Union Bank of California promo. Beautifully danced by Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. SF own local halau, lend their talking hands to the story of the city by the bay.
I recently had contact with the director, Jim Yager, and he provided some background on this amazing work of art.
Jim: "It was inspired when I saw Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu perform their choreography of this song at KQED for an event. It was one of those lightning strike moments when I saw the whole film produced in my mind's eye as they were dancing gracefully in front of a black curtain. It was just plain serendipity ..."
"We filmed Hula SF just a few weeks after 9/11 in 2001. We had been making production plans since mid-summer, and had delayed the production a couple of times as their was so much fear and uncertainty in the air here in the city. We finally spent two days with the dancers in all the locations you see in the video in early October, and I will never forget the response from those watching along the sidelines as we filmed. Tears of joy filled their eyes as Mr Bennett's song permeated the air, and the dancers swayed and told the story with their hands. It was a great emotional release for all of us, I think, and a reminder that their was still simple beauty and romance in a world that had been so tilted off its axis. It was one of those pure experiences I will never ever forget. I figured it would air for a few months on KQED and then be forgotten. Amazingly, it's been on their air nearly every day in the six years since then."
Jim can be reached at http://jimyagermedia.com
The fantastic dancers are at
http://www.naleihulu.org/
A High-Def version of the video is now available at
https://vimeo.com/31107926# and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCMj2U3xj7s
