October 16th "Words of the Day"

We reviewed four Hawaiian directional words, associated with hula:

i mua (or imua) - move forward

ma hope (or mahope) - move back

'akau - right

hema - left


You'll hear the first two with the following steps: lele, ulei. You will also hear them (especially "i mua") to move up to the front of the class or stage! And you'll use it sometimes when you are dancing kaholo or kaholoholo in a particular hula.

'Akau and hema are directional words for the 'ami step, but you will hear them for direction now and again.

The word "'akau" has a kahako over the first "a" which lengthens the vowel. I can't seem to add it on the blog, as yet.