The Hula Lesson

From Outer Voices | 00:57:26
Producers: Stephanie Guyer-Stevens
Promo 15 / Promo 30 / Hula Lesson Program/ Transcript / PRX

In “The Hula Lesson” we join Hawaiian Hula teacher Roselle Bailey and her halau of multicultural women to find out what hula is, what it means to Hawaii, and why so many non-Hawaiians love it.

Hula is more than girls dancing with coconut bras and grass skirts, with strains of Don Ho in the background. In fact, hula is a complete expression of a traditional culture, which uses dancing and singing for teaching social lessons, and for recounting history.

In “The Hula Lesson” we join Hawaiian Hula teacher Roselle Bailey and her halau of multicultural women to find out what hula is, what it means to Hawaii, and why so many non-Hawaiians love it.

Hula Lesson Photo

Roselle Bailey
Chanthol Oung, the founder of the Cambodian Women's Crisis Center, was the Southeast Asia recipient of an International Woman of Courage Award by the U.S. State Department this year.

Reviews

"We ran this special a few years ago - it's great - I think we'll run it again. Outer Voices has an established record of producing high-quality, engaging and sound rich documentaries. This one is no different. This special provides excellent public service and rich production values. The great thing is it gives listeners to really learn about the Hula - far more than you would ever learn attending one. Even when you visit Hawaii, you have to really make an effort to lean about the culture and history. Also, it's great to learn about the Hula. It's easy for us to confuse that at a Luau, dances from around Polynesia are all performed. As with the other great docs from Stephanie and her team, this special is sound rich and lets the tape tell the story, with minimum narration.I encourage you to schedule this for your showcase slot or for a holiday special.

Arvid Hokanson, April 30, 2008