Hui O Hula: Hawaiian Dance Club

Hui O Hula is LW’s Hawaiian dance class. It welcomes everyone. Free lessons are offered on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. in the Clubhouse 6 upstairs mirror room and Thursdays at 1 p.m. at the Optum Health Care Center conference room next to the pharmacy. Wear comfortable clothing. Dance in bare feet are traditional, but soft dance shoes, booties or socks during class practice are fine. Beginners are always welcome, and hula can be adapted for those who prefer to dance seated.

Hula is more than melodic music and graceful hands. For older adults, gentle dancing can be an enjoyable way to keep the body moving, the mind working and friendships growing.

In class, instructor Jojo Weingart has brought back a few well-loved hula favorites. One is “Hawaiian Lullaby,” written in 1973 with lyrics by Hector Venegas, who wrote the tender words while his young daughter was recovering from a serious illness and later set them to music. Its rainbows, flowers, sunshine and children laughing make it a gentle celebration of the beauty of Hawai’i and the feeling of home. Another is Ka Lehua ‘Ula (Red Lehua Blossom), a modern Hawaiian favorite written by Weldon Kekauoha, which became a love song honoring his wife.

August has also been a festive month for the hula performances as well as birthday celebrations. Barbara May and Susan Saraf share the very same birthday, and Kathy Noonan, Weingart and Mel Blake are also August birthday celebrants. That is a lot of birthday cake for one hula class but dancing helps.