His hula artistry is rooted in tradition, but kumu hula and singer-recording star Keali'i Reichel is turning to the latest technology in order to become a player on the world stage. It's part of the growth of hula and expectations of its devotees.

So the release this week of the "Kukahi: Keali'i Reichel Live in Concert" DVD, to be followed in the weeks ahead by a high-definition version, is a means to magnify his work and to keep pace with what's new.

"After looking at the footage, our mission — asking, why are we doing this? — was to create something that would utilize the latest technology and enfold it with the traditional Hawaiian performance," said Reichel, who was speaking from San Francisco, where he was serving as a judge for the Kumu Hula Association of Northern California competition.

"The purpose is to show that this can be done, to educate and entertain, to make the show viable for today and for tomorrow, and at the same time, stay rooted. Kumu hula always are on that cusp, to be creative, to take the tools and experience of the past and bring it up to the present — to create a hybrid of the past and present."

It cost a pretty penny to become the first Hawai'i concert DVD with the HD credentials, said Reichel.

"I no like know the cost," he said, shying away from noncreative responsibilities.

His producer, Jim Linkner of Punahele Productions, said the budget was "equivalent to six CDs. But it's really worth it," incorporating worldwide standards with interactive menus that include selectable Hawaiian and English subtitles.

"I always thought it was the same — regular DVD with HD — until I saw the comparison side by side," said Reichel. "You see all my wrinkles, my gray hair. It's amazing technology."

For Reichel, the concert — recorded in one of two Blaisdell Concert Hall performances in September 2006 — had few hardships. "The only criteria for me, which was told to everyone else, was that we'd do the show not for the filming, but for the audience. Nothing could get in the way of the viewer; we would not compromise anything for the sake of filming."

With only a one-night shoot, it was feast or famine. "We either got it or didn't," said Reichel, who frowned on multiple-performance taping "because you don't always wear the same clothes for two shows."

And as he notes in the opening moments of the DVD, "it is said that hula is a reflection of life. And in that reflection, we see ourselves and very clearly the countless generations of our ancestors who stand beside us. ..."

The bottom line: "You are your own person, and you become your own person, with the help of others," he said.

"Kukahi," the theme of his annual Hawaiian extravaganzas, means "to stand alone." But Rei-chel said the traditional Hawaiian concept of standing alone is forsaken "for the good of the whole. I get to stand up, I get to sing; but without the dancers, the chanters, the musicians and the teachers who taught me how to do it, 'Kukahi' — standing alone — would not exist."

Reichel generally is a harsh critic of himself, and doesn't usually enjoy watching his performance, but he took a shine to this particular journey.

"I enjoyed the concert as a whole," he confided, a note of glee in his voice.

"It was somewhat surprising ... how funny I am," he said of his periodic asides and stabs at humor.

"Watching the show, the way the audience sees it, was a really good way to see what we're doing. I almost never get the audience perspective."

He said he generally works with a rough script, with concepts pretty much established, and his patter is usually off the cuff, reeling off naturally. The chuckles come from his ad libs as he reflects on his work or introduces a number.

"I've always felt it was important to visualize the imagery from a chant, so we use (video) screens to project images," he said. "One screen grew to three screens, which allowed us to secure elements to enhance the dance."

Mood-provoking aerial images — the mountains of Maunaleo, the winding roads of Hana — were inserted into the DVD to enhance the poetry and dance. Most of these scenics "were done in trade with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters," Reichel said. "We were lucky; they utilize our music on their tours, we were able to use their HD video. Cost us almost nothing."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.