How to Find Hawaiian Hula Classes

Forget your images of dainty women swaying in grass skirts and coconut bras—real hula offers something much more powerful! Although hula classes are more difficult to locate than other cultural dance classes, your search will reward you with insight into Hawaii's proud heritage.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Realize that hula originated as a sacred dance. If you study with a real kumu hula, or master teacher, you will not learn the type of hula you've seen in movies. Instead, you will learn a powerful dance loaded with meaning.
2. See if a halau hula exists in your area. A halau is a hula school that teaches with traditional methods. This is where to learn real hula. Look up halaus worldwide at Mele.com.
3. Check local dance centers, where hula can sometimes be found offered as a four to eight week class. If you aren't interested in a serious study of hula, this type of dance class will do.
4. Contact a Polynesian or Hawaiian club, group or center, if one exists in your area. Explain your desire to learn Hawaiian hula and ask if there are is a kumu hula who teaches in the area.
5. Study with a Polynesian to gain the most knowledge. Since hula is a cultural dance with a great deal of meaning, someone steeped in the culture will give you the most information about it and may be trained in the most traditional methods. This is not always the case, however.
6. Talk to the instructor before you attend a class. Ask what their dance experience and training is, and find out if the class is right for you.
   
   
7. Wear comfortable clothes to class. Many dancers tie a sarong around their waist to practice. You will dance barefoot, so make sure your feet are well-groomed!

Tips & Warnings

• Men can dance hula, too! In fact, it was originally a dance that only men could participate in.
• Learning hula is a life-long pursuit, so don't expect to master it in only a few weeks.
• A halau hula is usually a strict school that will demand your compliance, regular attendance and commitment. If you want to just learn hula for fun, you may not want to study at a halau.
• A kumu hula receives the title from older, more experienced hula teachers. If the teacher are a kumu hula, you can be assured that he understands the traditions associated with hula and will take the dance seriously!
• You may find an excellent teacher who is not Polynesian. If your potential instructor is not Polynesian, ask who she studied with to see if her teacher was a kumu hula.