Learn to dance Hula and learn about the Hawaiian culture at the Multicultural center!
5pm, Multicultural Center (Lower Level)
Have you ever wondered about the art and culture behind the Hawaiian/Polynesian hula dancer? Have you ever wanted to learn to dance the beautiful dances from Hawaii and Polynesia? At the MCC, we hope to create a workshop focused on the beautiful culture behind Polynesian and Hawaiian hula dancing. In this workshop, we will teach four different components that are involved with dancing hula: the dance, the music, the language, and the stories behind the movement. In the dance, we will be breaking down basic steps of different types of Polynesian dancing (Hula [Hawaii], Tahitian [Tahiti]). In the breakdown of the culture, we will learn about the role music, language, and traditional folklore play in creating the popularized hula performance. We will also be learning about the culture through traditional crafts such as lei making! Our workshop is tailored to individuals who have no prior knowledge or background; we are looking for individuals who are simply interested in learning to dance the traditional dances of Hawaii and Polynesia (Men and Women welcome!). The workshop will likely meet bi-weekly (every two weeks) to start, then weekly as the semester continues on Wednesday evenings. Please let us know if you are interested! Depending upon interest, we hope to incorporate performances of our work at the end of the semester! Please RSVP to Megan Morikawa (megan.morikawa@duke.edu) or email with any questions. Megan Morikawa is from San Diego, California, but has danced hula for a majority of her life. She danced with Heali'i's Polynesian Review in San Diego and competed in various tahitian and hula competitions up the coast. Her passion for hula has compelled her to share this unique part of her life with the students at Duke.