Nacheska’s Weblog

Many of my Belly Dance students and people I talk to at bookings for Hula and Belly Dance actually compare the two dance styles as quite similar.  Though they are both beautiful, quite exotic to us in the continental U.S., they have fewer similarities and great differences. 

Hula and Belly Dance share some hip movement styles though executed much differently.  There is also a finger styling like sifting sand that is similar…and finally the control of the upper body is the same.  Overall, both dance forms are ancient and lovely.  They both utilize the Goddess in different ways.

Hula is a language as much as a dance form.  There was no formal written language in Hawaii until the 1800′s when the Missionaries came to the islands and utilized their influence to make an alphabet and language so that communication and the teaching of their bible would be easier.  Hawaiian is a very unique language.  In 1826 the missionaries established a written  language and King Kamehameha III helped by enacting a Hawaiian Language constitution in 1839.  Until then history was passed down in “stories”, verbally and Hula dancers translated a lot of these stories in the dance.  Hula dance is a translation of song and stories and is divided into two types Modern (Auana) and Ancient (Kaheko).  Though the dance of Auana evolves due to more modern music being written, Kaheko does not change except for a few unique stylings by different Kumus. (esteemed and knowledgeable teachers of the dance) The ancient Gods and Goddesses of tribal lore, i.e. Pele (Goddess of Fire, volcano Goddess or Laka Goddess of Hula) are important to the Hawaiian history and mentioned often in the ancient Mele. (stories through chant) Costuming for ancient Hula stays in the full skirt and fitted top realm or ti leaf skirts with men wearing fitting shorter garment to accent movement.  No grass skirt is utilized for ancient hula since they are not authentic to the Hawaiian Islands. (grass skirts are Gilbert island garb)  In the Auana almost anything goes, grass skirts, Holoku, Holomu, and dresses or sarongs…whatever is audience pleasing and will enhance the movement of the dance. (here the belly/midriff is shown more often) Leis, worn around the neck are important to the dance and are also a rich unique part of the Hawaiian Islands history. (ahhhh, a future blog post)

Belly Dance has different routes in history evolving from the Gypsy tribes moving through Persia and the surmise is that they split off to separate parts of that area of Asia (or what is now known as Asia)  The history spans thousands of years.  There is a unique Egyptian and Turkish Styling of the ancient art of Belly Dance and in the last century, Belly Dance has evolved to be fused with other cultures as well. (African, spanish, ballet, Indian and more)  Tribal Belly Dance evolved in America as a fusion style of Belly Dance based more on cues and less on choreographed pieces and costuming runs the gamut from full skirts to fitted skirts; bellbottoms to full harem style pants.   Like Hula there are dances done for specific ceremony’s like weddings but unlike Hula the movement can vary from dance to dance though

Here you see the Dancers of Odyssey in more folkloric garb….

here are similarities in both styles but huge differences…my favorite similarity is that Hula and Belly Dance are amazingly challenging to me as a dancer and very exotic.  I hope you get to try one or the other sometime…joyous dancing,

Nacheska