The phrase “hula dance” may remind a lot of people of a Japanese hit movie called Hula Girl, which was released in 2007. Thanks to the movie, many students have become interested in our club and we have been able to welcome plenty of new members.That is why I don't want to make hula dancing into a mere boom, which will be over sooner or later.
　People in Hawaii, young and old, have loved hula as an expression of the natural beauty of the sea, the wind, flowers and the like. The appeal of the dance is deep, and cannot be described in just a few words.
　The first point that attracts me is its movements. Every movement has its own meaning just like sign language. It is really interesting to think about how to express each meaning, though it's very difficult at first. The meanings vary from appreciation of nature to love for one's family or lover, and dancing while thinking about the various meanings of the movements enriches our mind.
　What also attracts me is that hula is a dance with a smile. Hula dancing won’t do without a sweet smile. My seniors taught me that the most important thing was to enjoy dancing with a warm smile. Actually, when I joined the club I was too timid to smile. I knew I should, but I had my hands full with all the movements they have to make, and I couldn't think about facial expressions at all. Now that I have reached the level of teaching my juniors, I know what my seniors meant at that time. A lot of our members have never experienced hula dancing before. So all we can do at first is to teach them to dance with a big smile. Rather than to dance impressively, we teach them to enjoy dancing with warm smiles which will convey the happiness of hula to our audience.
　The more I learn about the dance, the more I have come to think that hula is a kind of message to people. I would like to introduce the attractiveness of the hula dance to all those people who are not yet into hula by dancing with my whole heart. This year, our club is going to take up the challenge not only of hula dancing but also of playing musical instruments like the ukulele. Please keep your eyes on our future activities!