How to do the hawaiian hula dance
Learn How to Hula Dance! | How to Hula Dance for Kids
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Famous for its sandy beaches and warm weather, Hawaii is a tropical paradise. Part of what makes Hawaii so special is its rich island culture. Hawaiians have their own traditions, language, and even their own dance form called Hula. Hula is a graceful art form that is danced to the words of a song (mele) or chant (oli). Ancient Hawaiians danced Hula to tell stories about their history and to celebrate the beauty of nature. But you don’t need palm trees to enjoy Hawaiian culture. Get ready to move your feet, swing your hips, and learn to dance the Hula with Little Passports! With a these easy-to-learn dance moves, you and your little ones can bring the beauty of the islands right to your doorstep.
Step-by-Step Hula
Move your feet!
Stand facing forward with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees. Step 8 inches to the right. Bring your left foot to meet your right foot, keeping your left foot slightly off the floor, and tap the ground once with the ball of your left foot to complete the move. Repeat, taking another step the right, bringing your feet together, and tapping the ground with the ball of your left foot. Now go back the way you came! Step to the left, bring your right foot to meet your left and tap the ground with the ball of your right foot. Repeat this move to the left again. That’s it! Continue to practice stepping two times to the right and then two times to the left until you feel comfortable with the footwork.
Did you know? Hula is almost always danced barefoot.
Did you know? Traditional Hawaiian instruments that accompanied Hula dances were made of shells, rocks, and even teeth!
Now add your hips!
Keeping the same pattern–two steps right and two steps left–try adding some hip movements.
During the Hula, your hips should keep a gentle rocking or swaying motion–similar to the ocean waves! When you step to the right, lower your right foot toe-to-heel and lift your left hip up. As you bring your feet together, switch so that your right hip is up. Before your next step, sway your hips side-to-side. Repeat the same motion as you take your second step to the right. Remember to sway your hips side to side before each step. Now try this motion to the left: left foot toe-heel, right hip up, feet together, left hip up, rock hips side to side. Repeat. Make sure to keep your knees bent and hips loose as you continue to step and sway!
Complete the move with arm motions!
Extend your arms out to the side at shoulder level. Bend your left arm so your hand is in front of the left side of your chest and your palm is facing down. Your right arm should stay extended, with your elbow slightly bent and fingers together. As you take your steps to the right, move your arms in a gentle, wave-like motion.
Before your first step to the left, switch your arms so that the left arm is extended and the right arm is bent in front of the right side of your chest. As you take your steps to the left, continue to move your arms in a wave-like motion. As you move, keep your body relaxed and your shoulders still. Remember to switch arms every time you switch directions.
Did you know?
Hand and arm motions can be used to represent emotions or aspects of nature.
Add your own flair!
Once you’ve mastered this basic Hula dance, feel free to add some more moves from the list below to spice it up! Remember to use your face and eyes to tell the story of the song you are dancing to.
Ami: With hands on your hips, rotate your hips in a circular motion.
Ka`apuni: Keeping your hips moving in a circular motion like the Ami, pivot around the left foot and step slowly with the right foot around the left foot to complete a full turn.
Rising Sun Hand Movement: Start with your hands together at knee level.
In a sweeping motion, move the arms outward and upward until they are above your head and fingertips nearly touch. Form the shape of sun with your arms extended over your head with your palms turned upward and your fingertips touching.
Uwehe: Standing with feet hip-width apart, step in place with your right foot. Keeping knees bent, lift both heels up off the ground in a popping motion, and then place them back down. Now step in place with your left foot. Do the popping motion again.
Hela: Starting with your feet together, point your right foot forward. Return feet together. Point the left foot forward. Bring your feet back together.
Love Hand Movement: With your palms facing your body, cross your hands in a X-shape on your chest to show embracing love.
Don’t forget to smile and have fun!
Learn How to Hula Dance! from Little Passports on Vimeo.
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Hula dancing is a beautiful and graceful form of dance.
Hula combines foot movement along with meaningful hand movements that tell a story. Hula dancing is easy to learn, is good exercise, and is a fun activity for a Luau or Hawaiian theme wedding. There are many hula dances that have very simple steps which can be easily learned and have people dancing hula in one lesson. A popular easy to learn hula dance will be shared in below on this page that can have you hula dancing by the end of today!
