From a dancer's background.

I grew up with dance incorporated into my daily life. Having been born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, I had the opportunity to learn and dance hula from an early age, up through middle school, until I finally had to stop upon coming to DU. (Denver doesn't have the hula culture of Hawaii.) The composition of the dance is immensely different from tango. In class when we're practicing, I have been working hard to control my "horse feet," a self-proclaimed dance move exhibited by lifting my feet and knees during certain steps rather than keeping my toes kissed to the ground.

Hula is a dance of power and dramatics. Many of the motions we do include lifting our feet, heavy stepping, or stomping to enhance the rhythm of the dance. For example, the step we call the 'uehe utilizes feet and knee lifts, along with heel raises and knee flourishes. The video below of the kumu (teacher) demonstrates this movement.

Learning the tango has given me the challenge of keeping my hula feet controlled and solid on the floor. Tango is so different from any dances I've come in contact with in the past, which gives me something that I want to become more proficient in. Professor Dobyns really helped me by working with my form last class (April 25th, 2014). I'm excited for class next week, when I demonstrate my increased ability and mindfulness with my feet while dancing tango.