Thursday, October 18, 2012

What I find lacking in this review of hula is its lack of research, curiosity, information and depth. Macaulay provided highly inflected associations and stark opinions about the performance that clearly reflect a narrow vision of dance. He perceives the male sexuality--"handsomely muscular," "a touch of Chippendales" and "jockstraps"--but barely skims the deeper evocations of the dance. Inform us about the ritual, the sacredness, the significance. I was thrilled by the strength and power of Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La's male hula. That said, I must say that the hyper-masculinized hula does sometimes appear steroidal. My preference is for range of expression in the form--the grace and subtlety--not just the butchified, muscle-flexing stiffness that most people love. Interestingly, my hula friend utterly disliked one of the modern dance pieces on the same program, displaying her own narrow view dance.