From growing up as a corn-fed Minnesota boy in a loving family of eight, I moved on to Hawaii in 1973. That is, after a few years in Germany (college and travel), New York (art studies, civil rights work and the beginnings of my dance career), and France (dancing, mostly modern).
 

In Hawaii I continued performing, reaching out to communities and schools with programs celebrating cultural diversity. I also taught movement in the schools, continued programs that liberate men (from socialized limitations to creativity, community and intimacy), and instructed modern dance at the University of Hawaii campuses in Hilo and Honolulu, where I received a Master of Fine Arts degree.
 

Beyond dance, which has matured into a continuing love for hula, I also enjoy the visual arts, particularly figurative drawing, painting and architecture, and singing with the Puna Men's Chorus. Sport passions include volleyball, bicycling and swimming. Our Puna area offers lots of splash fun including dolphin play, snorkeling in coral castles, body surfing, and sensuous waterfalls -- which have been included in Kalani adventures I've helped lead.
 

The evolution of Kalani Oceanside Retreat from 1975 to my "reFIREment" in 2013 was a continuing creative project that included opportunity for stewardship/investment in the Kalani (Mauka, Honua, and Kai) three properties being somewhat of a retreat village comprising 120 coastal acres, with new retreat cottages built incorporating modern as well as traditional bamboo eco-friendly designs. Village growth was supported by the inclusion of additional stewards of this land and its homes, people who share Kalani's nature-culture-wellness educational focus.  ReFIREment provided me opportunity and time to focus on flaming my arts and athletic passions.
 

The Kalani concept was founded by myself and long-term companion and dancer Earnest Morgan, as well as Trina Nahm-Mijo, "Uncle" Kini Pe'a and support and involvement of many, including siblings and parents (who annually wintered here, from MN). Meaning harmony of heaven and earth, Kalani Honua was named by a Hawaiian participant in a Kalani outreach program for the elderly. Earnest inspired an enduring creativity and love in all his relations. Eight years after his death from AIDS in 1992 I wrote a fictional tale about keeping the youthful wonder in one's life: E HO MAI - about flowing forward with spirit, inspired by beloved hula kumu Auntie Edith Kanaka'ole.  Thereafter I authored a photo history: KALANI - A Leap of Faith, Hope and Love.  Now these books along with the newly published, LAVA LOVE - With Heart and Art We Connect, Rebel, and Create,  and Ka LĀ - The Light, A to Z Poetry and Painting Potpourri, are on Kindle (as a $4 download to any device) and in print at https://www.amazon.com/author/richardkoob.

Ever evolving, now particularly since the May, 2018, nearby lava flows, Kalani's local and global community, agricultural and educational focus, and enduring friendships are the beat of my "Rich-heart," grounded in my father's "Richard the lionhearted" encouragement, plus the support of family, mentors, many contributors, and my own self nurturing.
 

Welcome to my personal website featuring my art, writing, and ways for you to participate in this kalanihonua heaven-earth interplay of body and spirit.  I'm grateful for decades of involvement with the many visitors, volunteers, staff and board who embrace and radiate kalanihonua.
 

Richard Koob, Founder & Director Emeritus

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Advocate article: "Hawaiian Retreat Guru"

Although I've always recommended that every person find his/her inner leader, by a balance of uhane, mana'o, pu'uwai, and na'au, i.e. spirit, rational thinking, heartfelt emotions, and intestinal intuition, I was declared "guru" by The Advocate, the award-winning national LGBTQ newsmagazine and web site. Their "cool jobs" article introduced me and nine other "gays and lesbians working outside the paradigm."
 

The article:

Imagine if your typical workday looked like this: Practice Kundalini yoga at sunrise on the Hawaiian coast, socialize with travelers from around the globe, trek to the beach, sit in on a few staff meetings, play volleyball, and recover in the hot tub. And if it's Tuesday, teach hula. That's the life of Richard Koob, 60, the director of Kalani Oceanside Retreat, a 120-acre getaway along one of the most unspoiled coastlines on the Big Island. Koob began his nonprofit retreat in 1975 with his partner (Earnest Morgan, who died in 1992 of AIDS complications) as a place dedicated to nature, culture, and well-being. "It's important to enjoy life and focus on doing what we really love," says Koob.
 

Many of Kalani's activities, including dance and workshops such as a yoga retreat for gay men, reflect Koob's personal passions. "We've been on the vanguard of helping gay men realize how important it is to develop one's soulful and sensual side," he says. An eclectic clientele is drawn to its rejuvenating massages, hula classes, historical sites, and breathtaking lava-walled cliffs. Koob and Morgan always intended Kalani to attract people from a variety of backgrounds-both financial and cultural. Says Koob: "I think that appreciation of diversity comes from the gay experience."