London School of Hula & ‘Ori

Hawaiian Hula and Tahitian ‘Ori dance classes, courses, and performances.
Live in-person and online.

Welcome to LSHO

For the last 12 years, London School of Hula & ‘Ori has been successful in our mission to preserve, perpetuate, and share the rich cultural dances of Hula and ‘Ori through teachings and performances in London and beyond.

Our Classes and Courses offer a fun and soulful opportunity to learn these ancient practices and connect with the spirit of the islands. Join us and embark on a journey of self-discovery, community-building, cultural understanding, and joyful expression through exciting and beautiful movement.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a more experienced dancer, our multi-award-winning instructors will help guide you every step of the way. All ages, bodies, genders, and abilities are welcome.

All-Levels Weekly Class

  • Weekly (year-round, excl holidays)
    Mondays 7-8.30pm
    BASE Dance Studios, Vauxhall & Online

    This is a weekly All Levels class that is easy to drop in and out of so you can join at any time.
    Great for First timers or more experienced dancers. Absolute Beginners are welcome to this class and will have a great time! We typically have a handful of first-timers, so you won’t be alone.

    Come in and get a sense of our dance community, our teaching styles, and the dances.

    Class structure:

    • We start with a warmup to activate our bodies

    • Then, we stretch to open up the body, and energy flow

    • Next we move into step breakdowns, with a focus on 2-3 steps, then drill those steps in order to familiaraise

    • Finally, we put those into practice by inclding them in a short choreo/combo

  • Book a Drop-in HERE

    Join Membership HERE

    A drop-in is an individual class (£16) and the Membership is a calendar month of classes (£60).
    With either of the above, you will be able to join live in-studio or online via Zoom.

    Memberships also give you access to our entire catalogue of session recordings so you can practice in your own time.

Beginners Foundation Course

  • 8 Weeks/16 Weeks
    1 class per week for 1hr
    Live in-studio, Online, or via self-paced video

    The courses are designed for Beginners to learn step-by-step in a culturally grounded context. This is great for anyone with absolutely no experience or those who are looking to build more confidence with the basic steps and/or cultural understanding.

    Each session builds upon the previous session, and commitment to the whole course is suggested.

    We usually offer the option to join either Foundations of Hula (8wks), Foundations of ‘Ori (8wks), or both courses (16wks).

    £125 each
    £225 for both

  • Read more about the BFC HERE to find out future dates.

    Join our mailing list at the bottom of this page to receive information about the next course. You can also follow our facebook or our Instagram or check out our BFC page to keep updated on the newest information.

    If there is no BFC running at the time of interest, please don’t hesitate to drop in to our All Levels Class (Mondays at 7pm UK, BASE Studios in Vauxhall, or Online). Absolute Beginners are welcome to this class and will have a great time! We typically have a handful of first-timers, so you won’t be alone.
    This is also a great way to meet the community and get a sense of the teaching styles and the movement. You can join a few of these classes and then join the next BFC once the dates are released.

Other Courses

  • Via self-paced video sessions for Beginners to Advanced dancers.

    Courses are designed to focus on a specific theme or goal, within a designated amount of time. Each session builds upon the previous session, and commitment to the whole course is suggested.

    We offer courses that are tailored to beginners, advanced, or mixed levels.

    Most courses are 3-6x 1.5hr Sessions. Prices vary depending on each course. Please Check out our catalogue of classes to see more.

  • Check out our Courses page to see which one you’d like to join!

What the Dancers say…

  • “I always feel supported, have built my confidence, started to feel wonderful in my own body and empowered as a woman.”

  • “I'm learning to find the positives and great things about myself, not just as a dancer but in life.”

  • “Hadn't expected to actually make friends, which I now realise is also what I was seeking.”

  • “I never thought this uncoordinated body would learn and remember something so beautiful and that’s all down to the amazing teachers.”

