Cottonwood residents expressing themselves through Hawaiian dance

Hui ‘‘Ohana:
Local residents practice their Hawaiian dance routines at the home of the Jan and Dave Baza in Cottonwood. The group performs their Hawaiian dance routines at local pubilc and private events. They will be showcasing their skills at Anderson Fun Fest, as well as the opening of Trader Joes in Redding.

Every week, local residents trade in their everyday attire for brightly colored shirts and skirts, take off their shoes, and dance to the tropical rhythms of Hawaii.

Jan and Dave Baza, of Cottonwood, started a Hawaiian dance group, and have converted their own garage into a dance studio. The couple had a long history learning about Hawaiian dance while living in the Bay area.

"We moved up here about 8 years ago, and missed dancing a lot so we decided to run our own group," Jan Baza said.

The official name of the Hawaiian dance group is Hui 'Ohana. Hui means club, while 'Ohana means family. The group of about 10 dancers practice every week, and perform their craft at both public and private events.

"We do it for fun, and dance at various parties and weddings and things like that," Baza said.

The cultural dance group is currently scheduled to perform at Anderson Fun Fest, as well as the opening day of Trader Joes in Redding.

The Bazas said their dance group learns how to express nature in the form of song.

"It's very creative and relaxing and beautiful music," Baza said. "When we choreograph it, we have to make sure our motions match the words, because we are really telling a story with our hands."

Although dancing to Hawaiian music can be fun and relaxing, it can also be complicated and physically exerting

"There is a lot involved in the technique of it all. It takes a long time to get it down," Baza said.

"There are 5 to 7 basic steps you have to learn, and they get repeated quite often, but every song and dance is different."

The Bazas said their group of dancers is open and supportive of one another, no matter what their skill level.

"Our goal is to inspire people to do their best. We don't compete with each other," Baza said. "Every body has their own body style and body posture, and even though we try to do the technique correctly, everyone has their own way of expressing themselves."