There are several different styles of hula danced by Polynesian cultures like Hawaiian, Tahitian, Fijian, and Maori. In the Hawaiian hula dance style there are two types, hula kahiko and hula 'auana.
Hula Kahiko
In ancient Hawaiian times there were no written books of daily life and special events however, the Hawaiians have created hula dances and chants as ways to document events going as far back as to their first inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands 0-500ad. Hula kahiko is the traditional ancient Hawaiian style of hula which also includes chanting and percussion instruments like uli uli, puili, drums and ipu gourd drums.
The kahiko style of hula focuses on the hula practiced by ancient Hawaiians which was how they communicated with and honored the Hawaiian Gods by sharing stories about Hawaiian life, history and culture. Students are taught how to make their own instruments and their own outfits for performances. Some hula schools require their students to learn and speak Hawaiian.
Hawaiian Hula Performers in 1890
When Western missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands hula was seen as indecent and immoral. In 1830 missionaries convinced Queen Ka'ahumanu to outlaw hula for the good of the Hawaiian people. Hula along with the speaking of the Hawaiian language were banned in the Hawaiian Islands. Many of the chiefs and people of Hawaii did not agree with the ban and hula and the Hawaiian language was practiced in secret.
Hula dancers at King Kalakaua's 49th Birthday Celebration at Iolani Palace
November 16, 1886
In 1851 public hula performances became regulated and a heavy fee was paid to obtain a license for each performance.
Throughout the 1860s secret hula schools continued to teach and the number of students grew. The Hawaiian King David Kalakaua openly supported hula dancing before he became King in 1836. He is credited for preserving hula kahiko and bringing back native Hawaiian dance during his reign as King having spectacular performances of hula at his coronation in 1883 and at his 49th birthday celebration in 1886.
Hula 'Auana
Hula 'auana is the modern style of Hawaiian hula dance which emerged after Western contact and is often associated with slack key guitar, ukulele, and upbeat Hawaiian music. The 'auana style incorporates the traditional hand signals, steps, and percussion instruments with a more show business flare to the presentation than the kahiko style and costumes can be much more flashy. The focus with hula 'auana is more on entertainment through hula story telling rather than communicating and honoring the Hawaiian Gods.
Both styles of native Hawaiian hula dance are excellent forms of exercise.
Hula dancing is also a fun activity when having a Luau or Hawaiian themed celebration and below are three tips on how to add hula dancing to your festivities:1) Learn an easy hula dance and dance it at your celebration to entertain your guests!
2) Learn an easy hula dance and teach your guests how to hula dance!
3) Hire an experienced hula dancer to perform and/or teach a hula lesson at your celebration.
It is fun to learn to dance the hula at a Luau!
Hula dancing is popular all over the world, some people refer to this style of dancing as Hawaiian hula hula. No matter what you call it or where you are in the World, you can usually find organized groups of hula dancers, known as Hula Halau, that can be hired for hula dance lessons or to perform at a celebration. To find one, google "hula halau" + your location in the world, such as "hula halau san diego". Then contact them to find out information on how you can take lessons, join the group to perform, find out where they will be performing live, or hire them as performers or to teach hula dancing at your Hawaii theme celebration!
The hula dancers are wearing skirts made from fresh ti leaves
Now it is time to learn how to hula dance!
Hula dancing is a fun Luau activity for kids and adults.
Below are easy Hawaiian hula dance steps:
'Ami Right - rotate hips counterclockwise, one rotation for each count.
'Ami Left - rotate hips clockwise. Bent knees make the 'ami easier.
Hela: Point right foot forward, bring back, then point left foot forward, then bring back. For video instruction of Helai click here!
Huli: Rotate around while swaying the hips.
Kaholo: A kaholo is more of a sliding step, rather than lifting the foot as you move. It is used to step side to side, front to back, and diagonally.
For video instruction of Kaholo click here!
Ka'o: Sway hips by shifting weight to the right side and lift left heel. Then shift weight to the left side and lift right heel. For video instruction of Ka'o click here!
Lele: Step right, then left, either forward or back.
The hula dancers are doing the hela hula dance move
Below are easy Hawaiian hula hand movements:
Love Hand Movement: Hands cross at chest to show embracing love.
