Brought to you by Auspices of the Metropolis of Chicago & The World Council of Hellenes Abroad SAE U.S.A. Region, we graciously accept their invitation to participate in the inaugural ceremony!
Friday October 9th, at the Westin O'hare, we will be shaking our hips to some Tahitian beats and telling stories with our lovely Hula hands in front of a group of talented youths from Hellenic American. This event is the FIRST ANNUAL GREEK FOLK DANCE & CHORAL COMPETITON in which they are able to showcase their talents through dancing and singing !
One of Ohana Ent's Favorite sites when shopping around for everything with the Island theme isHapa|Hale. Admit it, all of us have googled for "hawaiian clothes, pacific island jewelry, hawaiian fashion, etc" and bookmarked it to find out that we can never seem to locate it ever again !! The frustration builds and you give up. The genius behind Hape|Hane tells the story on how she created this blog to make life simpler for the rest of us. Everything in one awesome blog !!
hapa hale is the low down on where to find all things modern & fresh from the islands of hawai'i. it all started out of my own frustration trying to locate well designed finds that have a more modern aesthetic &/or honor the old ways of the islands.
living on the mainland makes it even more difficult to bring a modern island style to my home away from home. it truly seemed to be a task of futility since the only way to find such elusive goodness required endless slogging through vacation rental listings and lots of things which are simply not my thing. if you have ever googled "hawaii" + "[fill in the blank]" you know my pain.
so my one and only new year's resolution was to create a blog to feature all the lovely things kama'aina are making, be they in hawai'i or off in the great world, as well as anything else island inspired that catches my fancy.
when i find them, good travel deals (filed under jet set) and off the beaten path things to do in hawai'i (filed under adventure and wish you were here) will also be posted because i am always on the hunt for something different to do when i go home (and i firmly believe that more locals should explore all the wonder that awaits them in their backyard).
and that, quite simply, is the hapa|hale manifesto!
Ohana Entertainment is looking to expand our Family of Dancers. If you are an experienced Polynesian dancer and have performed at an advanced or professional level, we’d love to meet you! We are looking for talented, energetic, outgoing, and experienced dancers who want to help us share the Aloha Spirit. Men and women who are 18 and older are welcome, and if you know someone that might be interested, be sure to let them know! Mahalo!
We would like to invite you to celebrate your talent on: 15 Sept 2009 at 7:30 PM. 1357 N Milwaukee, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL Please bring music and be prepared to dance a Hula and Tahitian number
You ask yourself, "How will I ever know these steps?" It may seem harder than it really is, but knowing the basic moves for Polynesian dancing brings youcloser to the culture . If you practice these steps 5-10min a day, study them in your car, or even quiz yourself before going to bed, you will eventually create your own choreography! To learn these hot moves, stop in and take advantage of your First Class FREE when you mention this blog !!
See you in Class on Thursday with Ohana Entertainment
Kaholo (vamp)take two steps to the right, bring your feet together, take two steps to the left, bring your feet together and repeat process all over again
Ami rotate hips in a counter-clockwise motion without moving shoulders
Sway swing your hips to the right and left
ami poe poe as you ami (counter-clockwise) you turn counter-clockwise keeping your left foot in its place and turn by stepping with your right foot
*do the opposite if you move correspondingly: clockwise ami to turn clockwise keeping your right foot in place and turn by stepping with your left foot
hela while keeping your stance straight extend your foot forward as you sway: extend your right foot as you sway to the left and extend your left foot as you sway to the right
kalakaua step forward and sway in the same direction
uwehe step and lift your heels; you should not be lifting you entire body, stay level as you uwehe so that only your legs are moving
lele uwehe make a side step, hela with the opposite foot and uwehe*step to the left, hela with the right foot and uwehe (vice versa)
kui take a small step and as your foot hits the ground your other foot sweeps up far enough to be level with your knee
tui (bump)a brupt sways i lalo to go down
i luna to rise
lava stop
imua go forward
ihope go backward
::Tahitian Steps::credit to: http://www.dance.net/u/kaleonahenahe Afata- box (hips hit in the shape of a box) Fa'arapu- stir hips fast circles ( hips move around in fast circles) Fa'arori- varu fa'arapu (you do a fa'arapu in the shape of figure eight) Fa'amenemene- ami fa'arapu (you do a big ami and a fa'arapu @ the same time)
Ope- you put one leg out and push and then the same to the other side Ruru- freeze ( I normally refere to this move as a shimmy)
Nu'utere Ne'e- duck walk
Tamau- sway right, sway left (hips bump from side to side)
Te'i- on toes
Toma- double bump Varu- figure eight (hips move in the shape of a figure eight the in parallel to the floor)
Traditionally in Hawaii, Leis are an accessory to be worn at special events such as weddings, luaus, picnics, or even the first or last day on the job.
As part of Ohana Entertainment and Friends, let's start a tradition right here in our own wonderful city of Chicago!
Enjoy this simple instruction on how to create a lei for that special person.
Step 1 Lay a 36-inch long piece of grosgrain ribbon flat on a work table. Lay the fake flowers to be used on the ribbon in a random fashion. Ensure same color flowers are not side by side, but separated with a contrasting color flower. For example, alternate light flowers with dark flowers so that the colors of each blossom stand out. Lay flowers side by side, but not too close together. Continue doing this from one end of the ribbon to the other, leaving a 1/2-inch space at each end.
Step 2 Start at one end of the ribbon. Pick up a flower and, with a hot glue gun, put a dab of hot glue on the inside center of each blossom (wrong side) and press it down onto the grosgrain ribbon where it had been positioned.
Step 3 Glue the next flower. Continue until all the flowers are secured to the grosgrain ribbon. Let the lei cool.
Step 4 Add a dab of hot glue to one of the ribbon ends and lay the other end of the ribbon on top of it to secure closure. Press together and let cool.
Step 5 Make as many leis as may be needed for the event where they will be used. Hand out to guests to wear as they arrive, to create a festive atmosphere. If there are many leis, more than one lei can be given to each guest to wear.
!!!!Another alternative for that sweet tooth is a Candy Lei. You can create your candy lei for any occassion and for whatever reason - just use your imagination run wild !!!!
Xilin Association will be celebrating the 7th Annual Asian Heritage Festival which is an outdoor and all day event complete with Cultural Village Bazaar & Ethnic Dance Splendor Stage Show Performances on Sunday, August 16th 2009. BRING YOUR FAMILY AND LUNCH FOR A PICNIC IN THE PARK! SEE YOU THERE !
