Hula dancing is the traditional art of movement, smooth bodily gestures and vocals.  You may notice that Hula Dancing seems to have an incredibly smooth “flow” and the movements are extremely fluid.  These movements are said to actually tell a story or represent movements of nature such as trees blowing in the wind or fish swimming smoothly in the ocean.

The Hawaiian goddess Laka seperated her Hula Dancers into two groups…

Olapa (Agile ones) – This group represented the younger generation of dances with more energy.

Ho’o-paa (Steadfast ones) – This group represented the elders which sang and played musical instruments.

What is the hula dance?

The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form. There are many sub-styles of hula, with the main two categories being Hula ?Auana and Hula Kahiko. Ancient hula, as performed before Western encounters with Hawai?i, is called kahiko.

Do men do the hula?

Most Hawaiian hula dances are performed by women. Female hula dancers usually wear colorful tops and skirts with lei adornments. 3. However, traditionally, men were just as likely to perform the hula.

What is the definition of Polynesian dance?

Origins of the Movement. Polynesian dance encompasses Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Maori (New Zealand) and Hawaiian styles. It began as an accompaniment to the oral storytelling traditions of those islands, conveying the literal meaning of a tale.