The Dances

Simply, Hula comes from Hawai'i and ‘Ori comes from Tahiti. Both are traditional storytelling dances that encourage a deeper understanding of the self, each other, and nature and help align mind, body, and soul. Read more about the styles and which one might be right for you…

The School

Founded 12 years ago, we aim to make the healing practices of Hula and ‘Ori more accessible to those in London and beyond. We are dedicated to creating culturally knowledgeable and technically skilled dancers while arranging exciting community events and group travels to the islands.

The Instructors

Each of our instructors have been dancing Hula and ‘Ori since a young age and spent years living and learning in the islands. They bring an abundance of knowledge surrounding the dances, alongside their own unique voices to help every student connect to movement in new ways.

FAQ

  • We always suggest that anyone new to the styles do the Beginners Foundation Courses. If the next one isn’t starting soon, jump into the Weekly All Levels Class to get to know our community and the instructors, and to start getting a feel for the movements.

    (Weekly) All Levels Class:
    Mondays, 7-8.30, BASE Studios in Vauxhall or join Online

    Beginners Foundation Course:
    Check HERE

  • If you’re unsure of what to do, the best thing is to drop-in to our Monday weekly Class. Here you will meet everyone and get a sense of the dances.

    Having done a couple of drop-ins, you can decide if you’d like to take a Beginners Foundation Course, which we suggest everyone do at the early stage of their dance journey, even if they are an experienced mover in other styles.

    If you are an intermediate/advanced dancer, you may take one of our specialised self-paced courses (via online video) to acquire new skills however we do not recommend these courses for new dancers.

  • For us, the answer is simple. If you want to dance consistently Membership is the way to go as you receive lots of discounts and huge perks.

    Drop-in (£16 per class)
    Membership (£60 for a calendar month of classes)

    Simply sign up for a Monthly Membership (no signup or cancellation fee) and the class fee (£60) will be deducted from your account each month. You can sign up for a Monthly Membership and get dancing at any time. You may also cancel at any time.

    With the Monthly Membership, you will receive the following:

    • 15% off class prices

    • 20% off on 1-to-1 sessions

    • Access to the entire video catalog of classes so you can catch up, practice more, or take previous classes

    Drop-In is great if you cannot commit to dancing regularly or just want to get a feel for our classes before committing.

  • Hawaiian Hula and Tahitian ‘Ori can be very diffrent to many styles of dance and, though you may be confident in other areas of movement, please consider yourself a beginner if you have little to no experience in the styles.

    If you are comfortable with the names and techniques of the basic steps and are confident to dance them, you are intermediate+

  • Hula and ‘Ori are great for all bodies, fitness levels, ages, genders, and abilities. We pride ourselves on making our classes accessible to all and creating a beautifully diverse community of dancers.

    Please do not hesitate to join us and our instructors will always help find ways for each of our dancers to participate in ways that are both challenging and rewarding for each dancer.

  • LSHO offers sliding scale rates to ensure that anyone who would like to attend classes is able to. We have many members who utilise this option. Check out Dance For All for discounted rates, or get in touch if you’re in need of a free membership. Please don’t ever let finances stop you from dancing!

  • Please check here for the latest info.

    If you have missed the sign up date, or discovered the course during a current run, join our mailing list to receive announcements for the next dates, keep an eye on our socials or website for the next enrolment info, or get in touch and we will put you on the list for the next course.

    Don’t be afraid to drop-in to our weekly All Levels class in the meantime!

  • Always bring a bottle of water and a notepad!

    If you pareo, great! Please bring that and we will teach you how to tie it properly in the class/course.

    If you don’t have one, you may come in anything that is comfortable to move (and sweat!) in.

    Pareos (‘Ori) and Pa’u (Hula) are available for purchase via our website in the Shop section.

  • Yes! We perform and teach at many types of events from museums to corporate events. Please get in touch and let us know the nature of your event, date, and location, and we will let you know if we are available.

Start your Hula & ‘Ori journey and get your body, mind, and soul dancing.

Get moving, join LSHO!