At Sandy's Hula Studio
photo by IDEGUCHI Keiko

Why Not Dance with Delight?

I'm often asked, "What are you thinking when you dance?" I tell the women who come to Sandy's Hula Studio, "Dance for yourself," and "Laugh for yourself." When you stand before a mirror and create a smile for yourself, the person in the mirror smiles back at you. Smiling is the best way to strengthen your autonomic nervous system. Happiness finds those who can offer a kind, gentle smile. Why? Because a smile builds the power to feel happiness. That is the "Aloha Muscle."
Since I started hula, I've gained physical strength, but I've also developed a mental fortitude that I call the "Aloha Muscle." The Aloha Muscle is the strength of the heart that creates a smile. It sends a signal to the autonomic nervous system that "this person is happy right now." At the same time, smiling is an act of self-encouragement when dancing.

If you believe happiness lies outside yourself, think again. Happiness resides within. How wonderful an aesthetic experience it is to smile from the depths of your heart. What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of tomorrow do you wish to greet? It's all up to you, and it's decided right now.

Let Your Own Flower Bloom

Posture is crucial in hula. It's a bit difficult to explain in words, but by establishing a strong core axis and extending your awareness upward, as if blooming a large flower in your chest (which we call "opening the heart chakra"), your face will naturally reflect this openness with a smile. My motto is, "Don't let that flower wither." With hula, it's easy to make your own flower bloom.

While Japanese dance might seem daunting, hula allows you to become supple from within, like the fragrance of a flower. Those who can receive this suppleness are drawn to the studio. It's common for first-time students to look like entirely different people when they leave compared to when they arrived. It's a transformation; you truly realize how much a person can change with just a shift in mindset.

It would be a shame to reserve hula solely for performance. The most important thing is for you to enjoy it. It enhances your wonderful qualities, and when you ride the waves in sync with your hula sisters, physical and mental stiffness melts away. You can achieve a state of neutrality, becoming truly "friendly with hula." It's truly beautiful when your breathing naturally synchronizes and you become one.
Group hula possesses a beauty akin to flocks of birds sensing the wind and changing direction in unison without a leader, offering a delightful sense of unity when dancing together.
Can't you feel that sense of well-being just from the photograph?

Do you have your "Aloha Muscle"?
photo by IDEGUCHI Keiko