UCLA's Hawai'i Club, Hui O 'Imiloa, set to throw 26th Annual Luau with authentic dancing, dishes from the island
Tahitian dance performers from Hui O “˜Imiloa are busy making their skirt pieces by braiding rafia with feathers and fabric. In Tahitian dance, these skirts are worn to accentuate hip movements and will be worn at the Luau Saturday.
Courtesy of Brittany Kaleilani Jang
Hui o "˜Imiloa Annual Luau
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Ackerman Grand Ballroom, FREE
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 6, 2011 12:10 a.m.
If the average tourist were to go on a vacation to Hawaii, he or she would no doubt be tempted to attend a luau for a night of food and entertainment provided by men in Hawaiian shirts and khaki pants and by women in leaf skirts and coconut bikinis. Though fun, it isn’t necessarily authentic.
On Saturday, Hui O “˜Imiloa, UCLA’s Hawai’i Club, will bring an authentic Hawaiian luau to students in the form of its 26th Annual Luau. Admission to the luau is free, but students must buy an eating ticket for $10 at the Central Ticket Office if they want to eat the food provided.
Megan Tokeshi, a fourth-year history student and general luau coordinator, said that the Hawai’i Club’s luau is intended to educate students about traditional Hawaiian culture and dispel stereotypical myths about life in Hawaii.
“We try to nix the stereotypes that people think of when they think of Hawaii. I remember when I first came to college, a lot of people asked me if I lived in a grass shack, if I lived right on the beach (and) if I stuck poles in the ground to cook my food. That’s basically what they see at a touristy luau,” Tokeshi said.
Perhaps the most recognizable aspect of a luau is hula dancing. However, Tyler Wong, a fourth-year chemical engineering student and co-president of the Hawai’i Club, said that students who attend the luau will see that traditional hula dancing is much more complicated than the version performed at tourist luaus.
“It’s more than just sway your hips and make waves with your arms,” Wong said.
In fact, according to Wong, most traditional Hawaiian dances are meant to tell a story ““ a legend about Hawaiian gods and goddesses, for example. Certain motions have established meanings. For example, if the dancers put their hands over their hearts and move them outward, the motion symbolizes giving love to someone. Conversely, if they put their hands over their heart and bring their hands inward, the motion symbolizes asking for someone’s love.
There is much more to a luau than mere dance moves, however. Also instrumental to the atmosphere of the luau are music and clothing. According to Wong, the music at the event will include the club’s ukulele ensemble, which will play an assortment of traditional Hawaiian songs, as well as a band of UCLA students playing more contemporary Hawaiian music consisting of a jazz reggae style.
Traditional costumes are also a major facet of the authenticity of Saturday’s luau. There will be no leaf skirts or coconut bikinis in sight. Alyssa Anderson, a third-year applied geophysics student and a member of the luau coordinating committee, said that the use of traditional Hawaiian costumes adds to the authenticity of the dance.
According to Anderson, traditional hula dress for girls consists of a large and brightly colored dress paired with a long skirt and leis worn in the hair and around the neck.
Men traditionally wear a simple malo, a Hawaiian male undergarment, but Anderson said that men wear a white collared shirt and black pants in lieu of the more revealing malo.
“It’s not very much coverage, so I think they have to be pretty brave to do something like that,” she said.
The final piece of Saturday’s luau is much more hands on: food, which has also been subject to stereotyping.
“We bring in traditional Hawaiian food so people don’t think of Hawaiian food as things just like Hawaiian barbecue that you can find anywhere, or anything with pineapple on it,” Tokeshi said.
Food at Saturday’s luau will include laulau (a dish that consists of beef and pork steamed in kelp leaves), lomi-lomi salmon (a side dish that consists of salmon mixed with tomatoes and onions) and poi (a paste made of mashed taro root).
Wong said that he believes this luau is a great way for students to interact with traditional and authentic Hawaiian culture in a way that is difficult to find on the mainland.
“It’s an insight into Hawaiian culture. … Most people don’t get to go to luaus unless they go to Hawaii, so we try to bring that here for them and give them that experience,” Wong said.
