Dancers are learning ‘Aloha Kau;’ new dancers welcome
HUI O HULA
Hui O Hula, the LW Hawaiian dance club, has been offering hula dance lessons since 2005.
Although hula is a complex artform, Hui O Hula classes are fun and club dancers are helpful. Anyone, regardless of skill level, is welcome to follow senior dancers’ footwork and sway along to the melodic tropical music. In class people learn to use hands and facial expressions to tell a story in dance. It’s entertaining and a gentle workout for the body as well as a great exercise for the brain.
Traditional hula is danced barefoot, but dancers may wear socks or soft booties during practice. Call 562-431-2242 for class information.
In class, the current hula subject is “Aloha Kauai/ Manowaiopuna.” This medley is about Kauai, nicknamed the Garden Isle. Dancers are learning to hula in two lines, and switch back and forth to different verses.
The next hula subject is “Koali,” another place song. Koali is located on the island of Maui, dubbed the Valley Isle. Dancers will learn to show waves crashing into Kanewai Bay and describe the fragrance of the lipoa, a delicious seaweed, blown in by the gentle breeze.
The club wished a happy 60th anniversary to Cliff and Betty Vanderwal on Sept. 3. Hui O Hula dancer Keiko Kawamoto honored the couple with “The Hawaiian Wedding Song;” and Jojo Weingart appreciated the opportunity to hula “Kukui Nut Lei,” an anniversary song composed by her Honolulu neighbor Victor Rittenband, for them.
