Nei Ka Honua, He Ōlaʻi Ia.
When the earth trembles, it is an earthquake.
Some things are exactly as they appear.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
KUMU HULA LĀHAPA DOROEN
Described by her students as “humble,” “inspirational,” and “compassionate,” Kumu Jaycee Lāhapa Doroen can also be described as “i kahua kau i ka hano,” a foundation placed in great honor. Named Lāhapa, literally “half day” or “half sun,” her Hawaiian name can be observed in nature when you see half the sun as it rises and sets. She is the first light of each morning and the final light at the closing of each day.
Kumu Lāhapa is a native of the Kaimukī area of Honolulu, Oʻahu and an alumnus of the esteemed Kamehameha Schools. Her love of hula began early in childhood and is deeply rooted in ʻohana, receiving her first lessons in hula, oli, and other Polynesian dances from her sister-in-law, Kumu Berta Aulani Young. She attributes her dance talent and insightful understanding of the interplay between hula and mele to her mother, Aunty Joan ‘Pudgie’ Young, a beloved musician of the Kodak Hula Show, Kūhiō Beach Hula Show, and the Pua Melia Trio. Kumu Lāhapa frequently accompanied Aunty Pudgie to numerous hula performances throughout the State of Hawaiʻi and abroad.
Shortly after its founding, Kumu Lāhapa joined Hālau Ka Waikahe Lani Mālie – Sacramento. Her first memory of the hālau was the captivating voice of Kumu Juni Kalāhikiola Lovel chanting for her students. The aloha and unwavering guidance she received from Kumu Kalāhikiola and Kumu Blaine Kamalani Kia continued her connection and spirituality to hula. Kumu Lāhapa dedicated herself to the art of hula and her hālau and over the next 18 years, she served as Alakaʻi (leader), Hoʻopaʻa (chanter), and Poʻopuaʻa (head pig) for the Sacramento and Brentwood locations of Hālau Ka Waikahe Lani Mālie and Hālau Kahulaliwai.
On her 50th birthday surrounded by her ʻohana and hula sisters and brothers, Kumu Kalāhikiola and Kumu Kamalani honored Kumu Lāhapa on the Island of Oʻahu in July 2017 with her ʻūniki (rites of passage) to Kumu Hula. Entrusted with the kuleana (responsibility) of directing Hālau Ka Waikahe Lani Mālie and Hālau Kahulaliwai – Brentwood, Kumu Lāhapa remains eternally grateful to her Kumu Hula for their constant support, teachings and aloha.
Kumu Lāhapa feels her greatest accomplishment is her ability to share the culture of Hawaiʻi through hula, leo (voice), and the aloha spirit and is proud to pass down the rich legacy of her hula lineage to all who she has the pleasure of instructing.