Samoan Sensation

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In Samoa, They Say "Talofa"....

Me in a samoan dress
 

Samoa is group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand. Its dance is possibly the one area of Samoan culture which has not been greatly influenced by contact with western civilization. While Samoan music has adopted guitars and other musical instruments, dance, which relies solely upon the performers’ body, still requires the dancer to retain grace and move their arms and hands in the traditional fashion. Unlike several of the other Pacific Islands, Samoan dancers do not perform in grass skirts, nor is the hula a dance native to them. Instead, performers will normally wear a lavalava, and the men will wear necklaces or anklets made from leaves. The costumes are typically decorated with feathers or freshly cut flowers. There are different types of dances which are performed by individuals or groups and either sitting or standing. All in all, Samoan music and dance displays the vitality and liveliness of the people, and has been characterized as a means of maintaining Samoan identity in contact with other civilizations.

 

  Sasa

The word sasa literally means 'to strike'. Originally, the dance was village activities that soon evolved into one of Samoa's most interesting and well-known dances. It became a form of entertainment for the Samoan Royal Family and other royal dignitaries that visited the islands. The Sasa requires synchronization and a lot of energy. Generally, the Sasa is performed by a large group of people, it is normally performed sitting down, but there are parts of the dance which require the group to stand up. The movements depict everyday life, including a form of voyaging, where the group moves into the form of a large canoe, having the arms on the outside mimic the movement of paddles in the water.

 

 

 

Slap Dance

The Fa'ataupati is a dance indigenous to the Samoans. In English it is simply the "Samoan Slap Dance". It was developed in Samoa in the 19th century, and is the one Samoan dance performed only by males. During the 19th century, there was an invasion of mosquitoes in Samoa. This dance mimics a person slapping the mosquitoes off their body when bitten. Unlike all other Samoan dances, this is the only dance that does not include any instruments, as the slapping, clapping, and stomping create the music for this dance. It is performed at almost every Samoan occasion: weddings, church functions, birthdays, Independence Day, and so forth. Though the slapping can seem painful, it has never stopped the Samoan males from having fun.

 Fire Dance

  A common dance performed at a Luau or Polynesian show is the fire knife, a traditional Samoan cultural dance that is used in ceremonial dances. Originally, it consisted of a machete with both ends wrapped in towels, and a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers, or Siva Afi, of fire knife dancing dance while twirling the knife and doing other acrobatic stunts. The towels are set on fire during the dance, thus, explaining the name. This dance was done both pre-battle, to intimidate the enemy and to psyche up the warrior, and also post-battle as a victory dance. In the mid 20th century, the ancient traditions of the fire knife dance were commercialized and westernized. Eventually, the exposed portion was part of the wooden handle. Now, most of the moves performed in shows are more modern and flashy than traditional battle preparations. In addition, the speed of the dance increased. The danger of dancing with a sharpened blade has caused the knife to completely disappear from commercial performances.