Hula is a dance form developed by the native Hawaiians and is usually done with chants or songs. Although hula is performed in different styles, the two more common forms of the dance is Hula ʻAuana and Hula Kahiko.
But no matter what style or form of hula dancing is performed, it is a part of a cultural exercise which helps connect the dancers and the audiences with the historical knowledge of Hawaii.
Hula can be performed while being in a both sitting and standing situation. Dancing is just one act achieved in hula, as it can be quite a complex form of art. Hand gestures are also used to portray certain actions or expressions.
Hula is more than just a simple dance, as it has a whole story to tell about Hawaiian Islands. The mythological roots and history of hula itself is quite compelling.
As we’ve already given you a brief introduction about hula, let’s move on to what you should look forward to in this article. We will be discussing and reviewing all the websites that can teach you the art of hula dancing online.
9 Websites To Learn Hula Lessons Online Review
1) Udemy
You might as well have already heard of Udemy, as it’s one of the leading online learning platforms available on the internet. They offer a series of online lessons, covering every possible topic, and offering an unbelievably good quality on all these lessons.
They offer hula courses for both beginners and intermediates. You can take the beginner course if you don’t have any prior knowledge of hula or dancing.
The courses will make sure to teach you all the basics about hula and the proper form of carrying it out. They also have some advanced level of hula courses that will help you in truly understanding the art!
All the courses have an appropriate description, mentioning everything you will learn, all the stuff that you will require for the course, and a basic overview of the course. This can help a lot in the process of choosing a course for yourself.
The featured course offered by Udemy will not only teach you the basics of hula, but will also help you be able to create your own hula workouts by combining basic hula moves, along with teaching you an actual hula song!
2) HawaiianShirtsOnline
Hawaiian Shirts Online is a UK-based website that teaches online hula lessons. They have a whole list of hula dance lessons available on their site. These detailed courses offer great videos on hula lessons, helping you on your journey of mastering hula.
The website has a whole filter featuring 4 different levels of hula courses for children, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. They offer a wide variety of hula courses, teaching all the aspects regarding hula.
Their courses are totally free and start as soon as you click on any hula lesson video. In other words, you will be getting a number of fantastic online hula lessons without any cost!
The videos are short and simple, offering a very easy way of learning to its users. Overall, the website is a great option if you’re looking into free online hula lessons, without putting a strain to the quality.
They offer courses even for children! You should definitely take a look at the website and decide for yourself.
3) iHulaHawaii
iHula Hawaii provides an interactive way of learning online hula lessons. Lynn, who is the owner of the site, has over 35 years of experience with dancing. She has a great passion for dancing and is quite a skilled hula dancer. With all her experience, she teaches hula to everyone willing to learn from her courses.
She provides a very simple format for learning hula, making the process of learning hula easier and accessible to everyone.
Apart from teaching all the basics of hula dancing, she also teaches other basic Hawaiian stuff, like popular Hawaiian greetings, proper method of wearing a flower and lei, and some other Hawaiian traditions.
The website gives you the option of learning hula at your own pace, anytime, and anywhere in the whole world.
You will start from learning the basics of hula, and then move on to learning the basic hand, feet, and hip movements, along with the right expression for telling stories in hula.
After these steps are done, you will finally be able to dance hula the right way. If you’re down for learning from a professional and experienced dancer, iHula Hawaii is a great choice to begin from!
4) HawaiianHulaTutorial
Hawaiian Hula Tutorial provides online hula learning in both DVD and downloadable format. The presentation of the website is pretty basic. Kumu Lei is the owner and the teacher of the online courses.
She is a professional hula dancer and has a lot of experience. Students from all over the world, and with different backgrounds come to learn the art of hula from her.
The website provides a complete and easy to follow step-by-step guide for hula lessons. Kumu Lei teaches the proper execution of every action performed in the dance. You will start to gradually build a better understanding, and grow fondness for the dance.
After finishing up all the steps, you will then be prompted to perform one final routine in which you will have to combine all the basic steps into a complete hula dance.
The website will be a compulsive choice for you, if you want to learn hula from a Hawaiian teacher. You should pay the website a visit to discover a free and fantastic hula course!
5) CaféTalk
Providing you with a very interactive interface, Café Talk gives you the option of choosing a wide range of online lessons on different topics. The website has a very simple design, and welcomes you with a bunch of animations.