Ocean Hand Movement: hands gently beat up and down showing the rhythm of the waves.
Rainbow Hand Movement: palms of the hands meet at the left... right hand lifts and shapes an arching rainbow.
Rising Sun Hand Movement: start at the knees, both hands part and rise above the head to shape the sun.
Singing or Story Telling Hand Movement: hand gracefully gesturing at mouth for song.
Swaying Palms Hand Movement: left arm becomes the land, right arm and fingers sway showing a waving palm.
Swirling Winds Hand Movement: left hand forward while right hand circles twice over head.
Tide roll Hand Movement: hands continually roll over each other to show the rolling sea.
These boy and girl hula dancers are wearing pa'u skirts and lava lava
LEARN THE
TINY BUBBLES HULA DANCE
This instructional video teaches an easy hula dance routine to the song Tiny Bubbles by Don Ho.
You can learn this hula dance in one session!
There is a great resource of hula instructional videos on YouTube.
Below are a few links to continue your hula training:
What to Wear While Hula Dancing
Skirts allow for freedom of movement while dancing the hula and are worn by women, men, girls, and boys. For tops men and boys typically wear a tshirt when practicing and go topless when performing. Women typically wear a sports bra, spaghetti strap top, tshirt or tank top when practicing and for performing may wear a coconut bra, bikini top, sequined bra, or tube top. Fresh lei or silk lei accessories be worn on the head, neck, ankles and wrists.
Hula dancers dance barefoot. Types of skirts worn by hula dancers include:
Pareu, Lava Lava or Sarong- a long piece of cloth wrapped around the body and tucked into the waist
Grass Skirt- made from natural or synthetic raffia. Natural is tan in color and can be dyed green or a rainbow of colors.
Ti Leaf Skirt- fresh or synthetic ti leaves are fashioned into a skirt along the stem end of the leaf.
Pa'u Skirt- a modern hula dance skirt made with colorful Hawaiian printed fabric and an elastic waist. They are worn short like a mini skirt or long which covers the dancers legs to mid shin.
The hula girls are wearing ti leaf hula skirts and have a set of uli uli hula implements
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Hot Hula Fitness is a new modern form of hula which incorporates traditional hula movements and performs them to upbeat Polynesian and contemporary music providing a vigorous fun low impact aerobic workout! The Hot Hula fitness style of hula isolates the larger muscle groups, increasing strength and definition to the core with specific emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms.
If you are having a Hawaiian themed celebration, include hula dancing! Teach your guests a few moves or hire a hula expert to come and teach you and your guests a hula lesson. Your guests will have a fun memorable experience and learn something that is very sacred in the Hawaiian culture for a true authentic Luau experience!
Photos of people who AlohaFriends.com helped to bring hula to their Hawaiian theme celebration!
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Hawaiian Hula Dance: Aloha Studio
What is so special about the Hawaiian hula dance - for me ? Why do I love her so?
First of all, probably - for the fact that every time it instantly immerses me in an enthusiastic and happy perception of the world, as in childhood - and at the same time fills me with silence, peace, wisdom and myself, as it happens only at the feet of the Sage .
..
This is the rediscovery of the joy and value of the simplest things - everything that tells me: I live, I am loved, the world is beautiful .
And this is fantastic, incredible tenderness in every step and every gesture.
Posture, strong and beautiful legs-waist, deployed shoulders, and the whole healing effect of hula - in essence, all other types of dance give plus or minus. But such a vivid experience of one's body as a continuously flowing tenderness - no other dance direction in the world gives. Not a single abrupt movement, not a single broken line, not a single song "about suffering" - only aloha in 1000 shades and situations.
Because they are Hawaiians
Because they know how to experience life and every situation as necessary, useful, perfect. And the pain is perfect if you know with all your heart that nothing in the world happens by chance, all colors come out from under one brush - the brush of God.
And He paints his picture with Love, and only with it. So - the pain is needed, I just don't know why. But what's the trouble with that? The main thing is that God knows it. And this is enough not to be nervous, but to live calmly and this stage in the understanding that it is important and necessary. And the spirit of aloha does not leave us even at such moments.
