia Kau Award at the Prince Lot Hula Festival in 2023 for her
significant and lasting contributions to the art of hula.
