TOPICS 96 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hula ; the Spirit of Aloha フラダンス ; アロハの心 . |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When people think of Hawaii, most envision white beaches, palm trees, and
women in scant clothing dancing the hula. Almost everyone has heard of hula, the
traditional dance of Hawaii. Today, hula
is danced all over the world. However, the fast, sexy hula made famous by
movies and television is quite different from the hula danced in Hawaii. Hula is actually a graceful and dignified
dance, steeped in ancient tradition and cultural importance. ハワイと言えば、多くの人は白い砂浜、椰子の木、そして裸同然の女性がフラダンスを踊るのを思い描きます。ほとんどの人は Hula、ハワイの伝統的なダンスを知っています。現在、Hulaは世界中で踊られています。しかし、映画やテレビで有名な、速くてセクシーなHulaは実はハワイで踊られるHulaと全く異なります。Hulaは本当は古代の伝統と文化的に重要な意味を持つ、優美で威厳のあるダンスです。 History 歴史 Hula
has deep connections to the native Hawaiian religion. This religion bears similarities to
Shintoism, worshipping gods of nature, like the sea and the mountains. The most famous and powerful of the ancient
Hawaiian gods is Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. Pele is said to love the hula, and many myths
feature other gods dancing hula for Pele.
The mythical origin of hula is that Laka, the patron goddess of hula,
invented it one day to amuse the bored Volcano Goddess. The most famous and popular traditional hula
dances are about Pele. Historically, hula came to Hawaii with the Polynesians,
sailing from the South Pacific around
500 AD. The Hawaiian people had no
written language, so all of their history and mythology was memorized in
song-like chants, called ‘mele’ in Hawaiian.
Hula was danced in accompaniment to those chants, along with percussion
music on drums and gourds. There are set
foot motions in Hula, set to the rhythm of the mele, while the hand motions
emphasize important points in the story.
Every hand motion in hula has a meaning, and every dance tells a
story. The mele were about mythology,
history, romances, genealogy, and prayers to the gods. 歴史的にみると、Hulaはおよそ西暦500年南太平洋から渡ってきたポリネシア人とともにハワイに来ました。ハワイの先住民には文字がなかったから、全ての歴史や神話は”Mele”(ハワイ語で”歌”)と言う伝統的な合唱によって暗記されました。HulaはそのMeleと打楽器(ドラムとひょうたん)に合わせて踊られました。Hulaで足の動きはセットパターンがあって、Meleのリズムに合わせて踊ります。手の動きはMeleの話の強調するポイントを示します。Hulaリズムにおけるあらゆる手の動きには意味があって、あらゆるダンスが話です。Meleは神話、歴史、ロマンス、系図、祈りなどに関するものです。 Hula was
danced as a prayer for good harvest or success in war. It was danced for births and deaths,
festivals, and also entertainment. But
hula, at it’s core, was a religious dance.
Dances accompanied by the sharkskin drum were the most sacred, performed
only by priests. Hula dancers had to
follow strict rules. For example, they
were forbidden to cut their hair and nails.
This is why the image of a hula
girl is a woman with long, black hair.
Even today, cutting your hair too short will get you expelled from a
prestigious halau (hula school). Hulaは豊作や戦争成功のために踊られました。出生、葬式、祭り、娯楽のためなどに踊られました。しかし、Hulaはもともとは宗教ダンスでした。サメ皮のドラムに合わせてのダンスは、最も神聖で、聖職者だけしか踊りませんでした。Hula を踊る人は厳しい規則に従わなければなりませんでした。たとえば、髪と爪を切るのが禁じられました。そういうわけでよく知られているHulaを踊る人のイメージは長い黒髪女性です。今でも、髪を短く切れば名門のHalau(フラダンスの舞踊教室)から除名されます。
1820年代に、キリスト教の伝道師がハワイにきました。彼らは女性が公然と踊る姿を見てショックを受けました。そして伝道師たちはハワイ人を(Hulaが非常に重要であった)地元の宗教から改宗させようとしました。そういうわけで伝道師たちはHulaを禁止しました。彼らは Ka’ahumanu 女王を改宗させました。この非常に優れた女性はKamehameha大王の妻で、彼の死後にハワイを統治することになりました。伝道師たちはこの女王の助けを借りてHulaを禁止しました。 Hula was
practiced in secret for many years, in remote areas. Some practitioners took to dancing hula for
foreign sailors to support their art.
Over time the dance changed to appeal to the audience. This is the origin of the worldwide stereotype of hula as
an exotic, bawdy dance.
The missionaries compromised by
allowing hula as long as it was danced in ‘Holoku’, long dresses with high
collars. These elegant dresses are based
on Victorian fashions. Though the
baggier, sleeveless mu’u mu’u is the more famous garment outside of Hawaii, the
holoku is the most beloved western-style garment in Hawaiian hula. A white holoku is considered very formal in
Hawaii, and many High Schools (including mine) use them instead of the
traditional cap and gown for graduation
ceremonies. Holoku-style wedding dresses
are also very popular.
