Hula

Hula Fitness: Old School


There’s no school like old-school! Especially with all the fitness trends that are spinning out of control. When I run into a new dance fit craze I check to see…

  1. Who’s culture has this evolved from?
  2. What is their claim to fame?
  3. How can the average person benefit from it?

However there’s one dance style, that in it’s OG form, you would have to be at the peak of your game. In other words are you physically, mentally and emotionally ready to take on Hula? [OG: slang for original gangster.]

In it’s original form you were expected to devote your life to memorize song genealogy. Talk about fitness for the mind. And practice for hours on the sand in the heat of the day. Truly physical and grueling. Finally, portray the story through facial expressions which connects the viewer to the soul of that particular Hula. Fitness for the mind, body and soul. 


A typical practice might be an hour of basic steps followed by learning or perfecting a song. Each step has an origin and each Kumu [teacher] has their preference. Basically it’s similar to martial arts. Each form has a purpose and you can add them together to create fight sequences. But in this case it’s choreography.


Speaking of martial arts there was a time when a student devoted their life to the craft. Yet, today I see 3 year olds with black belts. The practice became diluted with the lure of quick and easy. Form, history and protocol went right out of the window. This is what I see happening to Hula, but it can be so much more.


This past weekend I taught a session during 3 DAYS OF ALOHA in Vancouver, WA. The participants danced their muscles into a tired and happy frenzy. The Na Kumu [teachers] are some of Hawaii’s finest. 


If  your Kumu tells you to hold a position you don’t ask, “How long?” You just do it. And heaven forbid you have to do the Hula sequence over and over again. But if you do make sure you’re smiling. πŸ˜…πŸ˜ƒ


Why do we torture ourselves? For the Love of Hula and the gift of storytelling. If you truly want to challenge your fitness levels while maintaining grace and finesse learn to Hula. Seek out a Kumu with an amazing history and genealogy. 

Hula is fitness when taught by a master and practiced daily. It doesn’t need to be diluted or modernized to techno-beats. Hula is both art and fitness uniting. This is MANA: strength that is generational. PEACE Be the Journey πŸ™πŸ½

How to organize a FITNESS CONCERT.

So you want to gather a few people  together and inspire them to get fit. Great! Now what? 

In previous post I shared about participating in  two types of fitness events as a host or sponsor. Both examples I used were long events, averaging six hours, but what if you don’t have that kind of time or capital ($). Then throw a FITNESS CONCERT!


Here are the benefits…

  • You can pack a lot into 90-minutes.
  • Simple theme and set up.
  • Easy to clean up and manage.
  • The focus is on the workout.
  • Don’t have to provide food because it’s only 90-minutes.
  • Don’t have to provide water because it’s only 90-minutes.
  • Party like atmosphere for potential students to feel comfortable.

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How to make it happen…

  1. Pick a theme, date, venue and team. In that order.
  2. Theme: choose something relevant or top of mind. (Example: Christmas – “Jingle All The Way” Fitness Concert.)
  3. Date: Weekends are usually crowded but if you plan ahead you can throw a terrific weekday event.
  4. Venue: Location, location, location. It matters.
  5. Team: Volunteers to spread the word and help during the concert. 

Places to market your event…

  • Social Media is a great start but make sure you’re not coming across as spam-ish. 
  • Make short trailers that you can share across many platforms. Twitter, Instagram and  Snapchat have limits on how long your video content can be. (Facebook’s Livestream is pretty fun and almost limitless.)
  • Email your list of followers and give them a sneak peek into your event.
  • Old school fliers still work so post them everywhere.
  • You can also buy ad-space in a local newspaper or guest post on someone else’s blog about your community event.


I shared the event on Instagram and yes I forgot an “s” in subconscious. Grateful for the person who pointed out my mistake, Mahalo Mom. (Lol) 

#1 Tip to make your event awesome…

HAVE LIVE MUSIC OR DJ.

 That’s the honey to draw your crowd. My thought is that the fitness market is turning out new workouts and dance fitness styles daily but having live music will make your event epic. 

Become a Mermaid and PEACE Be the Journey, Ho’omālamalama 

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You can also read about the inspiration behind the fitness concert here. Hope to see you splashing around in our very own mermaid lagoon.

Share the link and invite a friend – http://www.hoomalamalama.com/MERMAIDS.html