Lovely Hawaiian Hula Dance

By Anne Draper
Learn to dance the Hula with Emma Bilgin during Victoria's cool damp winter months. She is a James Bay New Horizons Society volunteer and has been teaching classic Hula dance since 2004. Born in the Philippines, the oldest of eleven children, she taught children the Hula dance and enjoyed their enthusiastic performances. Emma came to Canada as a landed immigrant, accepting an elementary school teaching position with the Lethbridge Alberta Catholic School district in 1966, where she taught the graceful Hawaiian Hula.

To dance the Hula gracefully, you must learn some of the following basic steps and hand motions to the music and words of "Somewhere in Hawaii", "Lovely Hula Hands" and "The Hawaiian Lullaby", to name a few:

1.     Do not disturb the air around you

2.     Eyes follow the hand moving away from you

3.     Know your story, memorize the song

4.     Fingers close together -ALWAYS - thumbs tucked under the middle finger

5.     Emotions in the dance are expressed through your hands, your eyes, your smile, your facial expression, and the sway of hips and body.

Hula dancing is about your hands telling a story of happiness, love and the Spirit of Aloha in beautiful Hawaii.

A demonstration will be held during January's Open House, at the James Bay New Horizons,  on Saturday, January 14, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 234 Menzies Street.