The lack of palm trees and breezy beaches hasn’t stopped the members of Ka Melia Hula Club from taking hula dancing seriously.

“I think it’s more of a girl thing, but guys can dance, too,” said Peggy Leung, junior in ACES and Ka Melia’s external vice president.

Ka Melia, which is Hawaiian for “beloved plumeria,” became a Registered Student Organization this semester, but leaders of the group have been hula dancing on campus for two years. Eri Imura, junior in LAS and Ka Melia’s president, was showcased as a solo dancer in 2004’s Asian American Idol, which was sponsored by the Illini Union Board and the Korean American Students Association.

“Hula is telling a story rather than just regular dancing,” Imura said. “We tell a story with the music.”

Three hundred people signed up for Ka Melia at this year’s Quad Day in August, and Imura said the group is still growing. The club has a 10-member executive board that includes a Webmaster, photographer and publicity chair. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., the group practices in the Aerobics Room in the basement of Florida Avenue Resident Halls. Via a portable boom box, members of Ka Melia dance to the soothing Hawaiian voices and strumming guitars. The group includes an array of members, including students from various majors, exchange students and salsa and belly dancers.

Amy Vercillo, sophomore in LAS, said she joined Ka Melia to learn more about cultural dancing. She has been dancing for about 16 years, and previously was in Ola, a Latin dance club on campus.

She said she loves to find out about cultures and how they work.

“I hope to bring my education from what I learn within these groups to my history teaching and my social studies teaching when I get a job,” Vercillo said.

No hula dancing experience is required to be a member, but most executive members have extensive experience. Imura instructs each practice session. Although she is an international student from Japan, she has been on campus for two years and took hula lessons regularly at her school in Japan. Imura also learned some hula moves during several visits to Hawaii.

About 30 girls come to the bi-weekly practices. As they warm up with neck and shoulder stretches and fluid hip movements, they watch their reflections in mirrors. Shoeless and dressed in workout clothes, participants follow Imura’s lead as she adds graceful arm and leg movements. An executive member walks around the room giving tips to other members on how to improve their dancing. Members said hula dancing is a fun way to tone muscles and learn about the Hawaiian culture.

To help pay for costumes and other club necessities, Ka Melia asks members to pay $4 each week for two lessons and asks non-members to pay $5 for a week’s sessions.

The Hawaiian culture has a strong relationship with the island. Jerrauld Ma, senior in engineering and president of the Hawaii Club, said hula dancing helps educate people about Hawaiian culture because it’s basically an art form that communicates stories.

“Hula dancing is another way of storytelling the relationship with the land and history of Hawaii,” Ma said.

Although the Hawaii Club mostly serves as a network for Hawaiian students on campus, Ma said they will work with Ka Melia this spring to organize a traditional lu’au celebration. Imura said Ka Melia hopes to perform at Oct. 26’s Lunch on the Quad event. She said the club’s ultimate goal is to have around 10 members dance at Illini Union Board’s Culture Shock event in the spring. Through an audition, Ka Melia members will be selected and in early November, they will start practicing for Culture Shock auditions.

“I want people to get to know the dance and expose the campus to the (Hawaiian) culture,” Imura said.