I praise the dance ...

I praise the dance, for it frees people
from the heaviness of matter and binds the isolated to community.

I praise the dance, which demands everything:
health and a clear spirit and a buoyant soul.

Dance is a transformation of space, of time, of people,
who are in constant danger of becoming all brain, will, or feeling.

Dancing demands a whole person,
one who is firmly anchored in the center of his life,
who is not obsessed by lust for people and things
and the demon of isolation in his own ego.

Dancing demands a freed person,
one who vibrates with the equipoise of all his powers.

I praise the dance.
O man, learn to dance,
or else the angels in heaven will not know what to do with you.

“I praise the dance” ...

This poem is often wrongly attributed to Augustine of Hippo. The current state of research can be found in “Tanz und Tanzen bei Augustinus” (Dance and Dancing in the Works of Augustine) by Cornelius Mayer (Zentrum für Augustinus-Forschung/Center for the Study of Augustine).

Explanatory links

• Hula
• Merrie Monarch Festival (2003: 6, 18, 21; 2004: 31; 2006: 38; 2013: 1-5, 8, 12-14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22-24, 26-29, 33, 35, 36; 2015: 7, 9, 10, 15, 32, 34)
• No Ka Hoʻomanaʻo Ana Ia Berlin 2016 (11)
• Kumu Patrick Makuakāne (12)
• Miss Aloha Hula 2013: Manalani Mili Hokoana English (14)
• Hālau o Kekuhi (15, 30, 34)
• Hālau Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā (20)
• Piʻilaniwahine Smith (24)
• Kaʻiwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center 2012 (25)
• Mapuana Yasue (29)
• Kumu Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu (36)
• Aloha Festivals Floral Parade 2012 (37)