Hula Hoopla : Polynesian Dance Troupe’s Schedule Keeps Members Active as They Explore a New Culture

Their stages are not grand, usually a patch of floor cleared away in a shopping center, hospital or nursing home.

No matter. The Kaleiponi Tutus, an amateur dance troupe that performs Polynesian dances, are not all that finicky about where they show off their graceful steps, twisting and swaying to the sweet easy rhythms of guitars and ukuleles.

They are women over 50--some over 70--who have found a way to stay active and connect with another culture while taking center stage for a while, drawing smiles and applause from strangers.

“Some of these ladies were shy and withdrawn, and I wanted them to express themselves,” said Hazel Haynes, a professional Polynesian dancer from Long Beach and volunteer at the Carson Community Center who teaches the class. “Many of these ladies have more poise and feel better about themselves. They are using joints that they would not be using if they weren’t dancers.”

For the women, the performance is the thing. Pauline Palac, 68, explained what happens when the women, who came together through a senior citizens program, prepare to bring a little Polynesia to whomever will listen and watch.

“I am thinking, ‘Make the best performance,’ ” said Palac, “especially like this.”

And then she stepped back, and began swaying her hips. Her outstretched arms eased up and down in a gentle wave as a smile crossed her face.

Palac is a Filipina, not Polynesian. But to her and to the 14 other dancers, ethnic identities don’t matter once the music starts and they begin their rhythmic steps.

Their thanks, usually polite applause and smiles, is a small but cherished reward--especially to those in the group who once just sat at home.

“I surprised myself,” said Betty Ghareeb, 65, wearing a blue and white floral gown and a lei around her neck. “I surprised my family too, because I have always been very quiet.”

Not anymore, especially when doing the Huki Lau, a dance that features loud chants.

“That’s when you holler. It gives you a chance to work out your frustrations,” she said.

While she may work out her frustrations, others just work out.

Tired of aerobics and other exercise classes, some women were intrigued by the mellow harmonies wafting from the center’s studio from 10 to 11 a.m. twice a week.

“It keeps my arthritis from going haywire on me,” said Bertha Charlot, 69.

Whatever their motivation, they are here, dressed in floral outfits, some with flowers in their hair, coaxing their sometimes stiff muscles and joints into graceful movements.

So far, the Tutus are all women, although some men have come and gone since the group began several months ago.

“They (got) overwhelmed by the women, so they left,” Haynes said. “I guess they’re intimidated.”

A Tutus show is something to behold. For just under an hour they perform five or six dances, including ancient and modern hulas as well as Tahitian and Samoan ceremonial dances. Often they perform with a children’s amateur troupe, the Kekes, or with Haynes’ professional group, the Wahines.

At a recent rehearsal for a performance they will give Saturday at Carson’s 25th birthday kickoff ceremony, the Tutus were in form.

“Get your shells!” Haynes barked. “OK. A one-and-a-two and a three-and-a-four and a-five-and-a-six and dance!”

With that, the 15 dancers began singing “Pearly Shells,” striking shells together to the beat, their voices almost drowning out the Don Ho melodies coming from a cassette player.

For another song they dropped to the floor, legs folded to their sides.

“Now tell us how to get up,” someone from the back called out. Haynes showed them, throwing her left leg out while she slowly rose on the strength of the right.

“Our bones don’t work so well, you know,” a dancer moaned as she slowly rose.

“And don’t forget your smiles. If you smile, no one notices your pain,” Haynes said.

Then there’s the Mungi, a Samoan dance with a frenetic, thumping beat.

“That was energetic!” said Jeanne Benson, 59, one of only two Hawaiians in the group.

The Tutus, winners of last year’s senior talent show at the community center, have big plans. They have been invited to perform at the opening of the Metro Red Line subway later this month. Nursing homes and homeless shelter appearances are also on tap.

They have been to dozens of places already, but a few stand out for some.

At the Veterans Administration hospital in Long Beach last year, Ghareeb and others recalled, the Tutus strolled in with their colorful outfits, singing and swaying with the tunes they have come to know so well.

Before them were many people their age, some sitting in wheelchairs and beds, robbed of their chance to dance by wounds from war.

“It’s hard to explain,” Ghareeb said. “There was all the people down there, and I was glad I was doing something to make them feel good.”