Learn how to do the hula dance
Learn How to Hula Dance! | How to Hula Dance for Kids
SHARE THIS:
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.
SHARE THIS:
Related Posts
Cozy Up to a New Tradition
Fireplaces and flannel. Cocoa and cuddles. Blankets and bunny slippers. What are your family’s favorite ways to get cozy? With back-to-school behind us and the holidays ahead, we think October is the perfect time to pause that to-do list for some cozy family fun inspired by traditions around the globe. Hygge Fire Stories The world…
Coffee Love, Across the Globe
As mornings get colder and darker heading into fall, parents across the U.S. shiver out of bed and head straight for the coffeemaker. Did you know coffee is the second-most popular drink worldwide, second only to tea? The U.
S. actually has a whole day to commemorate its java fix: National Coffee Day on September 29.…
Foods of the World Scavenger Hunt
While many of us aren’t traveling as much these days, we can still introduce our little ones to the smorgasbord of tastes, sights, and smells out there in the world. In honor of World Tourism Day, let’s take a mouthwatering tour around the globe with this fall scavenger hunt for the senses. India: Pumpkin Paratha…
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
Get Free Activities and Exclusive Offers
Enter your email
Blog Categories
9 Websites To Learn Hula Lessons Online (Free And Paid)
by CMUSE
learn hula lessons online
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Hula is a dance form developed by the native Hawaiians and is usually done with chants or songs. Although hula is performed in different styles, the two more common forms of the dance is Hula ʻAuana and Hula Kahiko.
But no matter what style or form of hula dancing is performed, it is a part of a cultural exercise which helps connect the dancers and the audiences with the historical knowledge of Hawaii.
Hula can be performed while being in a both sitting and standing situation. Dancing is just one act achieved in hula, as it can be quite a complex form of art. Hand gestures are also used to portray certain actions or expressions.
Hula is more than just a simple dance, as it has a whole story to tell about Hawaiian Islands. The mythological roots and history of hula itself is quite compelling.
As we’ve already given you a brief introduction about hula, let’s move on to what you should look forward to in this article. We will be discussing and reviewing all the websites that can teach you the art of hula dancing online.
9 Websites To Learn Hula Lessons Online Review
1) Udemy
You might as well have already heard of Udemy, as it’s one of the leading online learning platforms available on the internet. They offer a series of online lessons, covering every possible topic, and offering an unbelievably good quality on all these lessons.
They offer hula courses for both beginners and intermediates. You can take the beginner course if you don’t have any prior knowledge of hula or dancing.
The courses will make sure to teach you all the basics about hula and the proper form of carrying it out. They also have some advanced level of hula courses that will help you in truly understanding the art!
All the courses have an appropriate description, mentioning everything you will learn, all the stuff that you will require for the course, and a basic overview of the course. This can help a lot in the process of choosing a course for yourself.
The featured course offered by Udemy will not only teach you the basics of hula, but will also help you be able to create your own hula workouts by combining basic hula moves, along with teaching you an actual hula song!
Visit Website
2) HawaiianShirtsOnline
Hawaiian Shirts Online is a UK-based website that teaches online hula lessons.
They have a whole list of hula dance lessons available on their site. These detailed courses offer great videos on hula lessons, helping you on your journey of mastering hula.
The website has a whole filter featuring 4 different levels of hula courses for children, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. They offer a wide variety of hula courses, teaching all the aspects regarding hula.
Their courses are totally free and start as soon as you click on any hula lesson video. In other words, you will be getting a number of fantastic online hula lessons without any cost!
The videos are short and simple, offering a very easy way of learning to its users. Overall, the website is a great option if you’re looking into free online hula lessons, without putting a strain to the quality.
They offer courses even for children! You should definitely take a look at the website and decide for yourself.
Visit Website
3) iHulaHawaii
iHula Hawaii provides an interactive way of learning online hula lessons.
Lynn, who is the owner of the site, has over 35 years of experience with dancing. She has a great passion for dancing and is quite a skilled hula dancer. With all her experience, she teaches hula to everyone willing to learn from her courses.
She provides a very simple format for learning hula, making the process of learning hula easier and accessible to everyone.
Apart from teaching all the basics of hula dancing, she also teaches other basic Hawaiian stuff, like popular Hawaiian greetings, proper method of wearing a flower and lei, and some other Hawaiian traditions.