They give you the opportunity of choosing between both private and group classes. There’s a whole section of tutors in the website. You can search for a specific tutor according to your needs, check out the tutor rankings, or go for a schedule-based search.
They feature a hula lesson from a hula professional, while also giving you the option of opting for either private or group lessons.
They also offer customer support and free counselling for basic queries, like answering certain questions or help for navigating through the website.
With all the awesome features this website offers, you can’t possibly go wrong if you pick up this website for learning online hula lessons.
You will learn everything required to be able to hula dance. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a novice, the course listed on the website is suitable for everyone.
6) HulaLoha
Hula Loha is a school featuring online hula courses for everyone. Having classes for both kids and adults, the website provides a great way of interacting with its users.You start with signing up for a class of your liking.
After picking up a class, the learning process starts where you will learn exactly everything that you came looking for.
Finishing up a class doesn’t mean that you will stop learning altogether. You will be able to keep growing and improving your skill all by yourself.
The website’s owner, Lisa Chang does her best to provide a Hawaiian hula school-like experience for the user, helping the user to be engaged in a Hawaiian cultural community.
They also have events and performances devoted to providing an authentic Hawaiian experience. They offer a mix of modern and ancient hula, done by a number of experienced performers.
Before attending the class, you will have to buy a Hālau uniform and wear it to class every week. The classes also have a pre-determined date and a limited time registration just like a school.
7) HawaiiHulaCompany
Hawaii Hula Company provides online virtual hula lessons. Although they actually serve only three islands in Hawaii, namely Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island. They bring the Hawaiian cultural experience to you, teaching you hula and Tahitian.
By also providing virtual lessons, you can learn all about hula while sitting in your living room!
Though the company mostly prefers providing individual and group classes in person rather than online. Their team of instructors consist of trained professional hula dancers.
The virtual lessons are private, giving you the option of either taking individual classes or with a group of friends and family. You can take these virtual lessons while being at the luxury of your own home.
Their virtual lessons also have the ability to allow multiple different locations to connect together at the same time. These lessons are well suited for every age, and very entertaining and fun to take part in.
By taking these lessons, you will have the chance of enjoying hula and experiencing the Hawaiian culture with your loved ones.
8) RealHula
Real Hula provides a simple way of learning hula lessons online. The website has a pretty basic interface. Navigating through the website is quite easy, as the website is designed in a simple manner.
Kumu Kea is the owner of the site. She has spent a lot of time teaching hula to others and is quite an experienced teacher.
They are situated in Kailua on the Island of O’ahu. The website does not shy off and let its users ask questions directly from Kuma Kea. All kinds of questions regarding hula is welcomed.
The website also offers a free preview of the first step about learning the basics of hula. Kuma Kea teaches you the posture and styling required to get started on hula dancing.
The preview is provided to help the user decide whether he finds the course suitable for him or not.
They also have a complete list of previews available for different DVDs the website showcases you. You can decide on the purchase after having a nice look at the preview.
9) HawaiianHula
Hawaiian Hula is another UK-based website providing online hula classes to the public. The classes are mostly pre-scheduled, and are taught following the said schedule.
Along with free basic practices, you can opt for either Hawaiian hula for beginners or for improvers.
If you choose the beginner option, you will learn all the basic aspects and skills to be able to hula dance effectively. You will get a better grasp at the basic learning curve of hula dancing.
On the other hand, if you go ahead and choose the hula lesson for improvers, you will be taught everything you need to improve at hula dancing and get a step closer to mastering hula.
Extra sessions, 1:1 classes and group lessons are also available under certain conditions.
In short, the website provides a great way of learning hula lessons in a very effective manner, making sure you will learn everything about hula. All you need to do is go to the website, and give it a try!
Choosing The Best Hula Lesson Online
Hula dancing is a great and fun hobby, offering many advantages. It also promotes good health and helps in getting a well-toned body. Although the dance is mostly done by women, but traditionally, men can also be a part of it.
Whether you are a tourist planning to visit Hawaii and enjoying the Hawaiian culture and hula performances, or just a dancing freak, you should definitely try learning hula.
Hula can be enjoyed on basically any occasion. It can also be used as a means of personal enjoyment.
After extensive reviewing, we have come up with a list of websites that will teach you all about hula. All of these websites offer a great learning experience. The only thing you need to do is pick any one of these websites and start learning your favorite hula skills!