Hula, day 2

Last night's ho'ike was overall very decent, aside from hearing the news that Kawai Cockett died a month and a half ago. That bummed me out sort of for te rest of the night, because I love his CD and have done some Hulas to his songs. Combined with the loss of Kumu George, it's just been a bad time for Hawaiian music and dance.

There was onlyone number where people were wearing silly cellophane skirts and looked like a backyard party, but other than that, it was stellar. Everyon eseemed really impressed and I know I was. Claudine and I stayed a little while for impromptu ho'ike after the show, listening to the band and watching people dance. When that happens, I always get frustrated because I never know these traditional numbers that everyone else knows. neither did Claudine, and we started to wonder, how is it that these people know all of this and we don't? Do they go to seminars where they've taught traditional numbers? Or to they have their kumu (or teacher, or leader, or whatever,) choreograph it? Because we don't choreograph our own stuff, and when it comes to traditional stuff, I think we should. Bu for a halau that only gets together once a week, and we're usually reviewing stuff we're trying to master. So I don't know if we, as a halau, will ever get there. But I'm thinking I might get some of my own music and make up a Hula or two this way I could join in those ho'ikes and have something to do when everyone is pulling me up to dance.

Today's class was THE BOMB. I *heart* Keali'i. The first one he did was Ipo Lei Momi, which means Sweet Pearl Necklace but is really about doing it. There's no two ways about it. The kaona is right there on the surface. On the other hand, it's such a clever song, that even the kaona has kaona. And the dance itself is just flirty and sexy and everything I always thought it should be. I'm thrilled with it. Then we broke for lunch, where a bunch of dancers tried to convince me that I was not, in fact, finished with dating and looking for relationships. Dude, seriously, pau. I'm not saying it to be coy or to sound like a bitter single, but because I really love where I am. Why is that so hard to grasp? And everyone was like, "You'll change your mind when The One comes along," and I'm like, there is no The One. There's just the one you happened to meet. There could be hundreds of The Ones, you just didn't meet those Ones. Is all, dude.

Between classes I did manage to kiss Keali'i, although actually he gave me a kiss this time. he doesn't realize it, but this is my good luck charm. Everytime I have a class with Keai'i, I have to get a kiss from him so I can have a safe flight home and maybe even good luck for the next two years. (I only get to see him every two years. But every year he gets more and more popular, and with people all lined up for autographs, trying to catch him for a word was like trying to catch Jared last Tuesday (And both are way too adorable and, for different reasons, entirely unattainable to mortal women. ;D ) But I did manage to catch up with Keali'i, and I thanked him for teaching a Hula to one of my favorite songs by him.

Anyway. So the next Hula was that brutal Hula noho, and it actually wasn't as brutal as I thought it was going to be. Either that or my thighs are just stronger from Kung Fu. The worst is that it hurts the top of your feet and you startto get sock burn or rug burn. (Or if you're outdoors, grass burn or worse, cement burn. OWIE! Let us never do Hula noho on cement!) We weren't given music for this chant and so, deciding that we wanted to practice this at home right away, Claudine and I went back to the hotel room and recorded ourselves. She did the 'ui'uli rhythm and I did the chant. It's all good.

Now we just hang around till dinnertime or until later informal ho'ike. Hopefully we could catch up with Kawehi's group (Kawehi calls me "long distance halau member,") and at least watch them all dance and have fun and stuff. And maybe learn something if we're lucky.

Hula, day 2

Last night's ho'ike was overall very decent, aside from hearing the news that Kawai Cockett died a month and a half ago. That bummed me out sort of for te rest of the night, because I love his CD and have done some Hulas to his songs. Combined with the loss of Kumu George, it's just been a bad time for Hawaiian music and dance.

There was onlyone number where people were wearing silly cellophane skirts and looked like a backyard party, but other than that, it was stellar. Everyon eseemed really impressed and I know I was. Claudine and I stayed a little while for impromptu ho'ike after the show, listening to the band and watching people dance. When that happens, I always get frustrated because I never know these traditional numbers that everyone else knows. neither did Claudine, and we started to wonder, how is it that these people know all of this and we don't? Do they go to seminars where they've taught traditional numbers? Or to they have their kumu (or teacher, or leader, or whatever,) choreograph it? Because we don't choreograph our own stuff, and when it comes to traditional stuff, I think we should. Bu for a halau that only gets together once a week, and we're usually reviewing stuff we're trying to master. So I don't know if we, as a halau, will ever get there. But I'm thinking I might get some of my own music and make up a Hula or two this way I could join in those ho'ikes and have something to do when everyone is pulling me up to dance.

Today's class was THE BOMB. I *heart* Keali'i. The first one he did was Ipo Lei Momi, which means Sweet Pearl Necklace but is really about doing it. There's no two ways about it. The kaona is right there on the surface. On the other hand, it's such a clever song, that even the kaona has kaona. And the dance itself is just flirty and sexy and everything I always thought it should be. I'm thrilled with it. Then we broke for lunch, where a bunch of dancers tried to convince me that I was not, in fact, finished with dating and looking for relationships. Dude, seriously, pau. I'm not saying it to be coy or to sound like a bitter single, but because I really love where I am. Why is that so hard to grasp? And everyone was like, "You'll change your mind when The One comes along," and I'm like, there is no The One. There's just the one you happened to meet. There could be hundreds of The Ones, you just didn't meet those Ones. Is all, dude.

Between classes I did manage to kiss Keali'i, although actually he gave me a kiss this time. he doesn't realize it, but this is my good luck charm. Everytime I have a class with Keai'i, I have to get a kiss from him so I can have a safe flight home and maybe even good luck for the next two years. (I only get to see him every two years. But every year he gets more and more popular, and with people all lined up for autographs, trying to catch him for a word was like trying to catch Jared last Tuesday (And both are way too adorable and, for different reasons, entirely unattainable to mortal women. ;D ) But I did manage to catch up with Keali'i, and I thanked him for teaching a Hula to one of my favorite songs by him.

Anyway. So the next Hula was that brutal Hula noho, and it actually wasn't as brutal as I thought it was going to be. Either that or my thighs are just stronger from Kung Fu. The worst is that it hurts the top of your feet and you startto get sock burn or rug burn. (Or if you're outdoors, grass burn or worse, cement burn. OWIE! Let us never do Hula noho on cement!) We weren't given music for this chant and so, deciding that we wanted to practice this at home right away, Claudine and I went back to the hotel room and recorded ourselves. She did the 'ui'uli rhythm and I did the chant. It's all good.

Now we just hang around till dinnertime or until later informal ho'ike. Hopefully we could catch up with Kawehi's group (Kawehi calls me "long distance halau member,") and at least watch them all dance and have fun and stuff. And maybe learn something if we're lucky.