So You Want To Study Hula?  
By Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman


There are many ways to go about studying the hula. The many ways range tremendously in
terms of respectability. What follows are various factors for prospective students to consider.


1. The hula is a way of life to which many students and teachers are dedicated.

In Hawaiian culture, the hula is more than just dancing. The movements and gestures
performed by dancers are just the surface. Underneath this surface is a cultural system that
celebrates creation and procreation, a pantheon of gods and their descendants on earth,
mythological and legendary exploits, historical events and places, ancestral beings and
cherished relations, and natural manifestations of life forces that nurture and sustain Hawaiian
people. Sacredness permeates much hula, and much of the work associated with creating,
teaching, and performing hula. Not all students aspire to deep levels of knowledge and
understanding. Likewise, not all teachers who offer lessons have achieved insight into the
spiritual depths of hula.

Prospective students who wish to undertake study of the hula should understand that hula is
held by many to be a serious endeavor, and that respect for Hawaiian cultural lifeways is
appropriate, and will be appreciated.


2. Prospective students should consider what level of commitment they wish to make.

The prospective hula student is faced with an array of choices. Classes are available for
students who want a casual, relaxed experience that requires no commitment to perform.
These classes are typically offered through community recreation centers. Students who
aspire to performing on stage should seek out teachers experienced in presenting classes and
soloists in public performances; these may range from amateur community exhibitions to
professional entertainment venues. Those with a desire to probe more deeply into cultural
knowledge must enter the world of hula schools, known as halau.


3. Hula halau function as a family.

Becoming a haumana--student--in a halau usually requires a serious commitment. This is
because halau run on cooperation. Haumana depend on each other to ensure success in all
endeavors. Haumana consider each other as "hula sisters" and "hula brothers." Haumana
learn quickly that those who do not pull their own weight are not to be entrusted with
responsibility.


4. Not all knowledge is contained in only one school.

This is a famous proverb. It is also a fundamental truth. Different schools of hula stem from
different lineages of teachers and teachings. Each teacher brings their own individual creativity
to their teaching and to their original choreography. This is why there are so many divergent
styles of hula. And the beauty of it is that there is no one way to be right; rather, there are many
ways to be right. Unfortunately, it also means that there are many ways to be wrong, too.



5. Not all teachers of hula have achieved comparable mastery of hula.

Hula teachers in the present are referred to using the title "kumu hula." This wasn't always the
case, however. In the old days, a kumu hula was an individual who had undergone extensive
training that culminated in an 'uniki graduation ceremony. Nowadays, anyone who teaches
classes may call himself or herself a kumu hula. And anyone who directs a halau tends to be
automatically called a kumu hula, regardless of whether or not the teacher considers himself
or herself to be a kumu hula.


6. A kumu hula is a foundation for hula.

The term "kumu" means "source" or "foundation." Thus, a kumu hula is, by definition, a source
or foundation for hula. This is why the title was closely guarded in the old days, and reserved for
those who had mastered an understanding of how hula needed to be carefully maintained,
presented, and passed on from one generation to the next.

Delving deep into hula is a humbling experience. The more knowledge and experience one
acquires, the more one comes to realize how much there is to know, and how little of that one
can ever learn. Deep study instills humility—ha´aha´a. The most respected kumu hula are also
the most humble. They are the ones, too, who respect their peers. They teach their students to
respect the efforts of other kumu hula, other h?lau, and other haumana.


7. Deep knowledge is reserved for those who have earned it.

Teachers cherish what they have learned from their teachers. They hold their knowledge close,
because it is special. It is shared when students are ready and receptive. This is why an ´uniki
ceremony is an ultimate achievement. The student has earned the teacher's trust. The teacher
trusts that the student will care for what has been taught. The teacher trusts that the student
can discern what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. The teacher trusts that the student
understands why things are done they way they are. The teacher knows that his or her
teacher's teachings will continue. So the teacher sends the student off on their own. They are
free to create. What they must never do is disrespect what they have been taught, or betray the
teacher's trust.


8. E nana, e ho´olohe. E pa´a ka waha, e hana ka lima.

Watch, listen. Keep the mouth closed, and the hands busy. One learns by listening and
observing. Ask questions only after you've tried to figure out something yourself.


9. Hula is to be enjoyed!

There is deep satisfaction to be derived from bring joy to oneself or someone else through hula.
May your journey to hula be a fulfilling one.


Note: This piece was first written in 2000 at the request of Auntie Maria Hinckley at Hawaiian
Music Island (www.mele.com). She was seeking ways of responding to people who asked her
to recommend a hula teacher. This is what I came up with. The piece has circulated widely
throughout the hula world, and I am touched that so many have found these reflections useful.
So You Want To Study Hula?