The Newcomer

A newcomer to an on-going class is always subject to friendly curious interest. So it was that when the woman joined our hula class, we greeted her with the usual polite smiles and hello's.

But this woman's response to us is nothing short of jarring. She took one look at us, and asked, in a tone that came across as accusatory: Must we wear pareos to dance? Well, no, there is no strict requirement but we use pareos tied in some skirt fashion to help us focus on how we are moving...

Followed by another almost-cross question: Where do you buy your pareo? By this time the entire class shrank away from her physically and emotionally, with someone timidly muttering something about Arab Street or swimwear shops. We were too scared by now to mention that we even have leis to help us look the part and get more into the mood of the dance...

The woman was absent for the next class, and showed back up in the third week. A dance mate lent her a pareo and helped to dress her. She looked herself in the mirror and went: This style doesn't suit me. The rest of us busied ourselves with looking at our toes...

We danced through our routine at the end of which she turned to the dancer closest to her and asked, in an unmistakably annoyed tone: Did you learn that last week? Came the meekest reply in the weakest of voice: Yes...

Aiyoh...is she going to join us for real? And will she stop being so cross? Dare we hope...