Ka Ulu Hoi

ʻO ko kākou Hawaiʻi, he ʻāina ʻohuʻohu i nā lei ʻaʻala i hāʻawi ʻia mai e nā ʻāina ʻē, ka moʻomeheu nō hoʻi, o Kahiki. Mai ka Lepupalika Dominikana mai, ua pae mai kekahi ʻanoʻano ma kahakai nei, ua hoʻoaʻa iho, ua kupu mai, ua liko, ua pua, ua mōhala. ʻO ia pua nō ʻo ka lāhui hulahula bachata ma Hawaiʻi nei. 

ʻO ka mea nui o ka bachata, he hulahula pakanā nō. He kupaianaha nō ke ʻano o kēia hulahula pakanā. ʻAʻohe ʻōlelo a nā pakanā e hulahula ana, akā maopopo nō nā mea a pau o ka hulahula. He pilina nō ko lāua. Akā, he mau loina nō hoʻi ko kēia hulahula. Na kekahi pakanā e alakaʻi ana i nā keʻehi a me nā ʻoniʻoni. Na kekahi pakanā hoʻi e hahai ana i ka hulahula. I ka hapanui o ka manawa, ʻo ke kāne ke alakaʻi, ʻo ka wahine ke hahai. I kekahi manawa, alakaʻi ka wahine, a hahai ke kāne, a i ʻole kuapo ʻia nā kūlana i ke mele like. ʻO kekahi loina, ʻo ia ke keʻehi kahua. Like loa ke keʻehi kahua me ke kāholo o ka hula Hawaiʻi — neʻe ka mea hulahula i ka ʻaoʻao ʻekolu keʻehi, a laila māmā ke kau ʻana o ka wāwae i luna o ka papahele. I ka hema ke alakaʻi, i ka ʻākau hoʻi ka mea hahai i ka pana ʻakahi o ke mele. Neʻe lāua i kekahi ʻaoʻao i ka pana ʻalima o ke mele. 

ʻO kēia pilina o nā mea hulahula ka hiʻohiʻona punahele o kou mea kākau. He pilina e like ai, e hui ai, e pili ai nā pakanā. Aia lāua e launa mua ana, ʻakahi a hoʻomaka ke mele hou e kāhea mai ana, kilo kekahi i nā hoa hulahula e kū ana ma loko o ka lumi, ʻike aku, ʻike mai - eia hoʻi! kona pakanā o kēia mele. E kokoke ana lāua kekahi i kekahi, e neʻe ana ke kino i ka pana o ke mele, e hoʻopā nā lima o lāua kekahi i kekahi. I ia hoʻopā ʻana o nā lima e kupu ai ka pilina, e kamaʻilio ai lāua ma o ka hulahula.

ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻaʻole paha mai ka Lepupalika Dominikana mai kēia hulahula e puni ai ka mea kākau. Ua hānau ʻia kekahi hulahula ʻo ka bachata Dominikana ma ia ʻāina nō. ʻO kona ʻano? He mea nui nā kaʻina o ka neʻe ʻana o nā wāwae, a he mea nui nō hoʻi ka ʻoni ʻana o ke kīkala. ʻO kekahi hiʻohiʻona o ka bachata Dominikana, ʻo ia ʻo ka ʻokoʻa o ka hana o nā kino o nā pakanā i ka wā like. Inā hele ke alakaʻi i kekahi ʻaoʻao, hele pū ka hahai, akā ʻokoʻa paha nā keʻehi. I kekahi manawa ʻaʻole neʻe nā mea hulahula. Kū lāua a ʻano like ke ʻano o nā kīkala me ke kāʻō hula, a i ʻole ka ʻami kūkū. Haku wale ka mea hulahula i ke keʻehi kūpono i ke kani o nā pila a me ka māhele o ke mele.   

