My sweet mother is Tahitian. Before moving to the mainland Tahiti we use to live on the island of Raiatea. While living on that island (Raiatea) she put us in a Tahitian dance group and so my sisters and I were taught the dances of our ancestors the "Aparima" (a slow graceful dance) and the "Otea" (a fast hip moving dance). We danced at school events, church functions (welcoming church general authorities) etc. I still remember the long dance rehearsals where we not only had to memorize the choreography but the songs as well (in the native language of course -Tahitian). The sound of traditional instruments: the ukulele's, "to ere" and drums were rich and exciting.
Today I can still hear the deep sound of drums this time they are calling me... A few times I have done cultural presentations and have enjoyed sharing my heritage with others. And many times I have toyed with the idea of teaching Tahitian "hula" but never have followed through. However the other day after stopping at an authentic Hawaiian shaved ice stand outside of Foothills Mall, the Hula bug bit me again and I'm itching like crazy...SO I'm just going to go for it this time and see what happens.
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2 comments:
Way to go Ruth!!! that sounds like a fun idea. I guess I'll have to move back so Tara can take dance lessons from you! I surely can't teach her much about dancing.
Awesome! You go girl! I wish I was there I would make you teach me. I'm sure it's great exercise for the waist line!
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