KANE'OHE — "Fix those lines!"

"I need more facial expression!"

"SMELL that hala!"

"Work it! Work it! Work it!"

Kapua Dalire-Moe was running the women of Halau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniakea through the umpteenth rehearsal of their Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition mele 'auana, "Mokokaikala," about the beauty of Kaua'i.

But the phrases could have been heard at any of the 22 hula schools in the final stages of preparing for the most prestigious, widely known hula competition in the world.

In gymnasiums, Army camps, homes and hotel hallways all over Hilo, as well as at the Edith Kana-ka'ole Stadium where the competition begins Thursday, it's "fix that line" time (meaning to keep the rows of dancers straight and evenly spaced).

It's also passing-of-the-generation time as a number of halau, including Dalire-Moe's group, make their first Merrie Monarch appearances, and a number of younger kumu begin to rise through the winning ranks.

"What's interesting to me is that a lot of the longtime well-known entrants are not in there for one reason or another — Chinky (Mahoe), Robert (Cazimero), the Lim family, Hokulani De Rego," said kumu hula Manu Boyd, himself a relatively young kumu, bringing his Halau O Ke 'A'ali'i Ku Makani to the Merrie Monarch for only the fourth time. "And the new ones are very young. It doesn't seem all that long ago that Snowbird Bento (of Ka Pa Hula O Ka Lei Lehua), for example, was a Miss Aloha Hula candidate; and then to 'uniki (graduate as a teacher) and get your own halau and go to Merrie Monarch in just the matter of a few years — it just shows a great deal of talent."

There's particular interest in a pair of Bento's Kamehameha Schools hula siblings: Kaleo Trinidad, 31, of Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La, whose school has made a respectable showing in its three previous appearances, placing second overall in men's last year and first in women's contemporary hula; and first-timer Carlson Kamaka Kukona III, 29, who will bring the women of Halau O Ka Hanu Lehua to Merrie Monarch this year.

Boyd noted another first that is generating a lot of buzz: For the first time, a daughter's hula troupe will compete against her mother's hula school. Also at the competition is Dalire-Moe's mother, Aloha Dalire, with her award-winning Keolalaulani Halau 'Olapa O Laka.

FOCUS ON HONOR

For her part, Dalire-Moe, who founded her school four years ago and will bring 35 women and 12 men to Hilo, isn't focused on competition. And when she thinks about her mother, it's only to hope that her troupe will do honor to the elder Dalire, and to their family line of hula practitioners.

"What I would like to see is that when my dancers go on stage, the judges see a reflection of my mother and where she came from. If I can accomplish that, then I've met my goal, and if we get any other recognition, it's frosting on the cake," she said.

Actually, Dalire-Moe has had more pressing things on her mind. Already a mother of five, she found out she was pregnant with a sixth child shortly after she accepted the invitation to compete at the Merrie Monarch. Her due date: early March.

Luckily, baby girl Moe arrived in a timely fashion on March 9. "It gave us three weeks where we could kind of breathe a little easier and get the fine tuning done," she said.

More stressful still is the fact that they were unable to find rooms in Hilo and will be commuting to Kona each night.

But, like the other first-time competitors, Dalire-Moe is a Merrie Monarch veteran who danced with and helped run her mother's school, and most of her students have been there before, as well. They know how to roll with the punches.

VETERAN ATTENDEES

Kumu hula Carlson Kukona is no newcomer, either: He danced at the Merrie Monarch in the '90s. Kukona, who founded his school in 2003, has an interesting schedule: He is a dancer for the Lahaina-based stage production " 'Ulalena" and maintains two hula schools, one in Kahului on Maui and one in Honolulu.

For him, hula is a vehicle into the Hawaiian culture — seamlessly integrating language, mythology, crafts.

"There are a lot of venues where hula is just dance, it's superficial, but at Merrie Monarch hula is connected to the culture," he said.

Some hula schools wait years to be invited to compete at Merrie Monarch. Kukona feels honored to be asked at such a young age.

