Hula Dance Festival

Hula Dance Festival

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Pre-Reading Questions

Read the questions. Think about the topic. Pre-Reading Questions What are some things people associate with Hawaii?Would you like to visit the Hawaiian Islands? What would you like to see and do there? What do you know about Hawaiian culture?

What are some ways Hawaiians preserve their culture? Do you know how the hula (dance) originated?

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

Say the following words to your  He / She will listen and correct your pronunciation. chant cottage effort exhibit facial flowingperform preserve quilt

worship

You may wish to take a practice quiz to learn the meanings of the words.

Read the text aloud to your tutor. Your tutor will listen and provide you with feedback. Speaking Practice Read the following excerpt aloud to your partner.

Prince Lot Hula Festival

Did you know that you can tell stories with a dance? That’s what the kids in the photo are doing when they do the hula, a traditional dance of Hawaii. The hula combines flowing movement with facial expressions, all set to special chants and music. When hula began it was a form of worship.

Prince Lot Kapu`aiwa kept the hula alive in Hawaii at a time when interest in it was fading. Can you guess how he did it? The prince, who later became Kamehameha V, King of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872, was noted for his energy and strength of will. One of his interests was to promote and preserve Hawaiian culture, especially the hula. He did this by holding hula performances at his cottage in Moanalua. To many, the hula represents Hawaiians’ view of the world.

In appreciation of Prince Lot’s efforts to preserve Hawaiian culture, the Prince Lot Hula Festival was established in 1978. Each year na halau (hula schools) come to the festival to perform at Moanalua Gardens in Honolulu. This festival also includes other Hawaiian activities and exhibits such as hand-stitched quilts, leaf-weaving demonstrations to make hats and baskets, instrument-making and lei-making (a lei is a necklace of flowers). 

Source:  America’s Library Reading comprehension quiz.