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Word: huapala (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
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...Huapala is the Hawaiian word for a favorite orange blossom. It is what Hawaiians call their sweethearts. It is also what they call Vivienne Mader, a young lady from Brooklyn who can perform the graceful native dances with strict accuracy. Vivienne Mader first visited Hawaii in 1929. Elderly Helen Desha Beamer, famed native dancer, taught her hula along with her own grandchildren. All over Hawaii Miss Mader has been a sensation. The late Princess Elizabeth Kalanianaole acclaimed her. She has danced throughout the U. S. and last week in Manhattan's Town Hall. Brooklyn's Huapala gave...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Music: Huapala's Hulas | 5/3/1937 | See Source »

Hulas call for words as well as music. The dancer sings them, is free to improvise or repeat. She gives the accompanying musicians their cues, establishes the time with her swaying hips. Different dances require different costumes. Huapala wore grass skirts, tapa gowns, the Mother Hubbard cloak introduced by missionaries. She described in words and gestures the districts of Hawaii, the torments of despised loves, the varieties of Hawaiian fish. Connoisseurs were interested in her seated dances wherein she swayed from the waist, wriggled sinuous arms, clicked a pair of pebbles called ili ili. Mikel Hanapi, dressed in a cape...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Music: Huapala's Hulas | 5/3/1937 | See Source »

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