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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Shocking the local boy

So last night the boy was showing me some Inupiaq leg strengthening exercise. "Can you do this? It's pretty hard."

I told him, Yes, I absolutely could do that. I could also do it while making circles with my hips.

"Wha?"

As it turns out, a background in Tahitian dancing is not that common around these parts.

Yes, actually, I can make a circle with my hips. I can also make figure eights with my hips, in two different planes. I can also write my name with my hips, and make six circles within a circle, with my hips. I can make circles with my hips while standing, kneeling, and squatting, while walking backwards and forwards, and balance a book on my head while doing all of these things.

Then I proceeded to waste half of my morning looking up beautiful music and dancing. Here are some you might be able to enjoy. I'm not sure how it would sound to you if you didn't grow up with it. The vids are kind of pointless (they are mostly for the audio content), so I'll only give links.

Love this song. Was taught a dance to it by a beautiful and sensual dancer from the Cook Islands, named Poko. I wonder what she is doing nowadays.

Also love this song. Still sing it sometimes when berry picking solo, to make anti-bear noises.

A song about being "a child of the sun". I think I am going to name my cabin Fare o Te Matana--house of the sun--as a call to the sky.

Here is an edgier one, with a modern techno edge. Electronic music is big in the South Pacific. Unexpected, huh?

Finally, here is some fantastic dancing:


This is labelled Rapa Nui, but I think it's from the Cook Islands:


Yeah, I can do that, but I'm not that good. :)

Regular silicon2tanana reportage will resume tomorrow. :)

9 comments:

bt said...

You rock!

Rena said...

Wow! So can all that independent muscle movement map to belly dancing? Wasn't Jean doing belly dancing a long time ago?

And what was this Inupiaq leg strengthening exercise? I wanna see if I can do it too?!

mdr said...

You WERE just as good, probably not now without practice for a decade. That Tahiti Tahiti brought back so many good memories... Did you know Kimo told me you were the youngest dancer he ever brought on a cruise ship show because he believed in you -- not just your dancing but more your sense of responsibility, he praised me a lot :-)

mdr said...

I wonder if like-so is still kicking? did she burn her hair again? Andrew and Katie must be mature enough to take over Kimo's company, did they?

Arvay said...

@Rena: Stand on one leg, squat, and stand back up, without the other leg touching the floor. :)

@Mdr: "Neilani Rogers" with quotes gets 0 hits on google. I'm surprised, since she started a lot of dancers of our era. Kimo is still directing SOP. Andrew is drumming with a rock band. Katie is a senior in high school. Kumu Patrick Makuakane is still choreographing and churning out really stupendous dancers and dancing. Kumu Renee Price closed down her halau, but my guess would be she still has students in some form or other. :) You know who I wonder about is Ray Moki Engler... such a talented man, but I wonder if his demons got the best of him. :(

Arvay said...

Oh, also: Tommy and Camille started their own dance company, and it seems to emphasize Tahitian and Samoan stuff over hula. Julie started a dance studio for children, with emphasis on instruction over performing. Ray's music career has really taken off; he's always been such a talented man! Luana has a little daughter who is already dancing. :)

mdr said...

Wow!!! The guy can really dance, sing and drum was Luana and Kiana's brother, that is Ray?

Arvay said...

Yup; that's Ray. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi, what do you mean "demons got the best of him" for Ray? :(