The website gives you the option of learning hula at your own pace, anytime, and anywhere in the whole world.
You will start from learning the basics of hula, and then move on to learning the basic hand, feet, and hip movements, along with the right expression for telling stories in hula.
After these steps are done, you will finally be able to dance hula the right way. If you’re down for learning from a professional and experienced dancer, iHula Hawaii is a great choice to begin from!
Visit Website
4) HawaiianHulaTutorial
Hawaiian Hula Tutorial provides online hula learning in both DVD and downloadable format.
The presentation of the website is pretty basic. Kumu Lei is the owner and the teacher of the online courses.
She is a professional hula dancer and has a lot of experience. Students from all over the world, and with different backgrounds come to learn the art of hula from her.
The website provides a complete and easy to follow step-by-step guide for hula lessons. Kumu Lei teaches the proper execution of every action performed in the dance. You will start to gradually build a better understanding, and grow fondness for the dance.
After finishing up all the steps, you will then be prompted to perform one final routine in which you will have to combine all the basic steps into a complete hula dance.
The website will be a compulsive choice for you, if you want to learn hula from a Hawaiian teacher. You should pay the website a visit to discover a free and fantastic hula course!
Visit Website
5) CaféTalk
Providing you with a very interactive interface, Café Talk gives you the option of choosing a wide range of online lessons on different topics.
The website has a very simple design, and welcomes you with a bunch of animations.
They give you the opportunity of choosing between both private and group classes. There’s a whole section of tutors in the website. You can search for a specific tutor according to your needs, check out the tutor rankings, or go for a schedule-based search.
They feature a hula lesson from a hula professional, while also giving you the option of opting for either private or group lessons.
They also offer customer support and free counselling for basic queries, like answering certain questions or help for navigating through the website.
With all the awesome features this website offers, you can’t possibly go wrong if you pick up this website for learning online hula lessons.
You will learn everything required to be able to hula dance. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a novice, the course listed on the website is suitable for everyone.
Visit Website
6) HulaLoha
Hula Loha is a school featuring online hula courses for everyone.
Having classes for both kids and adults, the website provides a great way of interacting with its users.You start with signing up for a class of your liking.
After picking up a class, the learning process starts where you will learn exactly everything that you came looking for.
Finishing up a class doesn’t mean that you will stop learning altogether. You will be able to keep growing and improving your skill all by yourself.
The website’s owner, Lisa Chang does her best to provide a Hawaiian hula school-like experience for the user, helping the user to be engaged in a Hawaiian cultural community.
They also have events and performances devoted to providing an authentic Hawaiian experience. They offer a mix of modern and ancient hula, done by a number of experienced performers.
Before attending the class, you will have to buy a Hālau uniform and wear it to class every week. The classes also have a pre-determined date and a limited time registration just like a school.
Visit Website
7) HawaiiHulaCompany
Hawaii Hula Company provides online virtual hula lessons. Although they actually serve only three islands in Hawaii, namely Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island. They bring the Hawaiian cultural experience to you, teaching you hula and Tahitian.
By also providing virtual lessons, you can learn all about hula while sitting in your living room!
Though the company mostly prefers providing individual and group classes in person rather than online. Their team of instructors consist of trained professional hula dancers.
The virtual lessons are private, giving you the option of either taking individual classes or with a group of friends and family. You can take these virtual lessons while being at the luxury of your own home.
Their virtual lessons also have the ability to allow multiple different locations to connect together at the same time. These lessons are well suited for every age, and very entertaining and fun to take part in.
By taking these lessons, you will have the chance of enjoying hula and experiencing the Hawaiian culture with your loved ones.
Visit Website
8) RealHula
Real Hula provides a simple way of learning hula lessons online. The website has a pretty basic interface. Navigating through the website is quite easy, as the website is designed in a simple manner.
Kumu Kea is the owner of the site. She has spent a lot of time teaching hula to others and is quite an experienced teacher.
They are situated in Kailua on the Island of O’ahu. The website does not shy off and let its users ask questions directly from Kuma Kea. All kinds of questions regarding hula is welcomed.
The website also offers a free preview of the first step about learning the basics of hula. Kuma Kea teaches you the posture and styling required to get started on hula dancing.
