Leilani Rivera Low is an esteemed kumu hula (hula teacher) on Kaua‘i and the daughter of the legendary Larry Rivera, whose claim to fame was a family show he performed at the CoCo Palms Resort in the 1950s, which was sadly destroyed in 1992 by Hurricane Iniki. The grand hotel was itself acclaimed as the setting for Elvis Presley’s film, "Blue Hawaii." Over a seven-decade musical career, Larry earned the sobriquet Mr. Coco Palms. He entertained people on Kaua‘i with his talk story about his time spent with Elvis playing music in the Rivera family garage in Wailuā Homesteads, up the road from the Coco Palms. As part of her father’s performances, Leilani developed a love and passion for the hula of Hawai‘i and the dances of Polynesia, becoming the lead dancer in the Polynesian show at the age of thirteen.

Leilani remembers her love of hula as she began to dance at the tender age of three. She began her studies with Aunty Ku’ulei Pūnua, who started teaching on Kaua‘i in 1954 and eventually traveled the world, sharing her hula knowledge. Leilani was destined to follow in her footsteps. Her dad told her that when she was a little girl at Coco Palms, Aunty Sarah Ka‘ilikea and Aunty Ma‘iki Aiu predicted she would become a kumu hula and shared this with her father.  She loved performing with her family as much as she loved attending ho‘olaule‘a (hula celebrations) and was in awe watching the musicians and dancers. She describes life as “simple” back then, commenting that all she saw at that time was aloha and considering herself so fortunate to have learned that word. When she was sixteen, her father gave her a guitar, which she did not touch until she was eighteen. 

With rock ‘n roll all the rage and Elvis in her background, she says she did not start playing Hawaiian songs; it was more like “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog.” In high school, she was a member of a band called Tropical Sunlight and enjoyed chorus, playing volleyball, and basketball. Looking back, she sees that sports helped her develop coordination and strength, which she later utilized for dance. Laughingly, she recalls singing “Killing Me Softly” three times in one evening at the high school dance at the Waimea gym. She laughs, remembering she had never thought of herself as a singer, as she had only sung backup with her father.  Hawaiian music also called to her at the time, as she viewed it as “pure in language and melody.”   

The late George Na‘ope, one of the founders of the celebrated Merrie Monarch hula competition, was a close friend of her father’s. He could not have been more knowledgeable about hula. Leilani describes him as being “way up there as far as a master,” as she defers from thinking of herself as a master.  Humility is one of her many wonderful qualities. When she was in her twenties, Uncle George, as he was known throughout the islands, recognized her gift and proclaimed her to be a kumu hula— a master teacher of hula. He felt she did not need puka (graduation) as she had puka through her ‘ohana (family). As the girls who danced with her father began to grow up and attend college, she realized she needed to teach new dancers. Naturally, people who knew her at the Coco Palms asked her to teach their keiki (children). She recruited her friends to help, which is how she established her hālau (a hula school). Her career continued to build. She never pictured herself as a recording artist, but has now recorded five albums. Leilani also earned the distinction of a Grammy nomination.

Her journey has taken her far and wide. While attending a Christmas gathering for her hula school in Honolulu, she happened to catch the attention of a blind man who heard her sing. His name was Mr. Myato, who went on to organize trips to Japan for her to perform and teach hula. Five times a year over a ten-year period, Leilani traveled to Japan. During this period, she met Darryl Low, a paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) from Kaua‘i. He asked her what she had planned for the next day. She replied that three Japanese businessmen were coming to Kaua‘i to meet with her to plan the trip to Japan. Leilani insisted that Darryl accompany her to the meeting and promptly pronounced him her business partner. The successful partnership has continued to thrive in business and marriage. She became inspired with her husband to establish a cultural center, Ka U‘i O Ka ‘Aina, at the request of the owners of the Coconut Marketplace in 2011. To this day, there is no slowing down. Leilani keeps the same pace she has maintained for years, with ten performances weekly.

For her, hula is a life force. “The earth has this energy,” Leilani observes. For example, she points to the “amazing feeling that comes out of the smell of one flower.” She sees herself as fully immersed in the experience of dancing. She shares, “When you are dancing a place, you are in that place.” She describes it as “being so close to the experience, one becomes possessed with its beauty.”

So many of the connections one discovers and enters through hula are essential. Learning the ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) has been important to her. In 1975, she greatly admired the three women, having met them at the Coco Palms, Mary Kawena Pukui, ‘Iolani Luahine, and Edith Kenao Kanaka‘ole, who advocated for a return to the use of the Hawaiian language and were so influential in the Hawaiian renaissance. Back in the nineties, she expressed a desire, which she has achieved, to learn more of the language to converse with her fans from Ni‘ihau. In 1896, teaching the Hawaiian language was banned in schools to make English the dominant language. The oli (chants) and mele (songs) that are so essential to hula helped keep the language alive. That is true of the history of ancient Hawai‘i, which the dancers come to know through their stories. Leilani speaks of the “respect” for the past hula engenders.  Hula exists on so many planes. Many view it as a stunning display, a dance adorned with genuine cultural attire that features native and vibrant flowers, accompanied by graceful movements, without recognizing its importance as a treasured cultural vessel.

The interweaving of nature with hula is rich and profound. According to ancient beliefs, Laka, the patron of hula, was also the goddess of the forest. Leilani affirms the unity of hula with nature, “When you dance with and of the ocean, you enter its flowing elements.” She explains that the islands have unique natural features that figure into the dances. Her grandson is named Wai ‘Ōpua from a pleasant wind in Wailua identified as makani‘olu.  Wai means water, and ‘ōpua means cloud. “This particular cloud water is associated with a gentle rain and, thus, has a cool and kind gentleness expressed in hula,” as the dancers “quiver their hands,” according to Leilani. If the dancer truly connects to the flower, the ocean, the cloud, the story, whatever the motif, Leilani says, you can tell by looking at the eyes.  “The eyes will talk,” she says with confidence.

For Leilani Rivera Low, the child of the Coco Palms, it is all about being a Christian, leading a life dedicated to aloha and gratitude, and honoring her family by carrying on the musical and Polynesian legacy. In addition to dancing hula, she also performs Māori, Tahitian, and Samoan dances in her shows, drawing on her father’s Polynesian heritage. She and her husband host the elaborate ceremony and performances of Lū‘au Ka Hikina at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Coconut Beach Resort, celebrating Hawaiian and Polynesian culture twice a week and up to four times during the busy season. Five weekly performances of hula and Polynesian dance occur at the Coconut Marketplace. Hālau Hula ‘O Leilani also offers lei-making and ‘ukelele lessons. For the past twenty-seven years, her hālau has extended to Reno, Nevada, where she has taught a group of ladies and girls. Cecilia Reyes-Peros from Maui is her alaka‘i (assistant) in that endeavor. Leilani is busy spreading aloha, as her family members did before her. After all, she says, her father wrote a song, “Aloha Begins With Me.”

When asked what song she would like our readers to know, she responded, “God Three in One.” She wrote the heartfelt song in ten minutes, thus describing it as the song God gave her. In it, she expresses gratitude for everything in her life: the breaking of the chains, the gift of grace, and, most thankfully, the gift of love. It is available on YouTube under Leilani Rivera Low and the song’s name.

Leilani is grateful that her daughters have continued the family traditions for three generations. Visitors can learn hula from Leilani and her daughters, Kamalani and Ariel Leilani.  Arrange an appointment by calling or texting (808) 651-0682.