Hawaii is a land of legends legends that
survived through generations in this
tropical paradise one of the most
enduring of these stories tells the
birth of the hula more than 300 years
ago the whole life started a well as
past legend tells when he akka and her
good friend hope oi with down the beach
then one day were there they notice the
waves and they’ve imitated the waves and
then they started to use the hands like
you know portraying the waves and all
and that’s how that the hula started
when Christian missionaries landed on
these shores in 1820 they were shocked
by the scantily clad people performing
ungodly dances so shocked that they
persuaded then Queen K Kimani to ban the
dance so the hula went underground for
almost 60 years except for a few people
who managed to get official permission
it was performed in secret these days a
resurgence of Hawaiian pride has brought
new interest in elements of Hawaiian
culture like the hula more more people
are attending he Laos schools were the
dances taught with traditional values
and discipline learning the dance
requires dedication and hard work
dancers spend long hours perfecting
their routines for hula master kou mono
Palani Kuala the dance is a way to make
the best of ancient Hawaiian culture
relevant to a modern audience I try to
instill in my students that the hula is
more not so much a physical thing but
more of a mental and a spirit
thing for them the dancing means very
little because for Hawaiians today many
of them don’t speak the language so what
I try to do is to to bring to mind the
reality that they see today every spring
the Merrie Monarch festival the premier
hula competition is held in Hilo dancers
from all the Hawaiian Islands gathered
to compete they also come to honor the
legendary king who helped return the
ancient practice to its rightful place
at the center of Hawaiian culture hula
dancers are judged on interpretation
style and the authenticity of their
costumes the way a skirt is wrapped or
fastened the color of the cloth and
flower arrangements many hope Hawaii’s
hula revival will be a major step toward
preserving ancient traditions for future
generations
survived through generations in this
tropical paradise one of the most
enduring of these stories tells the
birth of the hula more than 300 years
ago the whole life started a well as
past legend tells when he akka and her
good friend hope oi with down the beach
then one day were there they notice the
waves and they’ve imitated the waves and
then they started to use the hands like
you know portraying the waves and all
and that’s how that the hula started
when Christian missionaries landed on
these shores in 1820 they were shocked
by the scantily clad people performing
ungodly dances so shocked that they
persuaded then Queen K Kimani to ban the
dance so the hula went underground for
almost 60 years except for a few people
who managed to get official permission
it was performed in secret these days a
resurgence of Hawaiian pride has brought
new interest in elements of Hawaiian
culture like the hula more more people
are attending he Laos schools were the
dances taught with traditional values
and discipline learning the dance
requires dedication and hard work
dancers spend long hours perfecting
their routines for hula master kou mono
Palani Kuala the dance is a way to make
the best of ancient Hawaiian culture
relevant to a modern audience I try to
instill in my students that the hula is
more not so much a physical thing but
more of a mental and a spirit
thing for them the dancing means very
little because for Hawaiians today many
of them don’t speak the language so what
I try to do is to to bring to mind the
reality that they see today every spring
the Merrie Monarch festival the premier
hula competition is held in Hilo dancers
from all the Hawaiian Islands gathered
to compete they also come to honor the
legendary king who helped return the
ancient practice to its rightful place
at the center of Hawaiian culture hula
dancers are judged on interpretation
style and the authenticity of their
costumes the way a skirt is wrapped or
fastened the color of the cloth and
flower arrangements many hope Hawaii’s
hula revival will be a major step toward
preserving ancient traditions for future
generations
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