Ua ao ka `ao`ao `upena nei, ua hiki mai la `oe.

The above translates to:  Light comes to this webpage, for you are here

For those who feel that the beautiful art of Hula is grass skirts and coconut shells,  there is so much more to it. The fact that Hula is not just a dance it is symboliccaly descriptive, with arm and hand movements, it is graceful.  The instruments that are generally used are sharkskin drums, gourds, stone castanets, and bamboo rattles. Missionaries, who arrived in Hawaii in 1820, labeled the dance heathen and succeeded in having it banned. Nonetheless, it continued to be clandestinely taught and danced.  Chant accompaniment yielded to music, drums and gourds to ukelele and guitar. The sensual swivel of the hips was accentuated, and the dance became a tourist staple and a feature of Hollywood productions. In the 1970s, however, a Hawaiian cultural renaissance revived interest in traditional hula. I can only hope that the Hawaiin cultrue of dance will continue and not be forgotten... Video to be added ...

[ah loh' hah KAH'oo (w)ah!]