1. The healing effect of hula: the physical aspect
We read:
"Hula is a healing and harmonizing dance that has a beneficial effect on the spine and allows you to restore posture, increases flexibility, improves the condition of joints, muscles, ligaments, allows you to calm down, feel your body.
Hula dance gives not only pleasure and relaxation, but also carries out therapeutic work.The term HULA itself in translation means "kindling the inner fire".In Hula, an essential element of therapy is the smooth movement of the hips.The hips symbolically and physically connect the upper and lower parts of the body - the torso and legs.
Relaxation the muscles of the hips and the healing of this part of the body contributes to a better movement of energy from the legs to the trunk, which increases vitality, promotes emotional balance and better "grounding" and at the same time promotes the integration of the spiritual and physical aspects of a person. to building a very calm and p weakened basis of the whole personality.
Nowadays, Hawaiian Hula is becoming very popular in many countries around the world. For example, in Japan, in one of the dance schools, Hula trains 5,000 people. Japanese doctors have confirmed that this dance is a good activity for people of all ages and helps to maintain health. Hula leads to general relaxation, increases the level of vitality, corrects coordination of movements, and dramatically improves well-being.
Hawaiian dance classes are very useful for older people. It is believed that they help normalize blood pressure, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, improve the functioning of internal organs, and develop flexibility.
But most importantly, they awaken a taste for life. And they are very easy to learn. Just imagine that you are spinning a hoop. And now all this is only with music and songs. By the way, it is no coincidence that the hoop is scientifically called the hula hoop. The name is derived from the Hawaiian hula dance."
These are excerpts from various sources of what is in Russian about Hawaiian dances in terms of physical health.
And in fact, my dancing and teaching experience says that all this is true.
Relaxation, normalization of pressure (since stress disappears), balance, well-being, tone (including in the pelvic organs), a taste for life - this is 100%.
But such things as the figure, the flexibility of the spine, joints and muscle strength (legs, buttocks, arms) and other more serious health effects - all this is real only if you dance at least 2-3 times a week (for an hour) .
And don't goof off on the load :)) - yes, yes! As a teacher, I see how many students dance on almost straight legs, for example - and this is already minus 80% of the same healing effect.
And even beautiful posture, gait and deployed shoulders with a high chest - will become yours only if you practice not just hula, but practice in a professional position of the dancer's body (lesson 4.2). To dance even 5 times a week, but without such depth of bodywork (but simply following "Lesson 4.1 Basic Hula Rules") - this is flexibility, blood supply, tone, heart, pressure - but not posture and not gait.
Believe a person who has been dancing "just hula" for 5 years and has been dancing "according to all the rules and subtleties" for 2 years now. The difference is huge.
And by the way: Hawaiian hula, even without “posture”, that is, with minimal technique, is extremely beneficial not only for people of young and middle age. But it is directly shown as a burden for such unexpected categories of people as:
- pregnant women,
- slings,
- men and women over 50, and even 60 and 70 :))
Because the load itself, the very specificity of hula, is a very gentle effect on the body.
In our Studio, about half of all students are women over 50-60 years old :)).
| Hula-seminar in Russia, leads Kuano Torres Cahele |
(the latter - in a lightweight version of the plastic, of course).
2. Healing effect of hula: psychological aspect
... as well as emotional, soulful, harmonizing, etc.
Reading:
"Hula is an excellent instrument.
In the Hula dance, whose name in translation means "kindling the sacred inner fire", through movement, rhythm, singing and symbolism you will feel the manifestations of the primordial wisdom that lives in each of us.It is she who will help us remember how to maintain inner silence and harmony, living in the frantic rhythm of the metropolis, from where we can take strength for daily activities.
0006
Hula is the expression of feelings through movement. The Hula performer in the dance can tell about the beauty of the island, about the weather, about life itself on Earth, imitating the sun, sea, earth, trees, rain, rainbow, birds.
O mastery of the art of shapeshifting consisted in the ability to adopt the characteristic features of animals or objects with the help of singing, acting or dance, merge with the forces of nature and influence them through resonance .
An important integral element in the science of Hula dance is the rhythm that harmonizes the psyche. Hula is a polyrhythmic dance. Its execution leads to the restoration of coordination between the upper and lower, as well as the right and left parts of the body. They can move independently, sometimes in different rhythms, but in a coordinated way that balances the cerebral hemispheres and restores full coordination of movements.
