Watching the Aloha Hula Sisters do their thing, swaying and gesturing in unison to breezy recorded tunes from a ukelele, it's easy to trick yourself into thinking you're enjoying a luau - not a sweltering day in Southern Arizona.
The female retirees, who make up a Sun City Oro Valley club devoted to the island dance, may not fit the prototypical mold of nubile, grass skirt-wearing youths, but they certainly show enough joy and enthusiasm to match other hula devotees.
Adorned with faux hibiscus blossoms on their hair and draped in blue, leaf-printed pa'u skirts, the dancers float like an island breeze as they fix their glances on their images on the wall mirror. They are in constant motion, much of it choreographed to match the movements of their cohorts. Blissful smiles stretch across their faces. Occasionally there's a stumble or a false step and near collision, which elicits high school cheerleader-style giggles.
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They are led by Del Salvaterra, who was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. at age 17, living mainly in Michigan before retiring with her husband, Bob, to Sun City Oro Valley in May. She has spent 12 years mastering hula.
When Salvaterra and her husband were looking at houses, she asked if there was a hula club.
"He said, 'yeah,' " Salvaterra said with a laugh. "I said, 'sold.' "
The group was founded in 2010 as a spinoff of another Hawaii-focused group that was established in 1996.
Because of her experience as a semi-professional Polynesian dancer who has performed at parties, ceremonies and other functions, Salvaterra quickly became the group's teacher and leader. Members Beverly Sullivan, who picked up a love for the dance when she lived in Hawaii as a girl, and Marge Gustafson say her energy and enthusiasm make it fun to be part of the club.
Gustafson jokingly said Salvaterra gets an "ego trip" out of leading the class, and Salvaterra smiled at the teasing.
The Sisters perform at club functions, sometimes in front of crowds as large as 300. They usually dance in Sun City, but sometimes appear at events elsewhere throughout the Tucson area.
Participants come and go, but usually there are about eight or nine members, ranging in age from 53 to 86. Members practice for two hours twice a week.
All of the members of the Sisters are active in several other clubs. Gustafson, whose dog serves as the group's mascot, also participates in several other dance clubs, including Zumba. Salvaterra, Gustafson and Sullivan also take part in Zumba.
Other current members include Marietta Fowler, Betty Myers, Jackie Brown, Carol Vandaveer, Jeanne Voorhees and Esther Hyman. Several of the members also practice ukelele in Sun City Oro Valley's club devoted to the instrument.
When Salvaterra takes in a new member, she starts with basic hand and feet motions before introducing dance steps.
"Just like any dancing, once we learn a new dance, we practice many times until all feel comfortable with the steps," Salvaterra said.
Sullivan said she enjoys hula because it's a consistent, low-impact workout. Gustafson says the easygoing dance is less exhausting than Zumba.
Audiences tend to underestimate her group, Salvaterra said.
"They're afraid of hula," she said. "They think they're gonna see us perform onstage and break our hips."
The dancers' love for hula shines through in their performances. Gustafson said audiences respond to the dance because it transports them to a different place.
"It's the opposite of the desert," she said. "Hawaii is humid and warm, with tropical flowers, as opposed to here, with cactuses that try to kill you and coyotes that try to bite you."
Find out more
Go to suncityorovalley.com/clubs/hula/index.html for more information about the Aloha Hula Sisters.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
