•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

It has been more than three years since Ishan Odelia, an Indonesian-Taiwanese woman, founded Hula Dance Jakarta and started to teach the traditional Hawaiian dance to city dwellers.

What started as a side project has turned into a full-time job, and Ishan now conducts classes nearly every day. But one thing hasn’t changed: The majority of her students have always been Japanese. This is because hula is extremely popular in Japan, and Ishan, who lived in Tokyo for several years, is fluent in Japanese.

Every year Ishan organizes a recital, offering her students a chance to show off their skills and the improvements they’ve made over the year, as well as a chance to introduce hula to a wider audience. This year’s edition will take place on Dec.17 at the Bellagio Mall in South Jakarta.

“The theme I picked for this year is Christmas. A Hawaiian, sunny Christmas,” Ishan said. “What’s special this year is that we will use uli uli [feathered gourd rattles] for several of our numbers. It’s quite different using implements instead of just dancing the hula. It’s more difficult.”

So that her students could get used to shaking the uli uli while still being able to sway their hips gracefully over the dance floor, Ishan opened a special class that focused mainly on practicing with the vibrant gourds.

Out of 30 or so students, only a few have been with Ishan from the beginning; most of the Japanese women who join her class are only in Jakarta temporarily. The hierarchy of students will be evident during the performances — beginners will only dance a few basic numbers, while advanced students will take their performances to the next level.

“You will see that they are already used to performing and they have become really good,” Ishan said. “They don’t see hula as their hobby anymore. They are ready to show what they can do on the stage.”

Ishan, an accomplished hula dancer who has taken classes with some of the discipline’s most renowned instructors, has choreographed all the dances to modern Hawaiian music herself. “Some of the steps I have learned with my teachers, others I invented myself,” Ishan said.

She also created the costumes that her students will wear for the recital. Not an easy task, since she does all the sewing by herself, with a little help from her mother.

None of these obstacles stopped Ishan from forging her passion for all things hula.

“I actually created my own brand called Hula La, focusing on Hawaiian costumes and attire,” she said. “The climate in Indonesia is quite similar to the one in Hawaii, so I was thinking, if I have to do costumes for my dance group anyway, why not expand? But it’s more like a long-term project that I am still developing.”

The Hula Dance Jakarta group is no stranger to performances. Ishan is often asked to perform at weddings, birthday parties and other events. She also lends a hand when she sees someone in need. When Japan was struck by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March that took many lives, destroyed countless homes and left the country devastated, Ishan acted quickly.

Together with her dance group, she took part in a charity event held by the Japanese Alumni Community in Indonesia (KAJI). She also organized an event at Amigos restaurant in South Jakarta with the dance community in the city.

“I studied in Japan, and my sister was actually there when it happened, so I was really shocked and had a really strong urge to do something to help,” Ishan said. “It was a casual party, and people who came donated. The ticket proceeds were all for charity. And even though it was only a small sum in the end, it felt good to help and it was the right thing to do.”

Hula-La
Christmas Party
Saturday, Dec. 17, from 5 p.m.
Bellagio Mall, Function Room
Kawasan Mega Kuningan No. 3
South Jakarta
Tickets and information: 0815 1450 4826, huladancejakarta.com