Torrance Library:
(Past Event)
Ribbon Lei Making
Date: Sat, Jan. 26, 2008
Time: 10am
Place: Katy Geissert Civic Center Library
Description: Leis are suitable for many special occasions, especially Valentine’s Day! Learn the art of Ribbon Lei making, and create your own ribbon lei to take home. This program is free, and materials will be provided, but you must register.
Commentary: I thought this was a really cool class to be offered by a city institution. The library also has a fairly extensive collection of Ribbon Lei Making books, ordered, I expect around the time of this program. Ribbon Lei making is very popular in the Hawaiian community, as evidenced by my Tutu and her friends gathered around the table sewing them for hours on end. I hope that in the future they offer more specialized classes such as this.
South Bay Strummers Ukulele Group – Every Saturday Year-Round
Time: 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Contact: Linda Wilson (LWilson@Torrnet.com)
Location: Bartlett Senior Citizens Center – 1318 Cravens Avenue
Admission Fee: Free
Polynesian Dance – 10 Week Class
Instructor: Susan Mann
Description: Dance to the best of Tahitian drums and learn basic hula steps. Required: Tahitian hand tassels-to be purchased from instructor. Optional: Grass skirt or sarong – may be purchased from instructor.
Age/Level:
5-6/Beg
7-10/Beg
8-18/Beg
12-21/Int
5-18/Adv
Polynesian Dance – Advanced – 10 week class
Instructor: Susan Mann
Description: Prerequisite: Intermediate Polynesian dance. Hawaiian and Tahitian, with a strong emphasis on Tahitian
Age: 17+
Polynesian Dance – Beginning – 10 Week Class
Instructor: Susan Mann
Description: Learn Dances from Hawaii and Tahiti. Required: Tahitian hand tassels-to be purchased from isntructor. Optional: Grass skirt or sarong – may be purchased from instructor.
Age: 17+
Polynesian Dance – Intermediate/Advanced
Instructor: Susan Mann
Description: Prerequisite: Beginning Polynesian. Hawaiian and Tahitian, with a strong emphasis on Hawaiian
Age: 17+
Commentary: What I find interesting about these classes are the required and optional Tahitian hand tassels and grass skirt or sarong. As far as Tahitian dance is concerned, I’m not that educated, but I do know that as far as Hawaiian dance is concerned, no Halaus allow their members to practice in grass skirts or sarongs. Typically, we are requried to practice in matching Pa’u skirts and matching shirts. I think that the allowance of grass skirts and sarongs just promotes the stereotypes of hawaiians and hawaiian dance which also typically include coconut bras. At E Hula Mau 2008, I saw one group wearing grass skirts – it was a Kane ‘Auana number and was meant to be more performative than representative of traditional hawaiian culture. Additionally, the men wore white slacks under the grass skirts. There also may have been a keiki number with grass skirts, but the grass skirt was on top of a pa’u. Usually, grass skirts consist of shredded ti-leaves (a sacred plant), rather than the plastic, lawn looking skirts provided by places like oriental trading company.
Tahitian Dance
Instructor: Keisha
Description: None provided
Age: 6+
Commentary: When discussing classes and events in the City of Gardena with the community library manager, she claimed that due to the larger Japanese population, Hawaiian classes/events were not included and/or necessary. What I find interesting though, is that, yes, Hawaiians are a small numerical population of Gardena, but of the surrounding cities, Gardena Houses the largest number of Native Hawaiians (143, 0.2% of population) after Torrance (161, 0.1%). Additionally, many events and classes offered from within the Hawaiian community are based in Gardena, such as Hawai’i’s Daughters Guild.
Hawaiian Dance – 4 Week Class
Instructor: Okima Kapaku
Description: Learn to sway the Hawaiian way! Hawaiian and other Polynesian dances will be taught. Registration will be taken at the beginning of each month at the Carson Community Center Only.
Age Groups: 12 + & 5-11
Ukulele Class – Meets every Monday at 11 a.m.
Instructor: Stu Stanford
Description: Come out and learn the fundamentals of playing the ukulele and playing tunes. You will enjoy the social time with other seniors, as well as, playing tunes on the ukulele.
Age: Seniors
Polynesian Dancers – Meets Thursdays
Instructor: Yuriko Rogers
Description: Explore and learn the rich culture of our 50th state by enrolling in our Hawaiian dance class.
Age: Seniors
Senior Dance Troupe of Carson – Mondays and Thursdays
Description: Pacific Islanders bring their rich culture and customs to Carson in the form of singing and dancing.
Age: Seniors
Commentary: What I appreciate most about Carson’s offerings is that the city remains cogniscent of the different Pacific Islander Communities within its city. They seperate Hawaiian dance from Tahitian, which they actually pair with Samoan dance. They also have a range of activities for a range of ages, such as Dancing, Singing, and Ukulele. Unfortunantly, the only classes which focus on the musical aspects are geared towards Seniors, but I don’t think they’d have a problem sharing their class with younger people.
