Dance Your Story.

I'm watching the third and final night of the Merrie Monarch Festival, which is the largest annual hula festival here in Hawaii. It is held in Hilo, and draws halau (schools) from all over the state and from the mainland. It's a beautiful and splendid thing to watch. And as a writer, I am particularly struck that these dancers are telling stories through their dance. In the mele (chant) and in the dance itself. Hula is storytelling done with the voice, mind, and body. The Hawaiian people have saved their history through the hula. Even to those of us who are woefully ignorant of the language can feel the complex emotion of these stories.

I recommend that you spend some time on YouTube considering the hula, and think of how you would dance your story. How would you tell your story with your whole self?