By Cindy Ellen Russell, Star-Bulletin
Lorrie Kim performs in front of the International Market Place, one of the stops in the strolling hula program.

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City-sponsored Strolling
Hula program is a delight
for dancers and tourists

By Cherie Chun
Star-Bulletin

THE words "strolling hula" probably bring to mind images of dancers swaying their hips as they walk down the street. In reality, strolling hula does involve dancing and walking -- just not at the same time.

"We start at Beachwalk up to the Duke Kahanamoku statue, then we go across the street and finish at Royal Hawaiian," said Joan Young, who plays ukulele for the strolling hula group that performs in Waikiki. "We do segments of about 15 minutes."

Strolling hula began about four years ago with four dancers and three musicians forming the group that walks along Kalakaua Avenue Friday nights and performs at seven stops. The group was later cut to its present count of two dancers and two musicians when budget constraints no longer made it possible to sustain the original troop.

In the city-sponsored program, several musicians and dancers rotate so that different ones participate on different Friday nights, and each night is contracted to a group of performers.

"It's really fun because we get to meet new people," said 13-year-old dancer Shenri-Ann Cabison. "They just give us a big smile and say, 'Thank you for performing for us.'"

Cabison, a Mililani High School student, has been dancing hula for about eight years and has been involved with strolling hula for about a year.

By Cindy Ellen Russell, Star-Bulletin
Kekai Crabbe of Na Mea Hula O Kahikinaokalani entertains visitors at Waikiki beach.

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She said dancing and walking from place to place in costume can have a downside. "We sweat a lot, and it's really hot," Cabison said.

Clyde Lono, who plays guitar, says the dancers perform the hula 'auana. "That's the modern hula today," he said.

Though hula 'auana is considered modern, they do what Lono calls "the original styling of hula." Theirs is an offering of dance accompanied by unamplified voices and instruments including the ipu and 'uli 'uli.

"A lot of the hotels and a lot of the people today want the extravagant" in hula he said. "They don't look at tradition. They want glamour and glitter."

Young added, "They're trying to make it so fabulous, and it ruins it."

That, the musicians say, is the difference between the Hollywood style and the Hawaiian style of hula.

"I believe in tradition," Lono said. "I like everything the old Hawaiian way."

Mike Smith, Kapiolani Regional Park manager, has watched the group's performances a few times.

"I've watched the crowd grow from maybe like nine people to 30 or 40 people," Smith said.

Among the crowd this night at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center was Joanne Thomas from California, who said, "This is actually the first time I've seen (hula) on the street. I think it gives the tourists a better point of view of Hawaii."

Sally Buchanan of Colorado was in the audience at the Duke Kahanamoku statue.

"I think it's nice to have it accessible like this," she said.

Flower seller Bonnie Johnson gives passing tourists on Kalakaua Avenue plumeria blossoms to tuck behind their ears, and she gives to the performers as well.

"They deserve to get a beautiful lei," Bonnie Johnson said after draping a garland of the blossoms over each dancer's shoulders.

"Every time we come, she gives," Young said.

Visitor Nancy O'Malley watched the group at the Duke Kahanamoku statue.

"I think it's beautiful," she said. "I'm from Texas, so I don't see much of this."

Some enjoy the show enough that they want to share it with those back home.

Bonnie Goh of Austria caught the group's performance at their last stop and said, "We like this kind of dance -- the movement, the gentle movement -- and now we hope that we can bring this group to Austria."

Other countries are waiting on the group's destination list. Strolling hula performers will travel to Holland in October, to Japan in January, and to Germany next August.

"We just got an offer to go to China," Young said. "There's a lot of opportunities that come along and characters that you meet ... People from all over the world are on this island and you don't even realize it."