In New York, we get to see a lot of traditional dance (formerly called folk dance), but one form that visits us rarely is hula, from our own country. Like many other traditional dance forms, hula was heavily discouraged by missionaries and other representatives of Euro-America in the nineteenth century. It seemed to them immoral, and also a waste of time. But it survived in the countryside, and, as in the usual colonial/post-colonial stories, there was eventually a vigorous revival, headed by cultural loyalists. When I was at Girl Scout camp, we were taught a species of hula, floral and sinuous, to “Lovely Hula Hands,” as played by our counsellor on the ukulele. Most Hawaiian versions are different. The dancers often do wear grass skirts and leis, but their movements are gutty, pelvic, rhythmic. The women tend to be heavy; the men thick-thighed. Some of the routines began as war dances. Hālau I Ka Wēkiu, a troupe from Oahu, is travelling the Eastern Seaboard this month. They will perform at Jacob’s Pillow on Aug. 1 and at Symphony Space on Aug. 8.

我们在纽约见识过不少传统的舞蹈（通称“民间舞蹈”）啦，而其中难得一见的草裙舞（又称呼啦圈舞），它就源自我们的祖国。同其它传统舞蹈一样，草裙舞这一艺术形式在十九世纪受到传教士和其他欧美人士的极端压制，因为在他们看来，草裙舞过于放荡，而且根本就是浪费时间。然而草裙舞在乡村地区得以残存，并且终于在殖民时期后，在文艺倡导者的引领下重登历史舞台。当我还在女童童军营地的时候，我们伴着顾问先生的四弦琴声，环带花圈，跳的是就草裙舞的一种，叫做“可爱的呼啦手”。夏威夷的草裙舞形式多样。舞者们通常头戴花环，身着草裙翩然起舞，然而却动感十足、身姿优美，洋溢着古老的风韵。跳草裙舞的女性多是胖墩墩的，男性也是。还有些舞步起舞的时候就好像在跳战阵舞。Hālau I Ka Wēkiu是来自瓦胡岛的一个剧团，本月正在东部沿海巡回演出，八月一日他们即将在“雅各枕舞蹈节”（Jacob’s Pillow ，是美国历史最悠久的舞蹈节，也是全球知名的舞蹈节之一）上表演，且八月八日在交响乐空间（Symphony Space，位于纽约曼哈顿百老汇大道上）表演节目。