Tahitian Dance Research Paper

1” Festival activity, which has always been a significant part of Pacific culture, has provided a vehicle for expressing contemporary indigenous identities. The Festival of Pacific Arts, founded in 1972, has become a major venue for the perpetuation of the region’s arts, music, and dance. With the goal of reviving what was in danger of being lost, the festival is held every four years, each time hosted by a different country.” It almost seems to be a Polynesian “Olympics”, but for partying. The Hula dance is very popular within the islands. The Hula dance is so popular that it has its own festival: the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Competition. The Tiki culture became popular due to the Pacific themed bars. Decorators and bar owners used the Pacific mentality to reel in consumers. 3 “Tiki carving is one of the oldest art forms known to man, and all original Tiki carvings are unique. Each island culture introduced another variation to the carving technique. In most Tiki cultures, Tiki statues carved by high-ranking tribesmen were considered sacred and powerful, and these were used in special religious ceremonies. Tiki statues carved by anyone other than a high-ranking tribesman were used simply as

When I was very young, my parents would take me and my sister to powwows, which are Native American social gatherings. Singing, dancing, and feasting are all characteristic of the powwow, as powwows serve as a means of experiencing Native American culture. During my time at the powwow held at UCSD, I served as an audience member for many of the traditional Native American performances. Through the viewing of these performances, I gained much insight into their symbolism and significance, and I was also able to contextualize some topics discussed in the course.

Given that this “visit” was more like a virtual experience, I was still able to access a couple of my senses, just as if I was at the actual exhibition. Through the use of anecdotes and detailed images, I am able to see all of the personal experiences an individual had while practicing a particular dance and what it meant to them. In this exhibition, there are ten different dances displayed, including the: Yup´ik Yurapiaq and the Quyana (Thank You) Song Dance, Yakama Girl’s Fancy Shawl Dance, Cubeo Óyne Dance, Yoreme Pajko’ora Dance, Mapuche Mütrüm Purun, Tlingit Ku.éex ' Entrance Dance, Lakota Men’s Northern Traditional Dance, Seminole Stomp Dance, Hopi Butterfly Dance, and finally, Quechua Danza de Tijeras (Scissor Dance). All parts of the exhibit were insightful, but the two that sparked my interest the most were the Yup´ik Yurapiaq and the Quyana (Thank You) Song Dance and the Quechua Danza de Tijeras (Scissor Dance).

A big annual event is the Pacific Island Review, in which members of the Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Micronesian, and Marianas clubs showcase traditional Pacific Islands ethnic dances.

Known for their amazing choreography and graceful movements, the Polynesian Club is back to entertain the CHHS students and public to share the Hawaiian culture with us. The yearly Luau is organized by an incredible club that has a chance to show off their moves and costumes with a dinner show besides their performances that they have throughout the year at the rally’s. This club has been raising money to give their attendees a great experience. The cost of this event is $10 per person that includes some delicious Hawaiian food that will be served at the CHHS Center Ice, also there will be a great chance to win a raffle basket along with an awesome performance that will be presented in the large gym. This fun luau will be open to everyone on

I plan to give back to Hawai’i by teaching the younger generations hula and tahitian. These will help our community become more entwined with their culture whether they are hawaiian or not. Being entwined with their Hawaiian culture can change them and make them realize things that they never knew before. At this time I currently assists my kumu Lani Isaacs with teaching the younger children their culture, where it comes from and what their backgrounds are. Lani Isaacs is my grandmother and she originates from Maui, as well as my mother and I. Helping the community dance hula and tahitian is not only pure dancing but more on showing appreciation for the local culture and the diversity of hawaiian culture especially to those who are new to Hawai’i. Hawai’i is called the “melting pot” because of the different nationality and races who love to embrace the customs and traditions.

Let's momentarily suspend reality and partake in a little quiz. Be honest, when you're driving in the car and your favorite song comes on, quick, what do you do?

Before we learned the movements, Cache’ gave us a miniature history lesson about the Guinea traditional dance. The dance was initially for males as a coming of age style of dance, females can perform this dance now, as well. The dance style involved wild arms/head, jumping, and foot shuffling. The balls of my feet were burning from the friction of the ground after class.

