Vicky Holt Takamine

2024 Recipient

Vicky Holt Takamine, Hula teacher and native Hawiian Rights Activist, is awarded the 31st annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize

Born in Hawaii to a family of dancers and political leaders, Holt Takamine started dancing when she was 12 years old. A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Dance Ethnology from the University of Hawai`i. Under hula maser Maiki Aiu Lake, she graduated through the `ûniki riuals of hula in 1975 and was designated a kumu hula, and in 1977 she founded her own school, Pua Ali`i `Ilima (The Royal `Ilima Blossom), abbreviated as PA`I, meaning a sudden impact or slap. While continuing to lead PA`I, she served as a lecturer at the University of Hawai`i Mânoa Campus, Leeward Community College, and the University High School for more than thirty years.

In addition, she was the po`o (president) of `Îlio`ulaokalani, a coalition of traditional practitioners who are committed to protecting Hawaiian customs and traditions; the president of KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental organizations committed to protecting the natural and cultural environment of Hawai`i; and co-founder and president of Aloha `Aina, a new Hawaiian political party.

Under Holt Takamine’s direction, Pua Ali`i `Ilima participates in many cultural festivals throughout Hawai`i and in 2024 competed in the Merrie Monarch Festival for the first time in 40 years.

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