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   17 September 2007 – San Francisco, CA: Where is your mountain? What is your river? How did you come here? These are the questions at the heart of A Walk by the Sea (Dancetera label) the long-awaited fourth CD by Mahealani Uchiyama. The Bay Area artist, known for her ethereal and lyrical performances which meld music and dance, will debut her new album at a special CD launch party on Monday, September 24 at San Francisco’s Tangerine Restaurant. On December 8, Mahealani will offer a special concert version of A Walk by the Sea at Oakland’s Regents Theater on the campus of Holy Names University.
   
   “In the beginning I was a bit shy about revealing the theme of A Walk by the Sea,” says Mahealani. “The questions, 'Where is your mountain? What is your river? How did you come here? cut close to the core of who I am and how I perceive myself in this place and time. But as I got going, it became clear to me that this is not just my story. The search for home, a sense of self, and of connection with ancestors, is fundamental to all of us.”
   
   A Walk by the Sea is a celebration of the commonality of the human spirit. Full of romantic and haunting musical selections from the Pacific Islands, Zimbabwe, West Africa and Native America, it represents Mahealani’s search for knowledge of and connection to cultural and spiritual traditions.
   
   Work on A Walk by the Sea started in August of 2006 and was completed at the end of October. In between, Mahealani and her talented musicians and dancers presented the stage production of A Walk by the Sea, an evening of music, dance and storytelling which received critical acclaim and a standing ovation from a sold out house.
   
   “As a child of African and Native American ancestry living in a multi-cultural community in our Nation’s Capital, I was exposed to many ethnic traditions which reached back many generations,” Mahea continues. “Yet, due to both the African Diaspora, and the near genocide and dislocation of the indigenous people of this land, I felt that I was without the same direct connection to the well of ancestral wisdom that many of my friends enjoyed. Like many, I have been compelled to search for knowledge of and connection to the cultural and spiritual traditions of my African and Native American ancestors. In my case, this search his has led me on a journey into the artistic expressions of the Pacific Islands, as well as to Africa.”
   
   Mahealani Uchiyama was raised within the discipline of the classical hula tradition. She holds a B.A. in Dance Ethnology and an M.A. in Pacific Islands Studies from the University of Hawai'i. She has taught Hawaiian Language at Stanford University (2001 - 2002) and has performed with numerous Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Caribbean dance ensembles. In 1994 she was a featured soloist of North African Dance in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
   
   She is the Director of the Center for International Dance, and the KaUaTuahine Polynesian Dance Company. She is a dancer, musician, composer, kumuhula (instructor of hula and Tahitian ori). She has produced a series of instructional DVDs and publications, and is a recording artist. Her CDs, Tuahine Rain, Moemoea, and Tatau are widely available. She and her dancers have performed in such venues as San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, Te Papa Tongarewa (the National Museum of New Zealand, Aotearoa), and the Grand Heiva in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
   
   Special guests on A Walk by the Sea include Hugh Humphrey, one of the Caribbean's most dynamic percussionists, Ashley Moore, a composer, performer, producer and recording engineer whose award-winning work can be heard on radio, television, theater and film, and Aaron Sencil a drummer, choreographer, costume designer, song writer, and artistic director for the award-winning dance company Hui Tama Nui.
   
   “I feel these connections to ancestral roots,” continues Mahealani. “In the end we have a connection to Spirit which transcends all.”
   
   Following is the song list for A Walk by the Sea
   
   
   He Mele No Na Aumakua is an original composition by Mahealani. It is a prayer of love and gratitude to all our ancestor Spirits and asks for health and strong community ties.
   
   Mihi Au is a traditional Tahitian love song which states “and now the time has come for me to tell you that I am yours forever”.
   
   Na Hoku ‘Elua (the two Hokus) was created by Mahealani in Tahiti on the occasion of her Godson Hoku’s first birthday. Little Hoku was named after her son. In Hawaiian, the name Hoku means “Star” and Mahealani means “Full Moon”. The words speak of gazing at the beauty of the full moon rising over the ocean, and shining in celebration of her love for both of these precious beings.
   
   Shumba yaNgwasha In Shona ceremony, the music of the mbira has the power to bring the presence of ancestral spirits. This song is a reminder to young people to hold on to their traditions.
   
   A Prayer at Sunset is based on a traditional mbira song and was composed by Mahealani soon after the passing of her father. During sunset one evening, she was overcome by the presence of her father’s Spirit.
   
   Cherokee Morning Song Mahealani heard a popular rendition of this song and recognized the melody as one from her childhood that her mom used to hum.
   This type of song would traditionally be chanted while entering the river in the morning to give thanks for the new day, and to wash away any feelings separating one from one’s relations, neighbors, or the Creator.
   
   Mercy Mercy Me is indeed a translation of the song by Marvin Gaye. “Huli Ka Honua” a Hawaiian adaptation of “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” seems even more relevant in these times, as we all begin to come to terms with global warming.
   
   Uaro is a composition by Aaron Sencil, dedicated to the Tahitian Goddess of the sea shore.
   
   Pahupahu is a fusion of Tahitian ‘Ote’a with the West African rhythms of Lamba (for healing) and Manjiani (for celebration). This performance is a celebration and call of support for all of us who walk in two worlds.
   
   He Kamahele Au celebrates the revelation that although Mahealani has visited many places and cultures the world over, she knows that her “homeland” resides within her heart.
   
   Te Arohanui was written by her her friend, composer Whirimako Black, whose unique harmonic sensibilities, poetry and use of traditional Maori musical forms have made her a powerful voice for Maori music and culture. Te Arohanui is a prayer that, even in our darkest hour, we never lose sight of hope or forget that rebirth, renewal and joy are always possible.