The hula hālau

What it is

Hula tells the words of a chant or song through the hands, hips and feet. The poetry comes first, and the dance exists to serve it. There are two broad kinds. Hula kahiko is the older style, performed to chanting with a gourd drum or a sharkskin drum. Hula ʻauana is the later style, set to sung melodies with guitar and ukulele. A hālau teaches both, along with the making of costumes, leis and instruments from plants gathered with care.

Where it comes from

Hawaiian tradition gives several accounts of the first hula and honours Laka as its patron. Before writing, hula and chant were the record of the people. Christian missionaries who arrived in 1820 condemned it, and public hula was restricted for decades, though it was taught quietly in the countryside. King David Kalākaua brought it back into public honour in the 1870s and 1880s. A wider revival of Hawaiian culture from the 1970s filled the hālau again.

How it works

Students progress by stages over many years, and a few are chosen for a graduation rite that makes them teachers in turn. Classes open with a chant asking permission to enter. Protocol governs dress, the handling of implements and behaviour toward the teacher. The yearly high point for many schools is the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, named in honour of Kalākaua, where hālau compete in both ancient and modern hula before a panel of respected masters.

If you go

1. To watch, look for a hula festival or a free public performance in Hawaii.
2. At a competition, read the notes on each chant. The dance illustrates its words.
3. To learn, ask a hālau whether it accepts beginners, and expect to start with basics and language.
4. Learn the meaning and pronunciation of the songs you dance.

Good manners

• Hula is a cultural practice before it is entertainment. Avoid grass-skirt jokes and party imitations.
• Follow the teacher's protocol exactly, including what to wear to class.
• Do not teach or perform a hālau's dances elsewhere without the teacher's permission.
• Treat leis and instruments with respect. Do not step over them.

What is danced

HulaA Hawaiian dance that interprets song or chant through movement and gesture

Sources and further reading

• Hālau hula on Wikipedia
• Merrie Monarch Festival
• Britannica: Hula