the dance
From hula kahiko to hula ʻauana: the two styles in the show
What separates the older hula from the newer, and why a single evening moves between both.
Reserve the Pāʻina luau ↗Two hula traditions
| Style | Instruments | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Hula kahiko | Chant and traditional instruments | Composed before 1894; austere, reverent |
| Hula ʻauana | Guitar, ʻukulele, double bass | Developed under Western influence; freer in form |
What hula kahiko means
Hula kahiko covers dances composed before 1894, performed to chant and traditional instruments rather than melody — a style with, in its own tradition, a reverence for its spiritual roots.
What hula ʻauana means
ʻAuana means roughly “to wander” or “drift.” Hula ʻauana is the form that developed once guitar, ʻukulele and double bass entered Hawaiian music — a looser, song-driven style rather than a chanted one.
Why the show uses both
The hula built around Queen Liliʻuokalani sits closer to the older tradition; later numbers move the evening into hula ʻauana as the story widens out into the broader Pacific.
What hula is actually doing
Hula dramatises the words of a mele — a chant or song — in dance: hand movements can represent something as plain as a wave or a tree in the wind, alongside more abstract ideas.
Fire knife, by contrast
The finale's fire knife dancing is a separate tradition again, a Samoan form that became part of the luāu stage show rather than a style of hula itself.
Watching for the difference
If you want to catch the shift yourself, listen for the instruments: chant and percussion mark the older hula, guitar and ʻukulele mark the newer, and both arrive before the fire closes the night.