Local Hula Classes Available for Moms and Babies
Mothers are encouraged to bond with their infants during this 45-minute workout
By Kate Calamusa January 26, 2015
This article originally appeared in the February 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
New parents have been known to go to great lengths to wangle a much-needed nap for their babies (and themselves): long car rides, pushing the stroller mile after mile…and now, hula classes. Especially if Marcie Mahinakealo Cheung, a longtime dancer and cofounder of the new dance program A Honu World of Hula (ahonuworldofhula.com) has anything to say about it. Along with business partner and 40-year hula veteran JoanMarie Ke‘alaileiha‘aha‘a Hughes, Cheung started offering soothing mom-and-baby hula classes last September at Mukilteo Athletic Club. During the classes, mamas sway in time to traditional Hawaiian tunes while toting little ones in carriers.
“About half the kids are asleep by the end of class,” she says. “I like to think of it as hula therapy; it’s a very laid-back, calming environment.”
Mothers are encouraged to bond with their babies throughout the 45-minute workout—which is inspired by a similar style of class that is taught in Hawaii—trying out hand motions and perhaps working up a light sweat. “You are carrying around an extra 10–20 pounds, after all,” says Cheung, who teaches classes with 1-year-old son, Owen, in tow.
A Honu World of Hula also offers an “Island Jams for Toddlers” class for children ages 1–3, where tykes can learn a few moves while listening to Hawaiian songs and stories, as well as beginner hula lessons for kids ages 3 and older. Hula babies drop-in session, $12; full six-week session, $60. Classes meet at Mukilteo Athletic Club (Mukilteo, 12138 Mukilteo Speedway; 425.748.4497) and Romp (Bellevue, 13500 Bel-Red Road, Suite 7A; 425.348.0960); register online at ahonuworldofhula.com.
Follow Us
Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…
Studio Sessions: Sangram Majumdar
Working at the confluence of history, culture, and various painting traditions, UW associate professor Sangram Majumdar is one of this year’s Neddy Artist Award winners.
Discover the art of UW professor Sangram Majumdar, a 2026 Neddy Artist Award winner. Learn about his inspiration and upcoming Seattle exhibition at Cornish.
Rearview Mirror: A Georgian Dinner, Sidewalk Sips, and One-of-a-Kind Clothing
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
A new life for old clothes To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one…