A cultural event that I have attended in the past that has had a memorable affect on my life was a Native American Powwow. This event takes place every year, Thanksgiving weekend in Tucson, AZ. I arrived in the late afternoon, as the sun was going down. I remember seeing many different types of people, from tourists to the different Native American performers. The physical setting of this particular celebration was outside, and based around, one main circle. Drums were beating so loud, you could feel the pound inside your chest. Different activities were going on all around, such as dancers, vendors, and a huge variety of foods to choose from. The circular dancing arena is known as the arbor, this area is blessed before any of the events

The first part of the Polynesian pride festivities includes the introduction of the Polynesians from the Polynesian Triangle, a region of the Pacific Ocean with three islands as the triangle points. Rather than having a dull entrance, each of the three islands came out on boats illuminating radiant colors. Since the celebration was held in Hawaii, the glistening ruby red Hawaiian boat went first. I have never really experienced a party about being a Polynesian, so I had no clue what to expect. Soon enough, a colossal sized man with an abundance of tattoos started chanting and dancing in only a miniscule leaf skirt wrapped around his waist. He started moving his hips and dancing to the song he was singing while my eyes bulged out like a pufferfish because I have never seen a

I must say that my hole spring quarter has been dedicated to deepening my overall understanding of West-African dance alone. In preparation this to study with the Urban Bush this summer I wanted to make sure that I was able to develop a stronger foundation in my West-African dance technique this quarter. My Mondays and Wednesday from 2:00-6:30 were dedicated to Professor Parker's ( Makeda- Kumasi) West-African dancing and drumming classes held at UCR. I also seeked outside the classroom to gain a community experience of this dance genre so that I could compare and contrast the similarities and differences I found. My goals were to truly embody the many elements that are associated in this dance genre. In my discoveries I was able to

I began dancing hula at the age of five. My hula commitments have always been important to me, as I have grown up as a part of the halau, the Beamer-Solomon Halau O’ Po’ohala. Likewise, showing up to practice and being on time for our weekly shows continues to be some of the many obligations that I have as a hula dancer. On a much larger scale, however, dancing hula is more than a form of entertainment for tourists with grass skirts swishing through the wind. Hula is a way to perpetuate and keep the Hawaiian culture alive. Through the kahiko, the ancient style of dance, I am able to share many stories about how the Hawaiian culture originated and developed. The chant Ke Ha’a La Puna I Kamakani, meaning “Fragrant are the Winds of Puna,” is taught to every girl in my halau. It is believed to be the first hula ever danced on Hawai’i

The first part of the Polynesian pride festivities includes the introduction of the Polynesians from the Polynesian Triangle, a region of the Pacific Ocean with three islands as the triangle points. Rather than having a dull entrance, each of the three islands came out on boats illuminating radiant colors. Since the celebration was held in Hawaii, the glistening ruby red Hawaiian boat went first. I have never really experienced a party about being a Polynesian, so I had no clue what to expect. Soon enough, a colossal sized man with an abundance of tattoos started chanting and dancing in only a minuscule leaf skirt wrapped around his waist. He started moving his hips and dancing to the song he was singing while my eyes bulged out like a puffer fish because I have never seen a grown man do that

During this six-month high season, the temperatures are milder, averaging between eighty-one and eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit, there are fewer storms, and the humidity decreases. But during this high season tourism peaks at roughly three times what you’ll find the other half of the year when the sun does shine but may disappear for days at a time. Also during the off-season, the average temperature increases to around eighty-six degrees and the humidity increases as well. Generally speaking though, Tahiti enjoys beautiful, mild weather for most of the

Auckland is home to a number of different cultures which make it a “super-diverse” city and houses several different festivals and events to celebrate these different cultures. This essay is on Polyfest, which is a secondary school dance festival showcasing the different cultures in Auckland. Firstly, I will discuss Polyfest’s long history that makes it the important event that it is today. Secondly, the event itself is a huge event with different stages all over the area and I will explain the form it takes that makes it such a “BIG” event. Finally, I will describe its social significance that makes it one of the most anticipated annual events of the year.