伝道師は妥協して、HulaはHoloku(高いカラーがある長いドレス)を着ることを条件に踊ることを許可します。この上品なHolokuというドレスはイギリスのビクトリア朝のファッションに基づいています。Holokuより もっとダブダブでそでのない Mu’u Mu’u (ムームー)のほうが知られていますが、ハワイではHolokuは最も愛されているフラダンスの服です。白いHolokuは正装で、多くの高校(私の母校を含む)では卒業式の正装の代わりに女子卒業生はHolokuを着ます。Holokuスタイルのウエディングドレスもかなり人気があります。
Hula Today 今日のフラダンス Hula is
practiced widely in Hawaii today by women and men. Outside of Hawaii mostly
women dance hula, but hula in Hawaii has always been danced by both men and women. There are various hula halau (schools), or
you can take less formal classes at a places like the YMCA. Most High Schools have at least one annual
hula pageant, and any student can audition to participate. 現在、Hulaは女性にも男性にも広く踊られています。ハワイの他では女性がほとんど踊りますが、ハワイでは最初から男性と女性両方が踊っていました。様々なHula
Halau(フラダンスの舞踊教室)があります。またYMCAのようなそれほど正式ではないダンスのレッスンを受けることができます。ほとんどの高校は年に一度位のフラダンス大会を開き、学生はそれに参加するためにオーディションを受けます。 There are two styles of Hula: Kahiko and ‘Auana. Kahiko means “traditional” in Hawaiian. People who dance Kahiko as much as possible try to preserve the dance as it was before western contact. The costume for Kahiko is usually a combination of Ti leaf skirts and accessories (for example anklets and head-dress) with loose cloth to simulate traditional Hawaiian bark cloth. Kahiko is considered the more difficult of the two styles, since it is full of deep meaning. Kahiko is still danced to chanting and the beating of percussion instruments. It is very vigorous and powerful, often incorporating stomping and swift movement. Male Kahiko is knownfor being explosive and energetic.
‘Auana means “modern” in Hawaiian. It is the style of hula most famous around the world, though it is still quite different from “Hollywood” hula. The traditional costume for ‘Auana is a mu’u mu’u or a holoku. It can be slow or fast, but it is always danced smoothly and gracefully. ‘Auana is danced to Hawaiian music, which can be either in Hawaiian or English. Hawaiian music is melodic and usually includes guitar and ukulele playing. In ‘Auana, also, the hand motions follow the meaning of the song. For example, Kaimana Hila is a famous Hawaiian song. “Kaimana Hila” is the Hawaiian name for “Diamond Head”, the famous old volcano you see on the Eastern edge of Waikiki. The song is about a group of friends seeing the sights in old Waikiki. Aloha Oe “the Hawaiian farewell song” is a beautiful song written by the last Queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani, during the end of her reign. It is about the sad parting of two lovers. When hula is danced to these songs, the hand motions follow the meaning of the Hawaiian words. 「’Auana」はハワイ語で「現代的」という意味です。この型は世界中で最も有名ですが、それでも’Auanaはハリウッドのフラダンスともかなり違います。’Auanaの服装は普通 mu’u mu’u 又はHolokuです。早さに違いがありますが、’Auanaはいつもスムーズで優雅に踊ります。’Auanaは心地よい調べのハワイの音楽に合わせて踊ります。ハワイ語でも英語でも歌われて、普通ギターとウクレレが伴奏します。’Auanaでも、手の動きは物話を示します。例えば、”Kaimana Hila” は有名な曲です。”Kaimana Hila”はダイアモンドヘッド(東ワイキキの有名な古い火山)のハワイ語の名前です。 曲の内容は友人たちが昔のワイキキを散歩して名所を見物するというものです。「ハワイの別れ歌」”Aloha ‘Oe”はハワイの最後の女王”Liliuokalani”がハワイ王国の終わりに
Japan and Hula 日本とフラダンス Hula
became popular in Japan in the 1980s, mostly among older women. It was promoted as a low-stress form of
aerobic exercise. Many of the women who
started dancing were attracted to hula because of fond memories of Hawaiian songs that
were popular in their youth. 1980年代にHulaは日本で人気が出てきましたが、踊るのは年取った女性がほとんどでした。動きの 激しくない有酸素運動として広められました。踊った女性の多くは若い頃に人気があったハワイの歌が懐かしかったのでHulaに興味をかきたてられました。 In the early 90s travel to Hawaii became popular and hula followed. Today low-impact aerobic hula is still popular amongst older women, while modern and traditional hula has become popular amongst 20-30 year-olds. It is common for someone in Japan strongly interested in hula to go to Hawaii to study in a halau (dance school) under a Hawaiian Kumu Hula (Hula Master). Some do so several times a year, and some of them open their own schools in Japan. Many Halaus in Hawaii have sister halau’s in Japan. Some Japanese Halaus even compete in a few competitions in Hawaii. There is even an All-Japan Hula Association. 1990年代前半にハワイ旅行が人気が出て、Hulaも人気が出てきました。今でも動きの激しくない有酸素運動のHulaは年取った女性に人気があり、20-30代の人に伝統的と現代的なHulaが人気が出ました。ハワイのHalau(フラダンスの舞踊教室)でKumu
Hula (フラダンス師範)の指導を受けにハワイに行く、Hulaに強い興味を持つ日本人はたくさんいます。ある人は年に何回も指導を受け、日本で自分のフラダンスの舞踊教室を開く人もいます。多くのハワイのHalauは日本に姉妹学校があります。ある日本のHalauはハワイのフラダンスコンクールに参加します。全日本フラ協会もあるそうです。 Why do Hula? どうしてフラダンスを踊りますか?Hula is very
good exercise. Most of the motions are
done with the knees bent, and so it strengthens the legs. The hip sways and rolls build strong
abdominal muscles. Hula practice
increases flexibility, balance, fine muscle control and good posture. But, because (‘Auana) hula is usually
low-impact exercise, anyone at any fitness level can participate. And for a more intense workout, dancers can
move up to the more physically demanding Kahiko. But most of all, it’s a lot of fun. So if you ever have a chance, please try
hula, and experience a bit of Hawaii’s rich history and
culture.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
☆ | ☆ |