How to Do the Kalakaua in Hula

The kalakaua step in hula got its name because it was the choreography at the beginning of a hula dedicated to King David Kalakaua, who helped revive hula during his reign in the nineteenth century. Today, many hula verses begin with the kalakaua.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart, in a relaxed yet erect stance. Bend your knees to sink down to your dancing position, or ha'a. The amount you bend depends on which particular style you dance in.

2. Adjust your arms so they're parallel to the ground and in front of your chest. Your fingertips should nearly touch at the center of your chest. This is a standard resting arm position in hula.

3. Decide which foot to start the kalakaua with. In the kalakaua step, you step forward and back with one foot while the other foot stays underneath you. In most hula moves, you start with the right side and then repeat the movement on your left.

4. Step forward with the foot you've decided to begin with while simultaneously moving your arm on that side forward so that it points in front of you.

5. Land on your whole foot. As soon as you transfer weight to that foot, step in place with the foot underneath you, keeping time with the beat of the hula.

6. Bring the foot you stepped forward with underneath you and then take a back step with it. Make sure your back step is the same length as your forward step. Step in place with the foot underneath you, just as you did in Step 5.

7. Repeat the kalakaua once more on this side, and then practice it on the other side.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you perfect the footwork, add a hip sway to the step, just as you do with any walking hula step.
• In a hula, you'll often perform the kalakaua to the side rather than straight ahead. To do the kalakaua to the side, simply pivot during the first step of the kalakaua until you're sideways to your audience.
• The kalakaua step is also known as the kâwelu.