Hawaiin Hula

Hula is the traditional dance of the Hawaiian Islands. It was once both a religious exercise in honor of the goddess Laka and also their form of entertainment. In traditional hula, poems and stories were interpreted by highly stylized movements of the dancers arms and hands. Although the angelic dances of old Hawaii have almost disintegrated and bear little resemblance to the modern forms of hula, the modern hula also tells a story. The out spread arms of the dancer represents the swaying of the palm trees gently blown by the wind. To be able to convey the story to the audience the dancer has to coordinate the facial expression and the eye with the graceful movements of the fingers, arms, wrists, hips, knees and feet.