Reports of a new fitness trend sweeping Japan has its roots in Hawaiian culture. Nope, I'm not talking about surfing. I'm talking about hula dancing.
About 50 women mostly in their 30s to 60s go to Tipness' fitness club in Japan each Friday for a 75-minute hula lesson, which includes basic movements and a drill on dancing postures, all set to Hawaiian music. The class focuses on achieving symmetry in the body by using both your lower and upper body to do the dancing.
In fact, the last time I was in Hawaii, I did take note of how amazing all the hula dancers bodies were. If hula lessons were offered at my gym, I might be interested, especially if I get to wear a cute grass skirt and coconut bra. What about you? Would you be on board for some hula lessons for fitness?
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CNC Costume National
Charles Anastase
Odille
I would love it if my local gym offered hula. I took a hula workshop and had a great time and a great workout. Because you have to keep a partial squat for the whole dance, my quads were hot as lava by the end.
1i'm not big on the dancing workouts cause i'm SOOOOOO uncoordinated! but maybe i could take on hula, it's a lot of hip action and not much footwork.
2I don't know about this. I danced hula for years and years growing up. Sure, the dancers at the tourist-y shows have amazing bodies but check out the Merrie Monarch festival sometime. These are the best of the best competitive dancers in the state and well, this picture should give you an idea of how much exercise hula actually is. I will say that it is fantastic for your legs, though.
If it's an aerobic workout loosely based on hula movements, that would be fun! And probably a great workout. But, actually just dancing hula...even the most rigorous and fast-paced kahiko probably wouldn't really do much for you.
3Oh and apologizing in advance for being one of those annoying nitpickers, but that's a girl in Tahitian get-up there. Not hula.
4I've never danced professionally, so I'll defer to jennifer76 on that point, but I think hula dancing is beautiful and have always wanted to learn. I found an exercise DVD on Amazon.com that incorporates a lot of the hula style, but also provides a good cardio workout. You can take a look at it here: http://tinyurl.com/26efmr.
5I agree with jennifer76 hula is great for legs and maybe abs but the dance that will really give you a great work out is Tahitian(the girl in the pic above is dressed in a tradditonal tahitian dance costume) the faster paced dancing gets your heart rate up and it def takes some strength from your core and legs great posting!
6source: Been doin it for awhile and im half polynesian!!
great info!
7ive always wanted to hula dance. Maybe one day. hehe
8Sounds like it would be a fun way to burn the calories!
9i'm hawaiian and most of my friends danced hula when we were kids. it's a killer on the legs!
but just fyi, coconut bras have nothing to do with real hula and to second jennifer76, that's a tahitian dancer in that picture. HUGE difference!
10Definitely! Sign me up for that! And I hope they have the cute costumes in hand!
11I would imagine it would be good for the legs and not anything else. Even the way the waist moves, which people think works the abs, is all done from the knees.
Maybe if you added wrist weights and really focused on tightening your core. . . . .
12what about an irish dance? that looks like a lot of fun and much more fast paced. i've always wanted to try that.
13I would totally do that! That sounds fun.
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