Learn how to hula

“The beat drew me in. I put the skirt on, over my shorts. I walked over to the group and found a place in line, in the back. The linoleum floor felt like ice under my bare feet. A woman dancing next to me smiled and nodded. I would try to follow what she did with my feet and arms at the same time. I looked back at the kids. Their eyes were eager, as if to say, Way to go, Mom! My 11-year-old son, Silas, gave me a thumbs-up. I turned my attention forward. Boom, tap, boom, tap, tap. I bent my knees.”

“We began to practice hula together at home and started by learning the basic footwork. The kā holo, the basic step moving to the right and then left, represents the vastness of the Pacific. Hela is the name of the move where you tap your right foot forward, then return, then left foot forward, return, mimicking the forward-and-back motion of the waves on the beach. ‘Uwehe is a sharp pop out with both knees, like a raindrop. Maewa is like an anchored canoe shifting with the current; you keep your feet flat on the ground, but bend your knees and sway your hips from side to side. I loved learning how the hula is broken down into basic steps, each intended so that your body’s motion mirrors something observed in nature. I could close my eyes, even in the dead of winter in Washington, D.C., and my body could make the motion of the waves on the sand or the raindrops from the sky. The hula, with every step, transported me to Hawai‘i.”

“I took three beginner classes last year from Spring to Fall and overall I had wonderful experience. I was very nervous at the beginning, but once I got the hang of things and warmed up to the other women in the class I became more confident. My “hula sisters” and Auntie Fran were very welcoming and we always helped each other out whenever we didn’t understand something. Throughout this experience, I gained a greater respect for Hula dancing. It is much harder than it looks and some of the moves took weeks to master. There is constant practice involved and outside of class I often found myself practicing the routines because of the difficult footwork and hand movements.”