Kimberly Garrison: Hula isn't just a dance - it's history

I HAVE ALWAYS admired hula, the traditional dance of the Polynesian people of Hawaii, for its beauty and smooth, fluid movements. It also looks like a lot of fun and a great way to get in a dance-style workout.

To satisfy my curiosity about hula dancing, I turned to 25-year-old San Francisco native Janine Paat, a cultural anthropologist who lives in Philadelphia. She teaches hula and other dance-based exercise modems at studios around the area.

The former Miss Philadelphia contestant studied dance anthropology at Bard College. She majored in hula dancing, even spending a semester at the University of Hawaii learning about these sacred dances.

The moment we began to talk, I could feel her immense respect and love of the culture. She immediately set the record straight: Hula is a spiritually based dance that preserves the oral history of the Polynesian people. "A lot of the songs, poems and chants are about nature, their monarchs, about life," Paat said.

Here are some highlights of our conversation:

Q: I have always thought that hula was strictly a feminine dance; is it?

A: Not at all. Both men and women participate in hula. This is one of the misrepresentations of Hawaii, using the hula girls as a marketing tool. This tourist hula developed primarily in the '50s, with the fake grass skirts. It was a Hollywood creation.

Q: In Western culture it has always been marketed as sexually charged. Would you agree?

A: Yes, it has often been misrepresented as such. Because the movements are so "hippy," Western culture misunderstood it and interpreted it as being hypersexualized.

In fact, it is spiritually based and rooted in respect for nature, animals and humanity. Hula is so deep for some people that they spend their entire lives studying it and passing it on.

Q: There seems to be a renewed interest in hula dancing - why so?

A: I would not say renewed. I think it is getting popular because of access to all the media sources. There are halau or hula schools that teach the dances all over the world. In Hawaii there's the Merrie Monarch Festival competition, a hula festival that was created and promoted in the '60s. It's huge - tons of hula schools come out to compete.

Q: What do the many hand movements in hula symbolize?

A: The hand movements create a visual of the lyrics. It's simple visual imagery of the words.

Q: What is the traditional costume?

A: They were traditionally made from natural materials and flowers.

Q: With everything that you have shared, does that mean "hula aerobics" is viewed as being disrespectful?

A: Sure, to some. Some believe that hula is cultural property and should be practiced only by Hawaiians.

Q: What are some of the health and exercise benefits of hula dancing?

A: In a lot of hula dances, you are using a lot of controlled movements, balance and coordination, abdominal workout, lower body. Really it's a full-body, low-impact [workout]. Though Tahitian [style] is more vigorous and challenging.

Q: What is the traditional role of women and men in the hula dance?

A: In Tahitian, men drum and dance; women primarily dance, but sing, too.

Q: What other misperceptions do people generally have about hula?

A: When you're dancing for a person, the hula is in honor of that person. You must study the person so you know them and can embody that person in the dance. It is not taken lightly.

Like "aloha" is a greeting we have come to think of as simply hello or goodbye. But its meaning is deeper than that. Aloha is like saying, "I love and respect the land, the animals and you, too." Every movement is culturally coded. You can learn a lot about a people's culture through movement.

Kimberly Garrison is a certified personal trainer and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia (www.1on1ultimatefitness.com).

Email her at

kimberly@1on1ultimatefitness.com. Her column appears each Thursday in Yo!