Sunday, November 6, 2011

A dedication to Becky Leialoha Jung (1965-2011)


It was my deep honor to dance and commune with my hula ohana in New York in September in memory of our dear Becky Jung. Mahalo nui loa to my hula brothers and sisters for their generosity and grace. For those of you who were not there in body, we most definitely felt your aloha very present in the air and in our hearts.

Becky loved flowers. It's a passion all hula dancers share, but Becky loved flowers before hula found her. She taught me how to appreciate what I used to consider old-lady flowers, like crepe myrtle. She made me realize, before I started dancing hula again, that every flower deserves our adoration. During the throes of chemo, she loved the maile lei that Mariko sent her; and its arrival sent Jude (a Pilobolus sister) into tears. And as Yvette reported, the one sensation that she had most access to was smell. Sweet floral scents, like Earl Grey tea, caused her to close her eyes and inhale in deep reverie. It was impossible not to infuse each pua (flower) and honi (scent) gesture in our hula with a memory of Becky.

While we were preparing the hinahina (Spanish moss) lei for the memorial, Kumu June reminded me about Becky's first attempt at a haku lei po'o (a woven lei for the head). We were at Genesis, a New Jersey biodynamic farm of our friends, Mike and Kerry, for our first hula retreat. We went "floraging" (foraging for native wild flower...my Jim Nelson's term...which makes me think now of the two vivid hybridized words that Becky coined--"obeast" and "whoregasm"!...Becky had a sharp, lusty core to to her sweet, innocent exterior).

That night at Genesis we made our lei for the performance the next day. I badly wanted to make a beautiful lei. But as I struggled and messed with the raffia and the flowers and leaves, Becky was effortless and quick. Her lei was impeccably full of color and harmony. I was envious.

June said that Becky's Hawaiian name, Leialoha, came to her as she sat in meditation. Lei of love, how perfect. Becky wove us together the other night, effortlessly, full of color and harmony. Mahalo, Leialoha.

Becky was a dance goddess and dance warrior of the highest order. She dedicated her life to dance. She made sacrifices that normal human beings dare not make. She always gave 100%+ of her energy and focus to her work. Never a hack, slacker or flake, Becky performed with an unparalleled precision and strength that was, according to Jim's mom, "hidden under all that femininity." And she had intensely high expectations, which made her sometimes difficult to work with. (We're not all gods and goddesses.)

Fortunately for me, Leialoha was as devoted a friend as she was a dancer. As I continue to miss her, I am grateful to have the community of hula. Mahalo, hula brothers and sisters, for responding to the invitations to dance (special thanks to Erika for arranging Kumu June's trip to NYC); mahalo, Gracious Ladies, for contributing your spirit; mahalo, LBJ, for giving us a place at Fashion Week to express our reflections; mahalo, musicians, for filling the air with songs from your heart; finally, mahalo, Jung family, for giving us Leialoha. I look forward to when--soon, I hope--we are able to come together again.

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