Betty Ann Bruno named Sonoma’s 2020 ‘Treasure Artist’

Betty Ann Ka’ihilani Bruno – one-time Oz munchkin, KTVU television news veteran, and founder of Sonoma’s Hula Mai Polynesian dance troupe – has been selected by the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission as the City of Sonoma’s 2020 Treasure Artist.

Bruno was born in 1931, in a time when “it was not cool to be ethnic,” she told the Index-Tribune. Racial segregation was commonplace then, and Bruno’s biracial family suffered for it. “We were living in Texas, but my parents couldn’t go anywhere together because of the segregation there,” Bruno said. So they moved to Los Angeles, where ethnicity was “exotic.”

In terms of inclusion, the Golden State in the 1930s was an improvement over the Lone Star State, but not by much. The bigotry Bruno encountered was less cruel, but still common. “In Hollywood, you had to be ethnic in the Hollywood way. I had a major identity crisis,” she said. (Identity crisis, indeed: Bruno at age 8 landed a child part as a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz,” at 88 she may be the only surviving cast member of the legendary film.)

But rather than sublimate her cultural identity to dominant social norms, Bruno embraced her Polynesian roots by learning the culture’s traditional dance. “I saw hula as a way to be Hawaiian,” she said.

Hula has been fundamental in Bruno’s life ever since, and has now spread to a coterie of devoted Sonomans as well. Bruno and her acolytes dance together each week, and have for more than a decade.

In a recent Wednesday evening class at the Sonoma Woman’s Club, a dozen or so women gathered in colorful pa’u skirts as Bruno gently directed their attention. Her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon, and a perennial smile crinkled her eyes. She and the dancers were working on the program for a holiday show, dancing the Kaulana Na Pua, or “Patriot’s Song,” which was composed in protest over the deposition of Queen Lili’uokalani and the islands’ eventual annexation by the U.S. in 1898.

“Do not fix a signature to the paper of the enemy,” Bruno called out as the dancers made scribbling motions with invisible pens. “We do not value the government’s hills of money. We are satisfied with the rocks and wondrous food of the land.” The dancers flowed from one slow motion to the next, telling the “Patriot’s Song” story with hips, hands and eyes. The message they delivered was unambiguously defiant, but the movements were pure, watery grace.

When they finished, the women formed a circle around Bruno, naked affection made plain in their faces. “She’s ohana,” one of them said as the others nodded along. “She is family.”

The devotion of Bruno’s students impressed the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission (CFAC), which has selected a ”treasure artist” every year since 1983. The commission also noted Bruno’s service to the community, with free Hula Mai shows on the Plaza, sponsorship of visiting hula artists, and monthly performances at local hospitals and care facilities core to her mission. Last week, Bruno was surprised by a visit from CFAC Commissioner Steve Hagstrom, who announced her selection as the 2020 Treasure Artist in front of her class.

“They are the sneakiest bunch of coconuts!” Bruno exclaimed, scanning her students’ joyful faces. The women had managed to keep their campaign to nominate Bruno as this year’s Treasure Artist under wraps, and their teacher was authentically surprised.

She stood there, a petite woman in sequined slippers and a pa’u skirt, her face unlined despite its 88 years. A seasoned performer accustomed to the limelight, Bruno admitted to being a little unsettled by the attention. “It isn’t me who should be the focus!” she said, beaming at her students. “I’m still trying to get over the shock.”

Then the moment was over and rehearsal resumed. “Ready?” Bruno called as the women took their places. Winter winds scoured the streets beyond the hall’s doors, but inside, it was still Hawaii.

Contact Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.