Bethesda Fountain was buzzing with school groups today. Altogether there were 3 groups from the Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School, or BEES. They were on a scavenger hunt. The first flight of BEES was happy to stop for a hula. Their teacher contributed $3. The second flight, hearing others had been there before them, hurried away without a dance; the third danced, then hurried away. Their teacher promised to put \u201chukilau\u201d on the vocabulary list.<\/p>\n
On the eastern staircase, a class of high school kids from a private school, in blue shirts and beige pants and skirts, posed for their school picture. During a lull in the photo-taking, a half-dozen boys wandered my way. \u201cHave you got time for a hula today?\u201d They lined up and off we went. By the second verse of the \u201cThe Hukilau Song,\u201d they were in perfect sync, hula to the left, hula to the right. While the kane\u2019s danced, the wahini\u2019s gave their critique from the sidelines. \u201cWhat do you think, girls,\u201d I asked. \u201cWas that a good hula?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot even close,\u201d said one girl, and the others agreed, but none would don a lei to show the boys how it was done.<\/p>\n
Time to go, the boys pulled out their wallets and each dropped at least a dollar in my case, maybe more.<\/p>\n
In the northeast corner, by the water, a college class was arrayed around their teacher. When they were done, a few of the girls asked if they could hula. They\u2019d seen the other groups dancing and wanted to get in on it too. They were from Marymount Manhattan College; the subject of the seminar was \u201cRomantic Attachments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d I asked the teacher. \u201cSex education?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought at first,\u201d she said, \u201cbut you\u2019d be surprised. These girls know the physical mechanics, but have no practical experience with the emotional.\u201d At the end of the dance, she slipped a twenty out of her pocketbook. \u201cYou\u2019re great,\u201d she told me. \u201cAre you here all the time? I\u2019m going to hold more classes out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toward the end of my gig, 2 Brazilian women stopped to dance. One dark, one blond, they were tall and curvaceous, dancing the hula in a rapid, controlled style. As they walked away toward the lake, they embraced and kissed. A moment later, the brunette returned with $2. She was still dancing to her inner uke when I pocketed my $37.25 and went home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"