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A wonderful way to feel the energy of Hawaii, gently tone your body, strengthen your core, and enjoy dancing to beautiful Hawaiian music. No experience necessary. Men, Women age 16 years and older welcome!
Tuesdays
11 am - 12 noon
Saturdays
8:30 - 9:30 am
Kahiko or classical hula is dance to Hawaiian chanting. It's a deeper dive into the stories of the dance, the translations and application to life. Prerequisite -
2 months Beginning Hula Classes or permission of Kumu.
Age 16 years and older
Men and Women welcome
Wednesdays
8 - 9 pm
Dance to the melodic melodies of Hawaii.
Men, Women aged 16 years and older
2 months experience or
Wednesdays
7 - 8 pm
All classes are held at our
sister organization:
38 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL.
For more information call 708-297-6321
or email
Check our
for the current schedule of classes
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8-WEEK TAHITIAN CLASSES
with Lori Murphy begins January 14th! | 
Join Lori Murphy
for 8 Classes of Beginner Tahitian Dance Classes Thursdays 7 - 8 pm
Starts January 14th - March 3rd
No experience necessary - just be prepared to have fun!!!
Watch this video of Lori's recent fabulous Intro to Tahitian Workshop at Purdue University
$15/class or $100 for 8-class series
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Keiki (Children's) Hula Class begins February 8th
3:15 - 4:15 pm
4 Weeks Only
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Kumu June Kaililani Tanoue is happy to announce a 4-Week
Beginning Children's Hula Classto learn basics of hands and feet movements, stories and culture Ages 5 - 11 February 8, 15, 22, 29 3:15 - 4:15 pm Zen Life & Meditation Center 38 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60302 Cost: $15/class or $50 for 4 classes Contact Kumu June if interestedSIGN UP HERE
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SONS OF HALAWA
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We're SO excited about this CD Mele o Halawa from the NEW documentary entitled Sons of Halawa that has just been released! The CD features the music of Pilipo Solatario and Jason Poole.
Click here to watch the trailer of
Sons of Halawa
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Poliahu Shawls
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We have a wonderful array of Poliahu shawls and scarves hand-screened in Waimea in different colors. Also on hand are gray and black beanies. Poliahu is the snow goddess of Mauna Kea.
The mountain is Poliahu.
Poliahu is the mountain.
We are Mauna Kea,
Mauna Kea is us.
Email Kumu June and come to the Zen Life & Meditation Center at 38 Lake Street in Oak Park to purchase one.
For information about what's happening check out:
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| | Bob & June, Pawley's Island, SC |
I recently attended a meeting of a new Girl Scout troop of fifteen adorable 5 and 6 year olds in Oak Park. I went to teach them about the word Aloha and a little hula. It's winter here, so everyone wore colorful heavy jackets, cute hats and warm little boots.
We gathered in the teacher's lounge after school. Some of the girls were outgoing and friendly, others were quiet and reserved. I remembered when I was a Girl Scout in my home town of Paauilo sixty years ago! I still recall the excitement of being with the other girls and the enthusiasm of our troop leader Mrs. Solomon. We met in a little club house underneath large graceful trees.
Now these little Oak Park girls were beginning their journey. We all gathered in the open space of the lounge and talked. "What does Aloha mean to you?" I asked. "Hello" came quickly to most minds, but "goodbye" was not so well known and "love" was a complete surprise.
The concept of aloha forms a foundation of compassion for the Hawaiian people and is recognized as the "aloha spirit." We see it in a ready smile, in genuine friendliness and true gentleness. It's a deep, deep happiness based on the knowledge that our lives are interconnected. The heart of aloha is the realization that everybody counts, everybody matters. Respect naturally flows from aloha.