Another translation of Hula can be "not getting on" the wrong road by being in the rhythm. Developing better motor coordination, brain synchronization and a sense of rhythm helps a person prepare for life's many situations and become more alert. It becomes easier to save yourself from life's mistakes. b
Well, another therapeutic aspect of Hula is Hawaiian music, songs and the symbolic meaning of the legends. Music and songs have a calming effect on many people. Hula dance can be danced at any age and without special training."
Unlike the physical effect, the degree of which significantly depends on how often and how technically deep (posture) you do hula, ALL of the above psychological aspects and "usefulness" hula are ALWAYS present
This is what you feel as soon as you start dancing, from the first sounds of Hawaiian music and from the first swaying of the hips.
And that's what you feel until the very last minute of a workout or performance.
Every time.
And it's just a miracle.
Yes, each master gives kaona (the sacred meaning of each dance) in his own way, and someone may not. And not everyone succeeds, or it doesn’t work right away, to deeply experience the stories of dances, to pass them through oneself so that the whole body and all feelings vibrate in unison - for this you really need to master the art of reincarnation (see the highlighted text above).
But, again, my experience is that the kaona in the heart of each dancer is revealed in its own way, and this always happens. Even if the person came to class for the first time.
And even if he just watched the lesson from the outside: the words of the coach, and the music, and the movements resonate in him even in this case, and awaken some important thoughts, some feelings.
Because hula stories - what we dance - are always parables.
And parables, you know, sound differently for each person, but always wisely.
Exactly as it is relevant and important for you here and now.
And all this together is hula magic.
Hawaiian hula dance Online publication "Elements of Dance"
Outside the homeland, the dance can be seen quite often. The peculiar spiritual practice of the Polynesians appealed even to the conservative Japanese: in some dance schools in the Land of the Rising Sun, up to 5,000 students study hula.
The formation of the dance took place over several centuries, and today there are several versions of it: the actual Polynesian hula kahiko and the modern hula auana formed under the influence of Europeans, and it is the second version that is popular. As for kahiko, since ancient times this dance has been more solemn than entertaining. It was dedicated to the goddess Laka, and also performed at ceremonies honoring the leaders. They treated him with full responsibility: the slightest mistake during the dance was interpreted as a bad sign.
Hula is associated with ancient legends about local gods and heroes: according to one of them, the author of the dance was the aforementioned Laka, while in another it is about the mighty hero Hiiaka, who, with the help of this dance, tried to calm his angry sister Pele, the patroness of volcanoes.
According to another version, the creator of the hula was Pele herself, who first performed it on the top of the crater.
The people, who for a long time did not have a written language, created their chronicle through movements, and the hula dance is a story in which every gesture has a meaning. Connected with nature and dependent on its whims, since ancient times, the Hawaiians have sought to appease their gods, glorifying the spirits that patronize the mountains, the ocean, and the earth.
To Europeans who arrived in Polynesia at the end of the 19th century, hula seemed to be an overly frank pagan dance, and therefore fell under the ban. The Christian missionaries must have been shocked to see the practically naked dancers dressed only in grass skirts. However, having undergone censorship, the dance did not disappear without a trace - it simply entered a new phase of development. This is how auana arose, a variant of hula, which today is considered almost a local landmark and attracts tourists from all over the world.
And girls adorned with flowers and making leisurely wave-like movements with their arms and hips can be seen in every creation of the Hollywood Dream Factory, if we are talking about Hawaii.
But the essence of the dance has not changed, and it is still based on the idea of unity with nature, despite the fact that even the musical instruments that accompany it are of Western origin: electric guitar, bass guitar, ukulele (Hawaiian variety guitars). Initially, kahiko hula instruments were bamboo sticks, volcanic stones, gourd, coconut and fish skin drums. Traditionally, the hula is sung to the accompaniment of singing, but the text of the song can change, and it can tell about the events of ancient times, as well as about the incidents of our time.
In the West, hula is considered a dance of women, but it has long been performed by men, whose traditional attire was loincloths, complemented by bracelets and necklaces. A distinctive feature of the male version was more abrupt movements, demonstrating the strength and courage of the dancer.
