Hula dancers practice ‘Here Comes Santa in a Red Canoe’

Hui O Hula offers free hula classes every Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the upstairs Mirror Room of Clubhouse 6 and every Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Optum Health Care Center conference room, next to the pharmacy. Comfortable clothing is recommended, and dancers may go barefoot or wear soft socks or dance booties.

Everyone is welcome to learn the Hawaiian dance, regardless of age or experience. Hula offers an enjoyable way to stay physically and mentally active. Its gentle, rhythmic movements help improve balance, coordination and flexibility, while learning the lyrics, remembering the choreography and matching the movements to music give the brain a healthy workout. Hula is more than exercise; it encourages friendship, creativity and the joy of dancing together.

Instructor Jojo Weingart has just finished teaching the holiday favorite “Jingle Bells.” Moving together as a team strengthens the spirit of hui which is the Hawaiian word for group or association. The class is now reviewing “Here Comes Santa in a Red Canoe,” a cheerful Hawaiian Christmas song written by Johnny Kamano in 1957. This upbeat tropical favorite replaces snowy sleigh rides with Santa paddling across blue waters in a red canoe, bringing Christmas cheer to the islands. Dancers will also use traditional hula implements (Pu’ili) to add rhythm.