Hawaii, ancestral tradition
HULA
The sacred storytelling of the Hawaiian islands
Hula is far more than a dance: it is a millennia-old Hawaiian ritual art that combines chant (mele), music, and gesture to tell the myths, nature, and genealogy of the islands. Originally reserved for priests and sacred dancers (kāhuna hula), it nearly disappeared in the late 19th century under missionary pressure before being saved by King Kalākaua, who made it a pillar of Hawaiian identity.
Two major styles coexist today: Hula Kahiko, traditional, danced to chants and percussion (ipu, pahu), and Hula ʻAuana, modern, accompanied by guitars, ukulele, and steel guitar since the early 20th century. In both cases, the hands carry a symbolic language that precisely describes the story: wave, rain, bird, mountain, love.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Hula is danced solo or in a group, to chants (mele) and/or traditional percussion. Every hand gesture tells a specific fragment of the story; the feet mark the rhythm, grounded in the earth.
Styles and fundamentals
The posture stays low, with the knees slightly bent. The hips undulate continuously (a movement called "ka'o"), while the hands trace codified narrative gestures. The gaze follows the hands.
Main figures
- 01
Ka'o
A continuous undulation of the hips, the base of Hula, danced with weight transfer from one foot to the other.
- 02
Kāholo
A lateral step in four counts (two to the right, two to the left), a fundamental building block.
- 03
Narrative gestures
Hand movements that describe the wave, the rain, the bird, the wind, love, and so on.
Reading the music
Hawaiian chants (mele), ipu and pahu percussion, ukulele and steel guitar for Hula ʻAuana.
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Traditions Asiatiques & Orientales
Cross connections
Styles from other families that share a common language with Hula.