'ote'a
Encyclopedia
The ōtea is a traditional dance from Tahiti
characterized by a rapid hip-shaking motion to percussion accompaniment. The dancers, standing in several rows, may be further choreographed to execute different figures (including box, figure 8, circles, and half circles) while maintaining the hip-shaking. The hip motion itself may in some choreographies be synchronized amongst multiple dancers and may be further coordinated with the accompanying percussion arrangement.
The dance is with music only (drums) at a fast rhythm, and no singing. The drum can be one of the different types of the tōere, a lying log of wood with a longitudinal slit, which is struck by one or two sticks. Additional drum types accompanying the dance may include the pahu (the ancient Tahitian, standing drum covered with a shark skin and struck by the hands or with sticks) played at a slower rhythm, or the smaller faatētē drum.
The ōtea is one of the few dances which already existed in pre-European times as a male dance. (The hura (Tahitian vernacular for hula
), a dance for women, on the other hand has disappeared, and likewise is gone the couple's dance upaupa
but which may have reemerged as the tāmūrē
). Nowadays, however the ōtea can be danced by men (ōtea tāne), by women (ōtea vahine), or by both genders (ōtea āmui = united ō.).
Dancers of the ōtea make gestures reenacting daily occupations of life. For the men the gestural themes can be chosen from warfare or sailing, and then they may use spears or paddles. For women the gestural themes are typically closer to home or from nature: hand gestures suggesting combing their hair, or the flight of a butterfly. More elaborate themes have been adopted; for example one where the dancers end up in a map of Tahiti, highlighting important places. In a proper ōtea the story of the theme should pervade the whole dance.
The costumes are extremely elaborate, typically incorporating long plant fiber ("grass") skirts, belting with tassels that accentuate the hip-motion, may further include decorated headpieces, and may be color-coordinated across the dancers of the company.
The same more dress and the same shaking of the knees for the boys and those of the hips for the girls as in all Tahitian dances (see tāmūrē
) is used here too.
The ōtea is considered as Tahiti's best and most spectacular dance, maybe even of whole Polynesia.
Modern interpretations include costumes fashioned of contemporary man-made materials (polyester films such as mylar, or synthetic twines) substituting for plant-fiber or natural materials, and costume coloration such as fluorescent pinks and greens or mirror-reflective surfaces difficult to obtain or maintain from purely natural resources.
Modern drum accompaniments may include drums of European- or non-Pacific construction, improvised percussion instruments of modern materials (e.g. high-density polyethylene or metallic commercial food packaging), and the use of prerecorded drum reinforcement soundtracks.
Contemporary performances of the dance range in length from less than a minute to as long as five or six minutes, with company sizes as few as one dancer to several dozen of single or mixed sex at once.
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
characterized by a rapid hip-shaking motion to percussion accompaniment. The dancers, standing in several rows, may be further choreographed to execute different figures (including box, figure 8, circles, and half circles) while maintaining the hip-shaking. The hip motion itself may in some choreographies be synchronized amongst multiple dancers and may be further coordinated with the accompanying percussion arrangement.
The dance is with music only (drums) at a fast rhythm, and no singing. The drum can be one of the different types of the tōere, a lying log of wood with a longitudinal slit, which is struck by one or two sticks. Additional drum types accompanying the dance may include the pahu (the ancient Tahitian, standing drum covered with a shark skin and struck by the hands or with sticks) played at a slower rhythm, or the smaller faatētē drum.
The ōtea is one of the few dances which already existed in pre-European times as a male dance. (The hura (Tahitian vernacular for hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
), a dance for women, on the other hand has disappeared, and likewise is gone the couple's dance upaupa
'upa'upa
The upaupa is a traditional dance from Tahiti. It is already mentioned by the European discoverers, who described it as very indecent. It is not quite clear how close the gestures at that time were with the now immensely popular tāmūrē...
but which may have reemerged as the tāmūrē
Tamure
The tāmūrē, or Tamouré as popularized in many 1960s recordings, is a dance from Tahiti and the Cook Islands and although denied by the local purists, for the rest of the world it is the most popular dance and the mark of Tahiti...
). Nowadays, however the ōtea can be danced by men (ōtea tāne), by women (ōtea vahine), or by both genders (ōtea āmui = united ō.).
Dancers of the ōtea make gestures reenacting daily occupations of life. For the men the gestural themes can be chosen from warfare or sailing, and then they may use spears or paddles. For women the gestural themes are typically closer to home or from nature: hand gestures suggesting combing their hair, or the flight of a butterfly. More elaborate themes have been adopted; for example one where the dancers end up in a map of Tahiti, highlighting important places. In a proper ōtea the story of the theme should pervade the whole dance.
The costumes are extremely elaborate, typically incorporating long plant fiber ("grass") skirts, belting with tassels that accentuate the hip-motion, may further include decorated headpieces, and may be color-coordinated across the dancers of the company.
The same more dress and the same shaking of the knees for the boys and those of the hips for the girls as in all Tahitian dances (see tāmūrē
Tamure
The tāmūrē, or Tamouré as popularized in many 1960s recordings, is a dance from Tahiti and the Cook Islands and although denied by the local purists, for the rest of the world it is the most popular dance and the mark of Tahiti...
) is used here too.
The ōtea is considered as Tahiti's best and most spectacular dance, maybe even of whole Polynesia.
Modern and Adoptive Interpretation
Interpretations of the ōtea are frequently included as part of larger polynesian dance recitals presented at luaus and visitor-oriented live shows in the Hawaiian Islands and other Pacific-rim resorts outside of Tahiti.Modern interpretations include costumes fashioned of contemporary man-made materials (polyester films such as mylar, or synthetic twines) substituting for plant-fiber or natural materials, and costume coloration such as fluorescent pinks and greens or mirror-reflective surfaces difficult to obtain or maintain from purely natural resources.
Modern drum accompaniments may include drums of European- or non-Pacific construction, improvised percussion instruments of modern materials (e.g. high-density polyethylene or metallic commercial food packaging), and the use of prerecorded drum reinforcement soundtracks.
Contemporary performances of the dance range in length from less than a minute to as long as five or six minutes, with company sizes as few as one dancer to several dozen of single or mixed sex at once.
External links
- YouTube | otea - Samples of 'ote'a dance and music