"It's been too long since we've heard from you," the grandmother says. "Your mama says you work too much and that you are the boss of a big company. We are proud of you and would like to visit you, but the mainland is too big for us. We might get lost. Better you come home and find a local boy."

In the letter the grandmother explains that the rocking chair belongs to the young woman's great-grandmother, who liked sitting on the chair and telling children stories of old Hawaii. The grandmother sent the young woman the chair and the album to remind her not to forget her roots.

This is the theme of the Island Moves Family Center hula school's annual recital May 24.

Kaui Isa-Kahaku, director of the Sunnyvale hula school, says the story line of remembering one's Hawaiian heritage is her mother's expectation for her and also Isa-Kahaku's expectation for her 6-year-old daughter, Kanoe. Kanoe will play the part of the great-grandmother during the recital.

Isa-Kahaku got the story idea because her grandmother in Hawaii has sent packages of Hawaiian goods to her mother, Gwyne Isa, every week since she moved to Sunnyvale with her husband, Ronald "Sonny," in 1973.

Isa-Kahaku "was made into a Hawaiian," as her mother likes to say, although she was born and grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley. She started learning hula when she was 6 and began teaching hula at 13. She learned the art of having an expressive face while dancing because her father used to sit in the audience and make faces at her to make sure she smiled.

Through hula, Isa-Kahaku met her husband, Anson Kahaku. Kahaku's family moved to Sunnyvale from Hawaii when he was 12. When she was 14 and he 15, Kahaku wanted to ask Isa out but she was busy teaching and performing hula. So taking hula classes was the only way he could see her. That was exactly what he did. Two years later, he became Isa's dancing partner. They got married in 1995. Kahaku, now a San Jose police officer, still performs professionally with his wife.

"Hula is not just about girls in grass skirts waving hands and shaking hips," Isa-Kahaku says. "It is the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people."

Hula, which means "dance" in Hawaiian, was invented around the sixth century to reinforce mele oli (chants), Hawaiians' major vehicle of passing down their history orally from generation to generation.

Hula artists divide hula into Ka Hula Kahiko (traditional hula) and Ka Hula 'Auana (modern hula). Ka Hula Kahiko, which tells stories mostly of goddesses and the wonders of nature, is usually accompanied by chants and native Hawaiian instruments. Ka Hula 'Auana refers to hula that has evolved from the days of the reign of King Kalakaua in the 1870s to the present day. Its lyrics are normally in both Hawaiian and English or completely in English.

Isa-Kahaku is versed in both styles of hula and teaches both in her school. But she follows traditional Hawaiian teaching protocols. Before students enter the studio, they chant to get their kumu (instructor)'s permission. If they don't have pono (the right or correct attitudes), they cannot come in. When students enter the studio, the teacher greets each student in traditional Hawaiian style, touching the student's forehead with her own, sharing their breath and exchanging kisses on the cheek.

"Hawaiian culture is full of protocols," Isa-Kahaku says. "You have to do everything from your heart and with respect."

Though Isa-Kahaku is a strict teacher, she has attracted students from all walks of life. The ages range from 4 to 78. The students, regardless of their age and profession, greet one another with hugs and kisses. They call Isa-Kahaku's mother "Auntie Gwyne." They dance and play with her daughter, who is like Isa-Kahaku's teaching assistant.

"Through hula, I want to show people that Hawaiian culture is very deep and sophisticated," Isa-Kahaku says. "And my daughter, just by watching me teach, is able to keep her Hawaiian heritage in a natural way."

Island Moves Family Center, Halau Na Wai Ola, is located at 120 E. Fremont Ave. A total of 150 students will present two performances May 24 at IFES Portuguese Hall, 432 Stierlin Road in Mountain View. For more information, call 408.720.1795.