Beth Jones quote

“To dance is to reach for a word that doesn’t exist,

To sing the heart-song of a thousand generations,

To feel the meaning of a moment in time.”

- Beth Jones

This Beth Jones quote tells us that dancing, we can find that delicate balance between perfection and beauty.  It is something that can not be explained with words but has to be danced. It does not really matter who you are or where you are, you are just living in the moment.

When I dance I can express my emotions, not through a text, not with a paper or words, but with my body and my soul. Dancing is doing what my heart asks me for. It's finding that perfect world made for me. It's creating a language without words, where you don't have to think-you have to feel. A world  where I can reach the stars but maintain my feet on the ground.

Hawaiian dance is characteristic of a dance talked with hands. All the songs are stories and the movements are reminiscent of feelings. When words fail, I turn to an art of communication to express the beauty and emotions. Every movement in hula has a specific meaning. And every expression of the dancer's hands has great significance, that can't be expressed with words.

Hula has three purposes: to entertain, to inspire and to instruct. It's the Hawaiian cultural vehicle not just in a historical way but also in a social way. Hula is a vital expression of Hawaiian culture and it is performed throughout the world. Can Hula keep its authenticity outside of Hawaii into other countries and cultures? It can because it's a universal language. It is about feeling the spirit of Hawaii and about giving unconditionally and finding peace within. Hawaiian dance could be whatever you want it to be- a motion as a language or a medium of communicating images, feelings, and beliefs. It doesn't matter who you are, or where you came from, as long as you have love for hula, you are part of it.

Hula Styles

There  are two Hula styles in the Hawaiian dance. Hula Kahiko, or ancient Hawaiian dance, and Hula Auana, or modern Hawaiian dance. On the Hula Kahiko, dancers use traditional costumes, and are accompanied by charting and percussion only. On the Hula Auana, dancers are accompanied by songs and modern instruments as ukeleles, guitars and others. Hula Auana costumes are more simple than Hula kahiko costumes. Most are normal Hawaiian skirts like raphia skirts and tops.

One way to best express my feelings without saying a word is through Hawaiian dance.

To communicate without words requires precise movements of the body. This is where you can feel the passion for dance discipline. It is where you can breathe and recognize the art.

The dances have different meanings and stories. These stories are Islanders' true stories; stories of love, deceit, gods, festivals, and/or nature.

In Hawaii, a week after Easter Sunday, the most venerable annual hula celebration and competition, The Merrie Monarch Festival is held. This began in 1964 and has evolved into what is now universally considered to be the world's most prestigious hula competition.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week- long of festivities, exhibitions, musicals, and arts. Both hulas are performed- the Kahiko (ancient) and Avana (modern).

How I have said before, Hula is Hawaii's spiritual language. People and children learn Hula in schools called Halaus. Because Hawaiian dance is performed at celebrations, parties, and also competitions, it is a great representation of the traditions and culture of hawaii. Hulau consists of a teacher, a leader, some helpers and finally the dancers or students.

     Hula, or Hawaiian dance, is the spirit of Hawaii. If you don't know this dance you don't really know Hawaii. It is a lifestyle that binds us to nature and land. Hula was born as a way to adore the gods. It is accompanied by instruments that help keep the rhythm of dancers. Traditionally, pumpkins, bamboo canes and sticks are used to create music. Drums are made of pumpkin and most of the time two are used together. Today, guitars and bass are used to add depth to the sound and enhance rhythm.

You cannot dance Hawaiian without music. Musical pieces are generally chosen by their rhythm, but sometimes the lyrics take an important role. I want to share this beautiful Tahitian song titled "Fakateretere". 

I think this song acknowledges women's beauty and compares them to nature. Both have power to give life and also their beauty cannot be compared with anything.

FAKATERETERE

Fakateretere

Fakateretere

Na tokerau e

Toku piko haga

I na ruki e

 Viru viru maua

Taku moe haga

Ua kite au te maragia

Taku kahaia iti e

 Ua peke O te ragi

Ki ruga I toku kaiga

 Horo horo

Tamariki

Ki ruga ki ruga

I te piriga

FAKATERETERE

Blowing

Blowing

the wind from the north

during my sleep

last night

 She is so pretty

in my dreams

I saw this beautiful girl

my little plant (meaning flower)

 Flying in the sky

above my homeland

 Running running

children

above above

the (solid) earth

Following is a link of dancers performing to this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUQuI8qu8Rg&feature=related

     In Hawaiian dance you also learn how to be a teammate, to cooperate and help each other. Most of the costumes are hand made. Hence, you have to learn how to make them and help those who know less. The parts that we are not able to make are then sent to a seamstress to be made for us.Working together doing fundraisers to cover the cost of materials was one way to keep costs down. Raphia, a material made from palm trees, is used for  grass skirts and it is very expensive. Accessories such as necklaces, bracelets and brooches may be made by hand or purchased.  The coach usually had an idea of the accessories but the dancers had input.

In the Hawaiian dance you do not learn a choreography or steps. In the Hawaiian dance you feel the music and interpret it with a story. It is usually performed by ladies, who should not wear makeup.
 Hawaiian dance enhances natural beauty and  nature. The costumes do not  cover much of the body, and most of these are traditional  skirts that are hand-made pieces. The flowers and the bright colors are a costume's characteristics that cannot be missed.
The mountains, the sky, the water, the flowers, all this is life, and  Hawaiian dance shows life. The Hawaiian dance shows you the natural beauty. That's why ladies do not wear makeup but instead show the beauty of their natural bodies.

I was nine years old the first time I saw girls dancing Hawaiian dance. It was at my sister's high school graduation. I fell in love with the colors of their skirts and the way in which they moved them. I also liked their beautiful hair with a flower, that moved to the rhythm of their hips. For a moment I saw myself there, dancing with them delighting the audience with those delicate but fast movements.

That was the day that I discovered I loved Hawaiian dance. I could not wait to go to the same high school that my sister went  so I could learn how to dance Hawaiian, but for me to do that, I had to wait four long years!

Time passed and the day finally  came for me to go to high school. Three weeks later  after classes began, I was on the Hawaiian dance team! I  was there for two years and I will never forget all the experiences, fun times, and sacrifices that were made in that stage of my life. 

Moving my hands to the rhythm of the waves of the ocean , I can feel myself there, so close,  I can even move my feet and feel the sand between my toes. I feel the music inside me. I feel free like a bird.

Hawaiian music transports me. Body movements simulate a place, action, and  tell a story. 

Hawaiian dance is my passion, and I enjoy doing each movement. It relaxes me and makes me feel in another world.