"I know there are a lot of other people who could be up on that stage. It's very humbling for our elders to acknowledge the younger generation, it's apparent that the times are changing, and they're passing on the torch," he said.

WHIRLWIND PREPARATION

Kumu hula Tiare Noelani Chang of Wai'anae is one who waited years. She was invited to bring her men's group some years ago, but this will be the first appearance for her women.

It's been a whirlwind since the call came: Most halau receive their invitations in May or June; Halau Na Mamo O Ka'ala got their call in September. "Of course, I just jumped on it — in some ways, without even thinking of what it would take," she said.

Those who enter the Merrie Monarch not only have to learn their hula, fundraise and select costuming, they have to document everything: the chants, the songs, the adornments, and keep within complex rules that guard the authenticity and appropriateness of the material.

"I really had to soak myself into the research," said Chang, a mother of four who maintains a daunting schedule of daily performances in two different venues, teaching almost nightly and performing with the group Kanilau.

For her, though, the work is worth it. "The drive to keep on is because there's always something new to learn and what you learn, you can pass on to a new generation," said Chang, who started dancing at 12 and has been teaching for 15 years.

"I look forward to seeing that spark when the dancers catch on to something for the first time. Sometimes it's a lot of work to get to that point but when you see that, it makes it all worthwhile."

WHO'S DANCING THIS YEAR?

Listed by name of hula school with location, kumu hula and events — men's (M), women's (W) and Miss Aloha Hula (MAH).

Academy of Hawaiian Arts, Oakland, Calif.; Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu — M, W

Halau Hula Olana, Pu'uloa, O'ahu; Olana A'i —W, MAH

Halau I Ka Wekiu, Honolulu, O'ahu; Karl Veto Baker and Michael Nalanakila'ekolu Casupang — M

Halau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniakea, Kane'ohe, O'ahu; Kapua Dalire-Moe — M, W

Halau Keali'i O Nalani, Los Angeles; Keali'i Ceballos — M, W, MAH

Halau Ke Kia'i A O Hula, Kapalama, O'ahu; Kapi'olani Ha'o — M

Halau Mohala 'Ilima, Ka'ohao, O'ahu; Mapuana de Silva — W, MAH

Halau Na Lei Kaumaka O Uka, Kula, Maui; Napua Greig and Kahulu Maluo-Huber — W

Halau Na Mamo O Ka'ala, Wai'anae, O'ahu; Tiare Noelani Chang — W

Halau O Ka Hanu Lehua, Honolulu and Kahului; Carlson Kamaka Kukona III — M, MAH

Halau o ke 'A'ali'i Ku Makani, Kane'ohe; Manu Boyd — W, MAH

Halau 'O Ke Anuenue, Hilo, Hawai'i; Glenn Kelena Vasconcellos — W

Halau O Na Pua Kukui, Kalihi, O'ahu; Ed Collier — W

Hula Halau O Kamuela, Kalihi and Waimanalo; Kau'ionalani Kamana'o and Kunewa Mook — W

Hula Halau O Lilinoe, Carson, Calif.; Sissy and Lilinoe Kaio — M, W

Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La, Kapalama, O'ahu; Kaleo Trinidad — M, W, MAH

Ka Pa Hula O Ka Lei Lehua, Honolulu; Snowbird Puananiopaoakalani Bento — M, W, MAH

Ka Pa Hula O Kauanoe O Wa'ahila, Kaimuki, O'ahu; Maelia Lobenstein Carter — W, MAH

Keolalaulani Halau 'Olapa o Laka, He'eia, O'ahu; Aloha Dalire — W, MAH

Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani, Hanapepe, Kaua'i; Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza — W, MAH

Na Pua Me Ke Aloha, Carson, Calif.; Sissy and Lilinoe Kaio — M, W

Nani Ola Hawaiian Dance Company, Las Vegas; Kanani Pharr-Cadaoas — W, MAH

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.