I told the girls about kapu aloha and how I learned about the words from the people protecting Mauna Kea. Kapu means sacred or holy. When you put kapu and aloha together it means having love for everyone even if their opinion differs from your's. Kapu Aloha also means to love yourself as well as the whole earth and all of Nature it supports - the plants, mammals, fish, insects, land, winds, and mountains. We are all deeply interconnected. What we do to ourselves, we do to others and the earth. What we do to others and the earth, we do to ourselves.
I explained that kapu aloha is a beautiful concept I include in my everyday life - something I aspire to live. It doesn't mean that I always succeed. I usually fail when I'm tired and grumpy. So I practice a regular regime of sitting meditation, dancing the hula, eating good food, and getting enough sleep.
Then we all danced the hula! It felt good to move our bodies to music. We made up a dance on the spot using a few hula motions that I teach in my beginner's class
The word practice is important. For me practice means to do things again and again and again. It's not about perfection. It's about kindness and the courage to fail and yet to try again (and again).
My heart was touched when the troop leader began talking about the concept of service projects because aloha is also about how we can help others. She asked the girls if they knew what service meant. A few raised their hands and talked about helping the homeless. They had collected food and blankets. It was so moving to see the concept of helping others already embedded at such an early age. I recognized the love flowing freely from their hearts.
Aloha is our birthright. It is who we are. It is without bounds and exists for all beings. We are Aloha. Aloha is us.
Malama pono (take care of your body, mind and heart),
June Kaililani Tanoue
Kumu Hula, Sensei
P.S. Here's a slide show of our recent trip to Charleston and Pawley's Island, SC.
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Lori Murphy has been part of Halau i Ka Pono for the past 7 years. She is on the Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago's Board of Directors and also the Cataloging Librarian at DePaul University. Lori says, "If there is such a thing as a tomboy, tattooed, dancing librarian, then that's me."
She is teaching the 8-Week Beginning Tahitian Classes starting January 14th. Lori is effervescent and always makes me smile. She told us this about herself.
Lori: I was born Lori Bernice Jones to Donald and Marie Jones in 1957 in Topeka, Kansas. My dad worked for the government. Back then, Mom was a homemaker and took care of me and my older brother. I grew up in Wilberforce Ohio. We lived 3 miles from town (Xenia). I was able to ride my bike, climb trees, run through cornfields then cross the highway (it was really small) and be on the campus of one of two HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in Wilberforce. My dad is from Wilberforce. His father and grandfather were AME ministers and presidents of Wilberforce University (W.U.). Mom and Dad met while they were in school.
June: Tell me about your work - you were in the military too - what was that like?
Lori: I joined the Army while in college. I was a chaplain's assistant which basically meant it was my job to protect the chaplain (they didn't carry weapons when we were in the field) and otherwise maintain the chapel. I was a church secretary/chauffeur of sorts. The biggest differences being I had to qualify with an M-16, I got to wear a gas mask in a room filled with teargas every so often, I ran a mile every other morning with a bunch of guys and my charge of quarters (CQ) was manning the crisis hotline at the post chaplain's office. One of my sergeants told me being a woman in the Army was like being an X in an O world. I really liked the discipline.
June: Tell me about your love of dancing.
I remember wanting to study tap when I was in elementary school, but my folks thought I should focus on piano (so I could eventually become a piano teacher and work from home). I took my first dance class (jazz and modern ballet) to fulfill a P.E. requirement in 1977 at W.U. I continued studying and performing African, jazz and modern ballet for several years through a number of moves which included my stint in the Army and a move to Bloomington, Indiana to work on my Masters in Library Science. Jon and I met at I.U.
I started studying belly dance in 1991 and had learned from many outstanding figures in the Middle Eastern Dance community. Several years ago while at Oasis North Belly Dance Camp, a fellow camper asked me to be an audience participant for a hula she was performing. I had to use uli ulis and was a total klutz, but I had a lot of fun and I felt something. I can't put my finger on it exactly but I've always felt drawn to hula and Polynesia.
