Featuring:
Daniel Ho
Daniel Ho is a six-time GRAMMY Award winner, eleven-time GRAMMY Award nominee, six-time Taiwanese Golden Melody Award winner, and recipient of multiple Hawaiian Music awards. He is an ‘ukulele virtuoso, slack key guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and record company owner. Daniel’s collaborations transcend genres – from Hawaiian Regional Roots, to World Music with Mongolian nomads, to duets with Pepe Romero the maestro of classical guitar, to jazz and rock with Tak Matsumoto of the Japanese supergroup, B’z.
Always on the move, Daniel is an American Cultural Ambassador, with tours completed to Japan, Thailand, Brunei, and Australia. In infinite pursuit of new musical adventures, he is also the designer of the Romero Creations Tiny Tenor ‘ukulele, and Ohana Bongolele and Shakerlele. His custom-designed six-string ‘ukulele is on exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles.
Keali'i O Nalani
Known as an ever-talented cultural practitioner and choreographer, Kealiʻi Ceballos, attributes his great love for hula to his parents. His Southern California-based hula school, Hālau Hula Kealiʻi o Nālani, was founded in 1991. His student base extends as far as Japan, Taiwan, and Mexico. Kealiʻi has taught at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and at Santa Monica College. Since 2017, in partnership between the Santa Monica College Dance Academy and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Kealiʻi has taught selected styles of ballroom dance to 5th grade students in elementary schools. His film credits include Soul Surfer, Bedtime Stories, Dance with Me, Rapa Nui, and Salsa. Kealiʻi was honored by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors for 20 years of cultural service to the Los Angeles Community in 2011.
The highly-acclaimed dancers of Hālau Hula Kealiʻi o Nālani are known for their perpetuation of ancient hula, Hawaiian culture and its traditions. Equally impressive is their forward-thinking ability to present contemporary interpretations of new music and themes.
Members of the hālau range from children to seniors, male and female, and consist of different levels (e.g., recreational, competitive) based on their commitment to the art of hula. Dedicated to their kumu (teacher), some members have been with Kealiʻi since the start of the hālau. In its 30th year, the hālau has appeared alongside the best Hawaiian artists and performed in many prestigious hula competitions, festivals, and community events.