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  What is Hula?       

When most people think of Hawaii, they usually picture beautiful beaches, orchids, and girls dancing the hula. But what exactly is hula? It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by their original Polynesian settlers, and began as a means for Hawaiians to express their history and devotion to their gods. Other ethnic groups have come to Hawaii since the first European contact in 1778: Western (mainly British, American, and Portuguese) and Asian (mainly Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino) settlers have contributed to Hawaii's present multicultural dance culture. The hula, however, has remained largely uninfluenced by other dance traditions.

The term hula refers to movement and gestures. It cannot be performed without mele (poetry), which is the most important component. Mele are records of cultural information ranging from sacred mele pule (prayers) and mele inoa (name chants, many for chiefs) to topical mele ho'oipoipo (love songs) and mele 'aina (songs praising the land); the type of mele used is one way of classifying the dances. The hula expresses themes of life and death, as well as the people's reverence for the beauty of the islands. Chanting, a form of storytelling, accompanies the dance, and sometimes a drum is used to accent the dancers' movements.

Contemporary practitioners divide hula into two categories: hula kahiko (ancient hula), comprising older chant-accompanied dances (mele), and hula 'auana (modern hula), comprising newer song-accompanied dances. Both are now highly visible, especially in two annual competitions. At the Merrie Monarch Festival each April on the island of Hawaii, male and female "halau" (dance groups) compete in the hula kahiko and hula 'auana categories, while solo female dances vie for the title of Miss Aloha Hula. The King Kamehameha Traditional hula and Chant Competition each June on Oahu features competitions for male, female, and mixed halau (groups) in hula kahiko and hula 'auana.

Excerpt from the International Encyclopedia of Dance

Experience hula kahiko and hula 'auana, as well as dances from the Philippines, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa with Halau 'O Manulani.