The Truth Behind the Dashboard Hula Girl
Originally a western dancer, Marta Moussa fell in love with hula after studying Polynesian dance with some of the great figures of the dance in Hawaii. That was more than three decades ago. She has been dancing and teaching ever since.
On this Wednesday evening, three dance students slip into the glossy studio space in Green Street Studios in Cambridge, five minutes from the Central Square red line stop. Talking and laughing, they pull pull colorful pa’u skirts- a cloth skirt that gathers at the waist — and props out of floral-patterned drawstring bags — transforming the room into the tropical and bright colors of Hawaii. The youngest, Bair Klos, is 14, the oldest, Taylor-Blenis, 56. They’re joined by Michele Eva-Pfeffer, 48. What they share is Moussa’s love of hula.
After studying with hula greats such as La Meri, Kumu hula Rose Joshua and Kumu Hula Keith Awai, Moussa returned to New England to co-found the International Academy of Ethnic Dance, which at the time was the only studio in New England to offer Hula and Tahitian dance. After that studio closed, she founded Polynesian Dance Arts in 1985, to continue spreading her passion for the true meaning of hula. Today, she has over 30 years of dance experience as a performer, choreographer, and teacher.
“Around here, [hula is] not a well known dance form,” Moussa says, “I think people sometimes think it’s easy.”
It’s not.
Between an array of exact hand movements, gestures, and chants, hula involves a lot more than simply swaying your hips. Moussa focuses on traditional hula, or kahiko: a genre that most people are not familiar with. “Kahiko hula is generally accepted as the hula which was practiced before European contact in the Hawaiian Islands. Movement-wise, Kahiko hula is more linear in form and not as ‘lyrical or flowing’ as the modern hula,” she says.
Klos, who is the youngest student in the group tonight, found hula because of her want to connect to her mother’s Hawaiian lineage. “What makes this class so special to me is that I’m still learning new things about the culture, new stories, new dance moves, and I get to dance with other people who are just as passionate about dancing as I am,” she says. She describes Kahiko hula as being more authentic compared to modern hula, or hula ‘au ana.
As Moussa’s class begins, the three students line up in front of the mirror ready to dance. I stand near the aluminum fold-up chairs, listening and watching. Their skirts, although cotton, seem to paint the room with limes and dark greens, sky blues, and sunny yellows, as the cloth moves gracefully with their steps.
There are no grass skirts. No lei’s, and absolutely no coconut bras. When asked about the stereotypical portrayal of hula in movies such as “Just Go With It,” featuring a competitive scene where Jennifer Anniston and Nicole Kidman face-off in a dance competition, Eva-Pfeffer jokes, “I think Marta would have all of our heads if we walked in with a coconut bra.
The students move to the sound of the ipu-heke, or large double gourd, as Moussa plays it with a simple beat. Eva-Pfeffer and Taylor-Blenis, take turns chanting. “It’s such a fantastic story-telling dance,” says Eva-Pfeffer, “[You are] using the floor rhythmically [and] connecting with the earth in a deep way.”
Moussa makes sure that her students know the stories behind the hulas they learn by handing out translations of the Hawaiian chants. “We also discuss the historical and cultural background of hula and as it relates to each hula they are learning,” she says, “This is very important as they must be sensitive to the cultural values that underlie the hula.”
Each traditional hula that the students perform tells a story about the ancient Hawaiian culture. Klos, who is newer to the group, has been taking individual classes from Moussa for five years, and finds this r story-telling aspect of hula fascinating. Because she is newer to the group, she switches between standing behind the two older students for dances that she is not as familiar with, and then joining in. She watches their every move, absorbing their talent so that she too can reach their high level of hula.
After their first hula, the group moves into performing the Wahine Holo Lio hula: a chant that tells the story of Hawaii’s Queen Emma and her love for horseback riding. Queen Emma, according to PBS, is one of the most influential figures in Hawaiian history, and was loved for her humanitarian efforts. Today, there are many hulas that feature her life and legacy.
Klos, Eva-Pfeffer, and Taylor-Blenis dance from memory, practicing for their upcoming performance with Green Street Studios. The process of memorizing dances and translating chants is over, for the moment, as they rehearse for the performance that will represent and educate the world about what hula truly is.
Taylor-Blenis, 56, is one of the best trained dancers in the group (two are not here tonight) and she jokes that she has been dancing “since in utero.” The dancer grew up in Lexington, and was raised on international folk dancing in her parents’ studio.
After injuring herself in college, Taylor-Blenis thought she would never be able to dance again. But then she found hula. “Cultural dance has been my base, my root,” she says. She wears a dark green pa’u, which flows with the movement of the hula she practices. Eva-Pfeffer and Klos follow in the same footsteps, dancing to the beat of the ipu-heke, gracefully switching between harsh stops and soft arm movements as if they are the same entity dancing in three different locations on the floor of the studio.
Green Street Studios
185 Green St, Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 864–3191
Directions from Red Line
Get off at the Central stop. Cross Mass Ave and look for Pearl Street. It is very close to the Chipotle, which you will see once getting off the T. Once finding Pearl Street, turn right. At Green Street turn left. The entrance to the studios will be on the left hand side.
Classes
Marta holds her classes every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
$15/ session
Contact Info: polynesiandancearts@yahoo.com
*Currently not taking beginners. She is looking for students who have some experience with hula.
Events
Green Street Studios Performance
- May 21, 7 to 9 p.m.
- Will be held at the studio location
- Open to public
Dance for the World Community, hosted by José Matteo Ballet Theatre
- June 5–11th, multiple events
- 1151 Mass Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
- (617) 354–7467
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