My daughter Jasmine introduced me to Chris Tuiaana and I joined Aloha Chicago Entertainment (ACE) in 2007 as a belly dancer and soon started learning the company's Polynesian choreography. Over the years, I've attended numerous Polynesian workshops Kumu Keali'i Ceballos, Kumu Uluwehi Gurrero, Kumu Leialoha Lim Amina and of course Kumu Michael Pili Pang.
I've also studied Tahitian with Riki and Tiana Liufau of Nonosina, Moeata Tehan and Adelina Hanere. Dance allows me to step out of myself, get in the zone, exist in meditative movement. All that being said, dance has been and will be an integral part of my life. I'll actually have dance dreams when I'm unable to dance.
June: How long have you been dancing hula? What is it about hula that intrigues you?
Lori: I started hula in 2008 with ACE. After a while, I realized I loved hula and that I wouldn't get better if I didn't learn more. So in 2009 I found Kumu June. Yay me!!
Speaking as a mainlander, there is so much more to hula than meets the eye. There's lineage, there's spirituality, there's deep ties to the people and the land. Unlike the dance forms I have studied, hula is deeply rooted in people places and things. Hula is a way of life. As one who is striving to be a better hula dancer, I learned years ago that it's more that mastering steps or recognizing drum beats.
I know I've deepened and broadened my study of hula. My study of the academic side has increased a lot. One of the benefits of being a librarian in an academic environment is the ability to request books through inter-library loan. I recently requested No Na Mamo: Traditional and Contemporary Hawaiian Beliefs and Practices by Macolm Naea Chun. It's a tough read, but, five years ago, I wouldn't have been ready for it.
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Indigenous Peacemaking
in the 21st Century
January 29 - 31, 2016
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| | Chas Jewett Red Morning Star Woman comes to Chicago! |
Join us for this day and a half retreat where we'll learn about the history and modern day life of the Lakota people. We'll also learn about indigenous cultural values, conflict resolution and restorative justice peacemaking in Rapid City. We'll practice thoughtful cross-cultural communication over difficult issues.
We'll do some meditation and practice the three tenets of a Zen Peacemaker - not knowing, bearing witness and loving actions. There will be a small evening wacipi (powwow) with welcoming protocol, food, dancing and storytelling.
Friday, Jan. 29th, 7 - 9 pm
Saturday, Jan. 30th, 9 am - 9 pm
Free for Indigenous people. $150/$100 ZLMC Members. Sliding scale for students.
Halau i Ka Pono will dance on Saturday evening, January 30th at the wacipi along with other indigenous people. 6 - 9 pm. Potluck. Saturday evening only is $15. Free for Indigenous people and children.
Chas Jewett graduated from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. She attended the first Zen Peacemakers Native American Bearing Witness Retreat in the Black Hills, SD this past August 2015. After starting out in the environmental movement in 2002, Chas has been organizing in South Dakota for reproductive justice, human rights and peace. Chas hosts the No KXL Through Treaty Lands Facebook page that has over 10,000 likes. Chas is also part of Rapid City Community Conversations bringing together whites and Indians in improving race relations. She is part of a new cultural nonprofit organization called Mitakeypi (My Relatives) Inc. in Rapid City.
For More Info and to Sign Up Click Here
Sponsored by the Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago
38 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
708-689-1220
info@zlmc.org
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About Us|
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Successful Halau Fundraiser with Hawaiians Kumu Michael Pili Pang, Keikilani Curnan, Davin, Al, Ryan
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Halau i Ka Pono means School that Cultivates the Goodness. We teach Hula which is defined as the art of Hawaiian dance expressing all that we see, hear, taste, touch, and feel.
Hula and healing go hand in hand in our Halau. The dance connects us to the grounding energy of the earth and opens us to the warm spirit of Aloha (love).
Come join us! We have wonderful introductory classes for adult beginners! No experience necessary.
Contact Kumu June at june.tanoue@zlmc.org for more information. May your lives be full of aloha blessings!
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