KUMU HULA

Randy Kaulana Chang is the son of Frank and Moana Chang, former residents of Carson, California. Along with all of his siblings, Randy received his training in the Hawaiian culture from his mother, Moana. In his mother’s hula school, his job was to train the young kane in hula and other Polynesian dances.

In 1986, Randy founded an all male halau to showcase and perpetuate men’s style of Hawaiian dance, breaking the stereotype and homophobia attacted to male dancers. In 1989, he added women to his halau, creating a powerhouse that trained their students to promote and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture across the Los Angeles basin.

His outreach to the community does not stop at his school. He began teaching at Hawaiian clubs in several Southern California educational institutions, such as Occidental College in 1981 and UCLA in 1986. This opportunity gave Randy to teach hula through UCLA Extension until 1995.

Randy and his halau were given the opportunity to be part of many festivals around Los Angeles. In 1990,Randy and his halau participated in L.A. Festival and in the Lotus Festival in 1991. Randy has always encouraged Pacific Islanders to share their history and customs, as partnership with Randy’s halau. In the summer of 1992, he demonstrated the art of making poi in the Pacific Islander Festival and in a year, was given the responsibilities to handle the protocol, representing Hawai’i in the opening ceremonies of growing festival. This responsibility ran until the summer of 1996.

Kumu Hula Randy Kaulana Chang

In July 1995, Randy and his halau were bestowed the honor of handling protocol and efforts to welcome the double hull canoe, Hokule’a, into the Long Beach Harbor with the leaders of the Pacific Islanders and the California Indians. He coordinated the daily performances of various Pacific Islanders groups. To his surprise, Randy was given the opportunity to sail on the Hokule’a to San Diego where he and his halau performed for members of the crew.

In 1999, Randy helped with teaching and training his brother’s halau in Texas to prepare for Merrie Monarch Hula Competition, held annually in Hilo, Hawai’i. In 2001, Randy combined his dancers with members of the Texas halau and they competed together in Merrie Monarch. His kane competed again in 2006 with the Texas group.

His activism and his leadership in the community brought him to hold positions in many organizations. In 2001, Randy was elected as President of the Kumu Hula Association of Southern California, “Kulia I Ka Punawai.” Consisting of 16 diverse kumu hula from Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Diego counties, he helped organized the organization’s first collaborative concert program, “He Inoa No Kalakaua.” More recently, Randy organized and participated in the 2006 Kumu Hula Association production of “He Lei No Kapi’olani.” In 2007, Randy was appointed as Director of the Hawaiian Village and Program for the Pacific Islander Festival, and again, in 2008. In the Hawaiian Village, Randy shared aspects of ancient Hawaiian life with festival patrons through hand-made models, plants, pictures, and cultural demonstration. He is now the current president of the Pacific Island Community Council, the organization responsible for presenting the Pacific Island Festival.

In October 2008, Randy was asked to present at the Aloha Festival in Boulder, Colorado. There, he shared his mana’o with halau from Colorado and New Mexico, teaching kahiko and ‘auana. He completed the experience with being the Master of Ceremonies for the Festival Ho’ike, sharing mo’olelo and history of the hula presented by the halau.

In November 2008, Randy taught kahiko and ‘auana workshops at the 2nd Annual International Waikiki Hula Conference on O’ahu. There, he was able to teach hula to haumana from Hawai’i, Japan, Europe, and the Mainland. He and Keli’i also did a joint discussion about the difficulties of teaching hula on the Mainland. Both returned to teach again in Hawaii in 2009 for the 3rd Annual International Waikiki Hula Conference.

Uncle Randy continues to share his unending mana‘o with haumana far and wide. We hope you will join our halau to become a part of his lifelong work to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture.