Tahitian Dance - The Tahiti Traveler

The “ori” and the “pa’oti”

Tahitian dance plays an important role in the Polynesian culture. But as time went by and with the arrival of missionaries it suffered from several influences and changes. Many of those associated the Polynesian dance with nudity and thought of it as shameful and therefore decided to prohibit it.
But dance is deeply established in the habits of the population. During the 50’s, Madeleine Moua and her dance group Heiva turned the rather old and rural art into a more city-based and professionalized activity. In addition, the development of tourism promoted this Polynesian cultural aspect as folklore.
The basic movements of Tahitian dance are the « ori » for the woman (hips movement starting from the knees, the top of the body stays still, the arms are streched and the heels are joint) and the « pa’oti » for men (scissors’ movement with the legs, bended knees alternatively opened and closed, heels stay together).
There are four major types of dance :
– The « Otea » , the most famous. Originally a somewhat warlike dance for men, this dance is now practised by both genders and is organised around a topic. The music that accompanies the dancers is made of rhythmic motifs called “pehe”.
– The « Aparima ». The hands of dancers mime the story related to the audience. The “Aparima” can be mute or sung.
– The « Hivanau ». Male and female dancers form a circle and a male soloist gives a phrase that the choir takes over.
– The « Pa’o’a ». The gestures of this dance remind the tapa-making art (vegetal tissue obtained by the technique of threshed bark). Male and female dancers are squat in a semi-circle. A soloist gives a theme that the others answer and a couple go in the middle to perform a dance encouraging their movements by sounds of “hi” and “ha”.
Percussions or string instruments give the rhythm depending on the type of dance.
Costumes also hold an important function. They have to be creative and avoid non vegetal material or non traditional colours.
The show of Tumata Robinson, “Heiva”, gives a good picture of Tahitian dance. The group will be in France in July for the cultural festival “Terre du son”, then in Canada to end in New Zealand at the Cultural centre of Djibaou.
In Tahiti, don’t miss the “Heiva” festival from the 29th of June until the 20th of July (dances, songs, historical reconstruction and sport competitions in a shared joy atmosphere).