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HĀLAU MAKANA
POLYNESIAN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL KAWANO (MKAWANOPHOTOGRAPHY.COM)
Lani Cid-Iulio was the owner of Island Hawaiian Studios and Director of the Hālau Makana Polynesian Cultural Arts Center from 1998, until she passed in March of 2026.
Her Hula, Tahitian, and Māori dance foundation started with her kūpuna wahine (grandmother), Lillian Ka’anoali’i Mahai’ula Aquai--born and raised in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai’i--and received her formal hula training from Kumu Hula Rose Kuamo’o.
She also studied, performed, and competed with Kumu Hula Joseph Kamoha'i Kahaulelio in Hayward, CA and Kumu Hula Mahea Uchiyama in Berkeley, CA.
The legacy continues with her youngest daughter, Jade Makana Iulio, the current Director of Hālau Makana Polynesian Cultural Arts Center.
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