The "This Lil' Piggy Went To The Lu'au" Story

Two of the performers in the New Legends
of Ka'anapali Lu'au play before the start of the meal.

It was an ordinary day.  Waiting to eat the pig.  Carol and I as well as our traveling friends Jerry and Just Sue are attending the New Legends of Ka'anapali Lu'au at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.  We decided that we wanted to attend a luau sometime during our visit to Hawaii this fall so we picked the new luau that is being offered at the resort where we are staying.  

Drinks have arrived!

The Legends of Ka'anapali is held every Monday evening at the hotel's Tiki Courtyard.  The luau features hula and narration that will take us on a journey through the history of Ka'anapali through song and dance.  The Hula, which was born in Hawaii, is a means of sharing myths and legends.  The dance uses the body to tell a story.  But the hula is also about the stories, language, chants, songs and plants from which instruments are made.  After a greeting by one of the performers we are given drinks to start the meal.  Then we are ushered into the covered restaurant for a buffet line.  After filling our plates we return to the tables and are serenaded with soft music as we eat our meal.  

The buffet line featuring many native Hawaiian dishes.

A dessert tray is brought to each table and drinks are refreshed.  As darkness falls, the torch is lit on the top of the Tiki stage and the story begins.  A woman narrates and describes what is happening as the dancers begin the hula.  

The sounding of the conch begins the story.

Dance after dance after another dance follows.  For me, the dance is interesting to watch and follow, but …… after watching 15-20 minutes of the hula, I start to get restless.  The songs all start to sound the same and I have no idea what they are saying, since the Hawaiian language is foreign to me.  

The dancers begin the tale.

The dancers are fun to watch and I must admit I love the part where they wear the coconut bras and skimpy grass skirts, but …… I was ready for some fire stuff.  I was not disappointed when about a half dozen young men began their dance and started setting the stage on fire.  Pretty dramatic and rather scary.  I'm not sure how they avoided being burned when they sat on the pads that were covered with flames, but it didn't seem to faze them.  The drums got louder (if that's possible) and the calls from the performers got more intense.  Then, after what I assume was a wedding dance, it was over!  

The fire dancers!

I'm sure there was someone that could have explained what happened, but I'm not sure it mattered by then.  The luau is a tradition in the Hawaiian islands and the hula is the dance that is used to tell the story, but for me ….. well give me that good ole rock and roll and  jitterbug any day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The dance of the gown.