Dancers perform at veterans picnic

HUI O HULA

Hui O Hula, the LW Hawaiian Dance Club, offers hula dance lessons weekly. Tuesday class meets upstairs in Clubhouse 6 at 1:15 p.m.; and Thursday class is given outdoors at Veterans Plaza, between Clubhouse 3 and the LW Library, starting at 1 p.m. All are welcome to dance or to audit the class. Traditional hula should be danced barefoot. Those who are unable may wear soft booties or ballet slippers during class practice.

It is never too late to take up dancing. Learning hula choreography is fun, and the dancing is gentle. Beginners may come on Tuesday because the classroom has a big mirror to help dancers follow the steps.

In class, dancers continue to learn new hula and practice previously learned hula. Current class subject is “Malie’s Song/Hawaiian Lullaby.” It is important to express hula not only with the hands but also with gestures from the face. Dancers are learning to put on a smile while dancing to: “I can smile when it’s raining” as well as looking up as they point at the sun with their hands in “touch the warmth of the sun.”

Hui O Hula had a lot of fun entertaining at the Filipino Association of Leisure World’s (FALW) picnic for the veterans on July 4 weekend. More than a dozen dancers showed up to pay respect with their aloha in hula. After “God Bless America,” the hula program continued with “Waikiki Hula” as dancers used implements such as na pu’ili (bamboo sticks), na ‘uli ‘uli (feather gourds), and na ipu (gourds) to describe Waikiki, a famous tourist town in Honolulu; and “Sophisticated Hula” with colorful boas. Dancing last songs “I’ll Remember You” and “Aloha ‘Oe” brought tears to some.

This week, dancers are gearing up to help dancer Barbara May’s family friend entertain at her home in Long Beach. Dancers performed in her backyard more than a decade ago and were happy to be invited back.

For more information on class or to book a performance, call 431-2242 or email Jojo@huiohula.com. —Jojo Weingart

Jojo Weingart