When Andrea and I spoke to Diane Faulkner of Aloha “O” Hawaii and asked her to teach a Polynesian dance workshop at Tribal Force in March 2010, I decided to actually try out her classes. I have never been to any of the Polynesian islands, but have seen Hawaiian Hula and Tahitian dancing on TV (and I’ve watched Lilo and Stitch!). So last week I went along to Diane’s beginners’ class in Midland.

Courtesy and Respect

This was the first thing Diane discussed with me regarding Polynesian dance. I was actually a little bit taken back but not overly surprised when she told me that I was not allowed to perform any of her choreography anywhere without her prior approval. However, on thinking about it during the rest of the week this actually makes a lot of sense. The dances after all come from small tribal communities where courtesy and respect for elders is expected. To take a dance without permission is rude and discourteous to the choreographer who created it. Not only can you not just perform whenever and wherever you want without approval from your teacher, but you cannot change the choreography either. Again, this makes sense because these dances are usually about someone (either a real person or mythological being) and usually tell a story. You cannot go changing the choreography because changes will not fit the story being conveyed.

 

Links with Bellydancing

Although movements from Polynesian dance have been making their way into various forms of bellydancing (Unmata from California is a good example of this), the two forms of dance are actually very different at the root. Bellydance originates from the Middle East and North Africa and Polynesian dance originates from small isolated island communities. In the Middle East bellydancing began as a dance for women by women, and few men ever witnessed it (unless the dancers were hired Gawahzee dancers considered second class citizens). Polynesian dance on the other hand is a complete community performance in which everyone had a part to play. Some movements are very similar, but the body only moves so many different ways, so it is not surprising that there is a little crossover.

 

Despite the differences I really enjoyed the class and plan to take more. I have no desire to “steal” moves or choreography from the Polynesian class and put it in my bellydancing, I actually love the dance form as a separate entity and would love to pursue it. I’m sure some movements will unwittingly transfer, but my intention with the Polynesian class is to study it and its history in addition to the bellydancing which will always be my first love.

For everyone interested, I would highly recommend taking Diane’s workshop at Tribal Force next year. It’s a fun and beautiful dance that everyone can enjoy!