hula dancer
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hula dancer
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| Although hula is
primarily considered to be a form of entertainment, it has tradition,
rituals, prayers, and protocols associated with it. Laka is the “
goddess of Hula” and traditional hula is dedicated to her. The dancers
outfit is often bright and striking. A grass hula skirt is often worn
with a flowered shirt. Hawaii hula dancers are very popular. Initially,
since the dance was sacred, only religious men and women performed the
dance rituals, but as the form of hula changed, the commoners also
danced the hula. Good hula dancers are very particular about the
movements, expression and gestures and the hand movements in particular
are of tremendous importance. The dancers dance in keeping with the
chanting that is usually woven around a story. When the dancers cup
their hands together at the center of their body it depicts a house,
when demonstrating the undulating movement of the waves with the palms
facing the ground, they imitate the waves on the sea. They use different
movement to depict different things. In keiku hula, the dancers are children who are in their early teens. The dancers either perform solo or in groups of 2 and 3. The dancers wear floral arrangements in their hair and are adorned in beautiful, colored outfits that are mostly hand sewn. A combination of traditional and contemporary dresses are worn by the dancers and during the span of 45 minutes, some of the dancers change their costumes as many as 6 times. The plants and flowers that constitute the lei and the ornaments they use are meaningful and relevant. While performing holoku hula, the dancers wear dresses with long trains and they wear no footwear. One important thing that is worth mentioning is the posture of the dancers. The good posture accentuates the dignity and sanctity of the dance. The total control they exercise, the kind of balance they exhibit and the sense of perfect harmony makes it a dedicated and graceful art. To become a hula dancer, training in a hula school was necessary. The rules and the codes of conduct that were imposed were very stringent. To graduate, the student would stay in the schools for several days, make leis, pray and be purified. Every act was treated as a ritual and the dancers before the actual performances performed prayers. The dancers could not cut their nails, had to abstain from eating certain food and were disciplined by a head student. Of course the dance has evolved over time and so have the dancers and the other instruments. . The old form of the hula known as the Hula kahiko was performed by dancers who wore traditional costumes and danced to the accompaniment of chanting and percussion instruments, while the more modern version Hula auana is performed by dancers who wear creative, colorful dresses and danced to the accompaniment of songs, guitars and other indigenous instruments. The hula dance was almost wiped out by missionaries who thought the dance to be immoral and vile, but thanks to King David Kalakaaua who formed his own troupe, hula dancers are still very much in vogue.
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hula hoop index |
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