E ka mea heluhelu, mai kuhihewa, aia kekahi mau bachata ʻokoʻa, no laila, ʻaʻole ua bachata Dominikana nei ʻo ka hulahula e puni ai ka mea kākau. ʻO ka hulahula bachata kaulana a laha i ka honua i kēia wā, ʻaʻole ia ʻo ka bachata mai Dominikana mai, he ʻokoʻa loa nō. Ua haku ʻia ka hulahula bachata sensual e kekahi mea hulahula salsa ma Sepania i kona lohe ʻana i ke mele bachata. Ua hoʻohui ʻia ka pana o ke mele bachata me nā keʻehi kahua o ia hulahula - like loa ia keʻehi me ke kaholo — a me ka ʻānuʻunuʻu ʻana o ke kino me he nalu lā, ka ʻami ʻana o ke kīkala, a me ka niniu ʻana o ka umauma. ʻO ka pūʻili, i kekahi manawa like ia me ko ka bachata Dominikana, ʻo ia hoʻi, hoʻopā nā lima o nā mea hulahula kekahi i kekahi. I ka hulahula bachata sensual, i kekahi manawa ʻo ka pūʻili nō ia, kokoke nā kino, a hoʻānuʻunuʻu pū nā kino. Huhū kekahi poʻe bachata Dominikana i ke kapa ʻia ʻana o ia mea hou ʻo ka bachata sensual, ma muli o kona ʻauana nui ʻana i ka bachata maoli. Akā, ke manaʻo nei ka mea kākau, inā paha i kapa ʻia kēia hulahula i ka inoa ʻokoʻa, e huhū ana nō kekahi i ka poina o ke kumu o nā pila a me ke kahua o ka bachata sensual. Kā! Haʻalele wale iho nō i ke kula o Pūʻula! 

I kēia mau lā, ua loli hou ka hulahula i mea hou ma o ka hoʻohui ʻia ʻana o ka bachata sensual me ka hulahula zouk o Barazila. E paʻakikī aʻe ana ke ʻano o ka ʻoniʻoni ʻana o ke kino a me ka hulihuli ʻana kekahi. Kapa ʻia kēia ʻano hulahula he bachazouk, he zoukchata, a he bachata sensual kekahi. ʻAʻole nui kēia ʻano hulahula ma Hawaiʻi nei i kēia manawa.

E ka mea heluhelu, inā paha i ulu aʻe kou hoi, e ʻike ʻoe i ka hulahula bachata ma nā hale hulahula a me nā hale inu nō hoʻi. Nui nā hanana hulahula wale: hoʻokani ʻia nā mele e ka wilipā, a hulahula nā mea hulahula. ʻOkoʻa nā hanana hulahula wale, ʻokoʻa nā hanana aʻo hulahula. Ma nā hanana hulahula wale, haku wale ʻia ka hulahula me nā pakanā ʻokoʻa i kēlā me kēia mele. Kamaʻāina nō nā haumāna kulanui i ka District, kahi e hulahula ai i ka bachata a me ka salsa ma nā Pōʻahā. He manuahi ke komo ʻana, akā pono nā makahiki he 21 a ʻoi. ʻO kekahi wahi ʻoi aku o ka leʻaleʻa no kou mea kākau, ʻo ia ka hale ʻo Aloha Dancesport ma nā Pōʻalua. Ma laila nō hoʻi e hana ai kou mea kākau ma ke ʻano he kumu. Maikaʻi kēia hanana i mea e aʻo mai ai ka mea hoihoi i ka hulahula; he ʻekolu mau hui o nā pae ʻokoʻa, a aʻo ʻia ka hulahula salsa kekahi. ʻO kahi hope e hoʻolaha ʻia nei, ʻo ia ka hale ʻo Paradise Tango ma nā Pōʻakolu. Kokoke nō kēia hale i ke kulanui, aia ma luna o Nijiya Market. Emi mai ke kumu kūʻai e komo ai nā haumāna kulanui. ʻAʻole i uku ʻia kēia mau hoʻolaha hanana bachata. 

Eia koʻu manaʻo: i leʻa ka hula i ka hoʻopaʻa, i bachata ka bachata i ke mele. Lohe ʻia ka leo, ke kīkā alakaʻi, ke kīkā pana, ka pahu bongo, ke kīkā basu, a me ke guira (he pila hao e waʻu ʻia e ka hao i mea e hoʻokani ai). Ua hānau ʻia kekahi mau hulahula hou, ʻokoʻa ka bachata maoli, ʻokoʻa ka bachata sensual, akā like nā pila. Ke laha nei kēia mea ʻo ka bachata, kona mele a me kona hulahula, ma Hawaiʻi nei, ma nā hale hulahula a ma nā hale inu. E hele mai i ʻike ʻoukou i ka leʻaleʻa a me ke kupaianaha nō hoʻi o kēia hulahula. E waiho i ka hilahila ma ka hale, e hele mai, e aʻa i ka hulahula, e leʻaleʻa kākou.   

© Kaya Leonard 2025