The preview is provided to help the user decide whether he finds the course suitable for him or not.
They also have a complete list of previews available for different DVDs the website showcases you.
You can decide on the purchase after having a nice look at the preview.
Visit Website
9) HawaiianHula
Hawaiian Hula is another UK-based website providing online hula classes to the public. The classes are mostly pre-scheduled, and are taught following the said schedule.
Along with free basic practices, you can opt for either Hawaiian hula for beginners or for improvers.
If you choose the beginner option, you will learn all the basic aspects and skills to be able to hula dance effectively. You will get a better grasp at the basic learning curve of hula dancing.
On the other hand, if you go ahead and choose the hula lesson for improvers, you will be taught everything you need to improve at hula dancing and get a step closer to mastering hula.
Extra sessions, 1:1 classes and group lessons are also available under certain conditions.
In short, the website provides a great way of learning hula lessons in a very effective manner, making sure you will learn everything about hula.
All you need to do is go to the website, and give it a try!
Visit Website
Choosing The Best Hula Lesson Online
Hula dancing is a great and fun hobby, offering many advantages. It also promotes good health and helps in getting a well-toned body. Although the dance is mostly done by women, but traditionally, men can also be a part of it.
Whether you are a tourist planning to visit Hawaii and enjoying the Hawaiian culture and hula performances, or just a dancing freak, you should definitely try learning hula.
Hula can be enjoyed on basically any occasion. It can also be used as a means of personal enjoyment.
After extensive reviewing, we have come up with a list of websites that will teach you all about hula. All of these websites offer a great learning experience. The only thing you need to do is pick any one of these websites and start learning your favorite hula skills!
Categories Lessons ListHawaiian hula dance Online publication "Elements of Dance"
And 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 Polynesian hula kahiko proper 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.
It is interesting that so far the dance teachers are men.
There is no consensus on how to dance hula: there are a number of movements that can be performed in any combination, depending on what the song is about. Knowing the meaning of the text, the dancer creates an image, choosing the necessary “building materials” from movements and gestures.
In addition to being beautiful, graceful and exotic, hula also has a beneficial effect on the body, as it promotes relaxation, helps to find spiritual harmony, restores balance and simply allows you to enjoy life at any age - and, by the way, the Hawaiians themselves most revere the elderly dancers who managed to keep a young heart.
Hawaiian Dance | Hawaiian Dance Moana Hula Studio
ABOUT US
School of Traditional Hawaiian Dance - Moana Hula Studio. Aloha! Welcome to our site!
In our school you can learn how to dance Hawaiian dances the way they are danced in Hawaii.
Our instructors are constantly improving and studying at master classes in Hawaii, as well as in Europe and America. All the dances, songs and knowledge that you learn at our school are obtained from the Hawaiians and carefully preserved in their tradition.
The school was founded on August 2, 2017, the head is Olesya Bogillo.
E komo mai! Kindly please! Welcome! Welcome!
ADULTS
(beginners)
Beginners' group is an opportunity to dance Hawaiian dances without experience. Come join us even if you have never danced. This group is for you.
ADULTS
(main line-up)
The main line-up is a group that takes part in concerts and festivals. Hula, a dance that simply needs to be shared with the outside world. You can get into this group with dance experience or having completed preliminary training in a group for beginners.
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
(5-11 years old)
Group for our rising stars.
We will teach your little princess not only to dance. In the classroom, we will also learn the history and culture of the Hawaiian Islands, we will play traditional Hawaiian instruments and the ukulele.
COLLABORATIONS
CONCERTS AND FESTIVALS
We love to dance Hawaiian dances. We will be happy to perform at your concert, festival, holiday. Hawaiian dance will decorate any event!
HAWAIIAN DANCE MASTER CLASS
Do you want to learn a new kind of dance or dance so that your Hawaiian party is a success?
Contact us, we will be happy to teach you how to dance!
WEDDING DANCE
Incredible beauty, tenderness and secret love message will make your wedding dance in Hawaiian style an unforgettable gift for your loved one! After all, Aloha is love!
HAWAIIAN DANCE AS A GIFT
A gift certificate where you or your loved ones will receive an amazing dance, its history and legend as a gift, and the opportunity to feel a little bit in Hawaii!
HULA
Hula is how Hawaiian dances are called in Hawaii.
