Hula Moments

I have had the good fortune of being raised in Hawaii with the influence of music and hula. When I was younger I was blessed to have had a hula teacher who I now realize had a profound influence on my love for hula. Aunty Bella Richards was both a loving and demanding kumu (teacher) which made it fun to learn and even though I ended my hula training when I became a “know-it-all” teenager, it gave me a connection to hula that was deeper than I knew. My next connection with hula came when my daughter started dancing, and as it turned out her kumu had a family connection to Aunty Bella so it felt right for her to be there. We shared many happy times that are now treasured mother-daughter memories.

Then many years later the Universe connected me again to hula, this time to a kumu who had also learned from Aunty Bella. And, this time hula was a healing experience that got me through my grief of Jacob’s passing. Jacob had a love for Hawaiian music and played the ukulele, so dancing hula made me feel so connected to him. Then work and other life experiences got in the way for a few years until last month when I returned to my hula home. My kumu, Ka’anohi, has a spirit that surrounds you with love and happiness and now my hula night each week is a time of reconnecting with my spirit and soul, embraced by the sounds of sweet melodies. I may not be the best hula dancer but it is the best medicine for my soul.  So, to all my hula connections, past and present, I say, “mahalo”, you have enriched my soul.

a hui hou…