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Hula

Hula is the dance of Hawaiʻi, in which movement portrays the words of a mele, a poem performed as chant or song. It has two broad styles: kahiko, the older form accompanied by chant and traditional instruments such as the ipu gourd drum and the pahu drum, and ʻauana, a modern form shaped by Western influence, usually with ukulele and guitar.

Teaching takes place in schools called hālau, under a kumu hula. After missionary influence led Queen Kaʻahumanu to forbid public performance in 1830, King David Kalākaua, who reigned from 1874 to 1891, encouraged its revival. The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, named for him, holds an international hula competition every year.

Sources

Organisations connected with this dance

Listed as references; being listed is not an endorsement by or of the organisation.

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