E komo mai (Welcome, Come in!)

Hula Halau (school) embodies Aloha Spirit by embracing dancers of all ages

It may seem a little out of place in these parts, but every Thursday morning, the soothing sounds of Aloha come alive in a tidy Beaverton dance studio.

About a dozen women, clad in purple, move in time with the beat of rhythmic drums and the ukelele, gracefully telling the stories of Hawaii with their hands.

Experienced dancers say traditional hula is not easy to master. But what makes the skill level on Thursday mornings impressive is that the performers are not natives of the Pacific Islands and all are older than 55.

“We are blessed to have such amazing women in our Kupuna (55 and older) classes,” says Lisa Chang, instructor and co-owner of Hula Halau ‘Ohana Holo’oko’a (“School of Hula, Where Everyone is Family”), 12570 S.W. Farmington Road in Beaverton (www.hulaaloha.org).

“The camaraderie among them is wonderful. Most of these women are retired, so I love to see their connections. They’re all hula sisters, but I hope they’re making lifelong friendships.”

Learn the movements

The ancient art of the hula has had a tumultuous history in the Hawaiian culture. Once a ritual performed by men for the volcano goddess, Pele, the hula was banned in the early 1800s by Christian missionaries who viewed the dance as a pagan ritual, laden with vulgar and sinful moves. It continued to be taught and performed but only in secret, closed circles.

Hawaii’s last king, David Kalakaua, brought the hula out of hiding in the late 1800s. Known as the Merry Monarch, King Kalakaua not only encouraged public performance of the dance, but added moves, costumes and songs.

Today, the hula remains a proud tradition in Hawaiian culture and, thanks to Chang, one that is gradually finding its place on the Mainland.

Chang, 53, is a third generation Japanese American, born and raised in Hillsboro. While pursuing a degree in pharmacology at Oregon State University, she became good friends with a Japanese student who hailed from Hawaii.

“She introduced me to all her friends in the Hawaiian Club, and that’s where I learned the basics of hula — with their club,” Chang recalls. “That was also the first time I was around people who looked like me. But it was the grace and beauty of the hula that attracted me.”

Chang moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she spent nine years working as a pharmacist. She found a hula school (Halau) and undertook instruction with a native woman from the island of Kauai. When she returned to Portland in 1994, Chang began teaching hula through the Portland Hawaii Club. In the late 1990s, she started a school “as a hobby,” offering lessons to dancers of all ages. Three years ago, she opened her own Halau on Farmington Road in Beaverton.

Chang believes that truly understanding the hula requires more than simply learning to coordinate the simultaneous movements of both hands and feet. Her approach is a total immersion in Hawaiian culture — language, music and of course, dance.

“First you learn the steps, then you learn the movements,” she says. “Then you put them together. But along the way, you’re learning the language. Without the language, you won’t understand the movements to the song if the music is in Hawaiian.”

Athletic ability

Not all of Chang’s Kupuna students are novices to the beauty and grace of the hula. Cathy “Kehaulani” Kanuha-King grew up in Honolulu, learned the traditional dances as a child and spent 10 years performing professionally in Waikiki. A retired paramedic, Kanuha-King, 62, moved to Beaverton last year to be closer to family and was thrilled to find Chang’s beginner classes.

“I come to class for the conditioning,” she says. “It’s so different now. We were never allowed to use the language — everything was in English. But I love the culture because when you perform, you perform with your heart. Hula is very special to me — it’s not only the hands, it’s the heart.”

Cedar Mill resident Anne Madden found the dance enchanting during several trips she made to the Islands with her husband. After retiring five years ago from the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation, Madden decided to make good on a running joke she had with her staff.

“I love the Hawaiian culture, so when I retired, I told all my co-workers that I’d learn the hula,” says Madden, 69. “I started dancing three years ago, in an adult beginners class, but they weren’t beginners. They were younger than me and what they were doing took a lot of athletic ability.”

Madden doesn’t invite idle hours. She keeps busy in her garden, as a volunteer at her church and attending exercise classes. But Thursdays at the Halau bring more than simply learning a new skill.

“These women embody the Hawaiian and Aloha spirit,” Madden says. “They’re warm-hearted and open. That’s why I love to go. But more importantly, every time I dance, I smile. Even when I practice at home, I smile. And the clothes — they’re wonderful!”

Chang’s vision is to create a cultural dance and movement center in the building she owns with her husband and another couple. Dance, she said, brings people together in an uplifting way and fosters a unity that crosses all barriers.

“That’s the spirit of Aloha I got from the people who grew up in Hawaii,” Chang says. “So that’s why my school is named Hula Halau ‘Ohana Holo’oko’a — ‘The Hula School, Where We’re All Family.’ We want to welcome everybody, even if they’re not Hawaiian.”