Ka'ua, named after a a legendary Moloka'i rain, hails from the island of Oahu, where she first studied hula at the age of 5 years. She has also studied ballet, jazz, tap, modern, musical theater, and several Polynesian dance styles. She began teaching and choreographing in ballet and jazz at age 17, and won several national solo titles as a member of her high school dance team.
Ka'ua has been a member of several dance companies, including the Kinard Ballet Company (Houston, TX), Disney Entertainment Arts (Los Angeles, CA), the Raul Cruz Dance Company (Orange County, CA), Third Coast Jazz (Austin, TX), and Austin Musical Theatre. She debuted on the silver screen as Miss Alaska, a principal dancer and top ten finalist in the movie Miss Congeniality.
Ka'ua earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of California at Irvine in 1994, as well as a Masters degree in Education at UT Austin in 1999. She is an educational consultant and a custom jewelry designer. She is also currently the Director of Community Education at Ballet Austin and the official hula instructor for Ballet Austin.
Ka'ua currently studies hula with Kumu Hula Keli'i Chang in Dallas and Houston, TX, and holds the rank of po'opua'a in Kumu Chang's Halau Ho'ola Ka Mana O Hawai'i. She has also studied with Kumu Hula Paul Ho'omanawanuiikana'auao Apo (Honolulu, HI), Joyce Flaugher (San Antonio, TX), Kumu Hula Ellen Gay Delarosa (Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie, HI), Kumu Hula Keith Awai (Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie, HI), and Kumu Hula Lorraine Daniels (Magic Hula Studio, Honolulu, HI). In April 2006, she was honored to compete with Kumu Chang and Halau Ho'ola Ka Mana O Hawai'i in the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the world's most prestigious hula competition. |
