Hawaiian dancers perform beautiful dances to welcome people to their lands, and to celebrate special occasions. Many people all over the world now perform these dancers as their popularity has spread all over the entire globe. They have also become a great exercise especially for those people that are more expressive. This dance came to the Islands many centuries ago when the Polynesian peoples populated the area.
The story is told either verbally in a Mele, which is a song, or in an Oli, which is a chant. The dance called a Hula accompanies these verbal descriptions with gestures of their body, hands and face. The chant and hula dance are generally considered a method of prayer and as such is sacred. The song is a more recent addition. It is often delivered at public ceremonies and welcoming events.
The oldest version of this Hula is called the Kahiko and dates back to the beginning of time on the islands. The Oli or chant, and traditional instruments such as drums and stick instruments usually accompany it. The mele or song is seldom seen with the older version of hula. This version of Hula started to change with the influx of western influences.
These western influences introduced a new version of the Hula called the Auana. This word means wandering or drifting, as in drifting away from the old ways. This is where you get more evidence of the mele or song accompanying the hula, as well as modern western instruments. Usually these consist of the guitar, double bass and ukulele.
Two other methods of hula have been differentiated recently. The first is the Ai Kahiko, which means a return to the old ways. People that lived some time ago, precisely in the twenty and some parts of the twenty first centuries have brought this about wanting to take hula back to its original base. Very beautiful pieces have been composed for special occasions just as they would have been long ago.
The last type of classification is called the Monarchy division. This is named for the very popular Island monarchy of the 1800s. They traveled widely and became very popular. This encouraged the sharing of hula around the world, but also the westernization of the music and the dance.
The Hula is performed from two major positions. The first of these is perhaps the best known, this is standing on the feet. The second posture is sitting. Many people are unfamiliar with this version, but as hula uses the hands and the face as a method of communicating, this second posture does not limit the display.
In summary, there are four different types of dances that hawaiian dancers perform. These are the Kahiko, the Ai Kahiko, the Monarchy and the Auana. These can be performed standing up, or sitting down, and with traditional or more western based instruments.
The story is told either verbally in a Mele, which is a song, or in an Oli, which is a chant. The dance called a Hula accompanies these verbal descriptions with gestures of their body, hands and face. The chant and hula dance are generally considered a method of prayer and as such is sacred. The song is a more recent addition. It is often delivered at public ceremonies and welcoming events.
The oldest version of this Hula is called the Kahiko and dates back to the beginning of time on the islands. The Oli or chant, and traditional instruments such as drums and stick instruments usually accompany it. The mele or song is seldom seen with the older version of hula. This version of Hula started to change with the influx of western influences.
These western influences introduced a new version of the Hula called the Auana. This word means wandering or drifting, as in drifting away from the old ways. This is where you get more evidence of the mele or song accompanying the hula, as well as modern western instruments. Usually these consist of the guitar, double bass and ukulele.
Two other methods of hula have been differentiated recently. The first is the Ai Kahiko, which means a return to the old ways. People that lived some time ago, precisely in the twenty and some parts of the twenty first centuries have brought this about wanting to take hula back to its original base. Very beautiful pieces have been composed for special occasions just as they would have been long ago.
The last type of classification is called the Monarchy division. This is named for the very popular Island monarchy of the 1800s. They traveled widely and became very popular. This encouraged the sharing of hula around the world, but also the westernization of the music and the dance.
The Hula is performed from two major positions. The first of these is perhaps the best known, this is standing on the feet. The second posture is sitting. Many people are unfamiliar with this version, but as hula uses the hands and the face as a method of communicating, this second posture does not limit the display.
In summary, there are four different types of dances that hawaiian dancers perform. These are the Kahiko, the Ai Kahiko, the Monarchy and the Auana. These can be performed standing up, or sitting down, and with traditional or more western based instruments.
About the Author:
You can visit the website www.royalislanders.com for more helpful information about A Look At The Hawaiian Dancers Art
No comments:
Post a Comment