HULA PONO PRESENTS:
HULA BASICS
FROM YOUR FIRST STEP TO YOUR FIRST MELE
An 8-week LIVE online HULA experience to help you move, reconnect with yourself,
and learn the foundations of Hula — one step at a time.
No dance experience required.
Begins:
Saturday, October 3, 2026
10:30 AM–12:00 PM Central Time
Founding Cohort · $147
Maybe You've Been Missing Movement
Maybe you used to dance and somewhere along the way... you stopped.
Maybe you've been wanting to move your body again, but you're not looking for another workout.
Or maybe you spend so much time thinking, planning, working, solving and taking care of everything that you miss the feeling of simply being present in your body.
Hula offers another way to move.
A way to connect movement with music.
Hands with story.
Body with feeling.
And perhaps, for a little while, to step out of your head and come back to yourself.
You don't need to know Hula to begin.
You just need to take the first step.

Why I Created Hula Basics
Recently, I walked into a Hula workshop carrying a lot emotionally.
I was sad, angry and grieving. That morning, I had cried more than I had in a very long time.
And then we started dancing.
As I connected with the story of the mele, something shifted.
Every step, every hand movement and every repetition gave me a way to move through what I was feeling.
I brought the manaʻo of the mele together with my own manaʻo.
I didn't leave with everything magically resolved.
But I left differently than I had arrived.
That day, Hula reminded me of something I needed to remember:
Hula gives our feelings somewhere to go.
And I knew I wanted to share that experience again.
That's why I created Hula Basics. 🌺
What is Hula Basics?
Hula Basics is an 8-week live online beginner Hula experience.
We'll start at the beginning.
You'll learn foundational Hula movements and gradually discover how your feet, hands, music, story and expression come together.
This isn't about memorizing a collection of steps.
It's about learning the foundations and then discovering how those movements become Hula when we bring meaning and feeling into them.
Throughout our journey, we'll also learn a mele together.
And by the end of our eight weeks, you'll bring everything you've learned together and:
Dance your first complete mele. 🌺
No previous Hula or dance experience is required.

Your 8-Week Journey
From Your First Step to Your First Mele
WEEK 1 — Foundations
Grounding & Your First Hula Step
What is Hula? · Grounding · Body positioning · Kaholo
WEEK 2 — Building the Foundation
Weight, Rhythm & Flow
Kaʻo · Kahela · Rhythm · Transitions · Simple combinations
WEEK 3 — Expanding Your Movement
Kawelu, Hands & Coordination
Kawelu · Hands + feet coordination · Movement combinations
WEEK 4 — Your First Mele:
From Steps to Story
Meet our mele · Explore its story and manaʻo · Rhythm and musicality · Begin bringing movement and meaning together
WEEK 5 — Building Your Vocabulary
ʻUwehe & Movement Combinations
ʻUwehe · Hands · Combinations · Review and practice mele
WEEK 6 — Moving From Your Center
ʻAmi ʻOniu
ʻAmi ʻoniu · Movement combinations
WEEK 7 — Your First Mele
Bringing the Story Together
Hands + feet + eyes · Expression · Storytelling · Connect the verses
WEEK 8 — Integration
Dance Your Hula 🌺
Review · Technique · Transitions · Expression · Storytelling · Bring everything together and dance the complete mele.
And celebrate how far you've come.
Everything you Receive
From Your First Step to Your First Mele

🌺 8 Live Hula Classes
Eight 90-minute sessions with instruction, demonstration, practice, questions and personalized guidance.
12 hours of live instruction together.

🌺 Class Recordings
Every session will be recorded.
You'll have access throughout the program and for two additional weeks after our final class, giving you time to catch up and continue practicing.

🌺 Weekly Practice Videos
Short, focused practices to help your body remember and reinforce what we've learned between classes.

🌺 Hula Basics Guide
A reference guide with foundational steps, Hula terminology, protocols and practice tips.

🌺 Mele Learning Guide
Explore the words, meaning, vocabulary, story and manaʻo behind the mele we'll learn together.

🌺 Private Hula Basics WhatsApp Community
A space for questions, encouragement, practice reminders, little wins and connection with your Hula ʻohana throughout our eight weeks together.
Is Hula Basics for Me? - FAQ
Perfect. That's why I'm teaching Hula Basics.
You aren't supposed to arrive knowing how to dance Hula.
That's what we're here to learn.
Hi. Neither did I. 😄 Coordination isn't something you either have or don't have.
We develop it through practice and repetition.
First the feet. Then the hands.
Then we put them together.
Sometimes everything goes in completely different directions. And then one day, your body starts remembering.
There is no expiration date for dancing.
Hula can be danced at many ages and stages of life.
You learn to move from the body you're in — not someone else's.
Life happens.
You'll have access to the class recordings throughout the program and for two weeks after our final class, so you can catch up and continue practicing with us.
Yes.
I've taught students in different cities and countries, and one of my favorite things is watching them surprise themselves with how much they're able to learn online.
I'll demonstrate, observe and guide you throughout our sessions.
Oh, we're going to make mistakes. 😄 We'll forget which foot goes next.
Our hands may decide to do something completely different.
And we'll keep dancing.
You don't come to Hula Basics to prove you can dance.
You come to learn.
Meet your instructor
Aloha, I am Sandra Kawahine
My connection with Hula and Polynesian dance began early in life. I studied Polynesian dance for several years as a child, and for the past 11 years, Hula has been an important part of my journey as a student, dancer, and instructor.
Through my studies with Kumu Kaipo, my own practice, and the joy of teaching students in different cities and countries, I’ve learned that Hula is so much more than steps and hand movements.
Hula is movement with meaning. It is story, culture, connection, feeling, and joy.
With Hula Basics, I want to share that experience with you—creating a welcoming space where you can learn the foundations, honor the cultural roots of Hula, and discover what happens when you allow yourself to truly move, connect, feel, and dance.
I’d love to dance with you. 🌺

Ready to Take Your First Step?
HULA BASICS
From Your First Step to Your First Mele
8-Week Live Online Beginner Hula Experience
Begins: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM–12:00 PM Central Time
Duration: 8 Weeks
Format: Live Online
Level: Beginner — No Dance Experience Required
Founding Cohort Investment
$147 USD
Your enrollment includes:
8 live 90-minute Hula classes
Class recordings + 2 weeks extended access
Weekly practice videos
Hula Basics Guide
Mele Learning Guide
Private WhatsApp Community
Your journey toward dancing your first complete mele
Maybe You Don't Need One More Thing to Think About.
Maybe you need something that lets you:
MOVE.
CONNECT.
FEEL.
DANCE.
Something that's yours.
Something that brings you back into your body and into the present moment.
Something that reminds you how much joy there can be in simply moving to music again.
Come dance with me. 🌺
HULA BASICS
From Your First Step to Your First Mele