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Hula is Honolulu’s native dance. This dance is performed to the accompaniment of a song or a chant, which is known as ‘Mele’. Hula is a very interesting dance form, which interests people from all over the world because of its beautiful and intricate routines. The movements of this dance do not tell the complete story. Instead they bring out the key aspects of a story.

 Hula dance style broadly divided into two categories – one is knon as the ‘kahikoand’ and the other is the ‘Auana’. The ‘kahikoand’ is the traditional form of Hula, performed to the accompaniment of chant and traditional instruments. It is the way the Hula was done before it was influenced by western styles. Before the coming in of western influences into the Hawaiian Islands, the Hula was performed for amusement or during family events. It was also performed to entertain tribal chief and in such occasions, it was a serious matter as the chief had to be flattered. It was done as a way to honor them as well.   In the 19the and the 20^th century, the Hula came to include some western dance styles. This form of Hula is the ‘Auana’ and it is performed to the accompaniment of western musical instruments like the guitar and the double bass. Western missionary’s felt the Hula dance to be heathen and so many changes we brought into it. Through western influences this dance evolved to include different musical instruments for its songs. The costumes worn also changed, but the dance movements indicate events or happenings just as before.  

When performing Hula, there are certain costumes that have to be worn. The men wear long or short pants, skirts, or a malo, while the women wear skirts or dresses. The dance is done usually with bare feet.  The traditional instrument used in the Hula is the Pahu, which is about two to three feet tall and is made either from coconut or breadfruit tree. An instrument used along with the pahu is the puniu, which is made out of coconut shell with skin from the kala fish stretched across it. Other traditional instruments includes ipu heke, ipu heke, pu’ili , ‘ili’ili, and kala’au. Today, these traditional instruments have been replaced with modrn instruments such as the guitar and ukulele. The rhythmic patterns of the traditional instruments correspond to the foot movements of the dancers.

Those interested in learning hula should go to schools that teach this dance form. In Hawaii, such schools are called h?lau. The person who teaches hula is known as the kumu hula. Many of the motions used in this dance signify the movement of nature.

The hula is a very interesting dance form that interests people from all over the world. Festivals are conducted to celebrate it. Two important such festivals are Merrie Monarch Festival which is held in the Hilo. This is a one-week cultural event in which a Hula competition is held. The other is the World Invitational Hula Festival, which is held every year in the the Waikiki Shell during the month of November.