Oceania Week 2004 Contemporary Palau Dance

[RockIslandShutterBug]

COOL! The photo in the background, I took that, in Ulimang-Ngaraard in 2002! Shared it with a friend from New Zealand for an Oceania-based info website....cool!

[ParadoxAnonymous]

I'm Palauan.

:P

[tiullangel]

I LOVE THIS SONG AND THE DANCE MOVES..

[lakmaisei]

I grew up dancing traditional/ contemporary palauan dance and if I'm not mistaken i think i wore kina same out fit too. Well, who cares there' no specific out fit for that type of dance so might as well be creative.... and it really doesn't matter if you wear grass skirt or not as long as you have it in your blood.. that's what makes you Belauan. if the world is confused about it let them google it...lol I think those girls did an amazing job..Sulang

[michelethe80sbaby]

dirrebilang looking good!

[kathreeno06]

meral lungil. damn i miss palau.

[punanies9]

wow!! that was nice..i remember wajin koyu and them dancin wen i was a lil gurl..dey danced beautifully!!

ninin

[aliiapu]

Contemporary dance is NOT traditional for sure, but it's part of our culture now. And yes, the dance was choreographed by my Aunt, Cesca Morei long time ago. For the fashion show, it was all belauan..real Palauan grass-skirts and all (sadly no men's fashion, no one was courageous enuf).

The girls were very proud to represent Palau, so in more ways than 1, they had Palauan pride. well inan, I hope this was helpful. Write more often, k? Keep in touch.

: ) Koyu

[aliiapu]

We wanted everyone to see the past & present for each of the islands so, there were traditional dances to contemp. For Palau, it was traditional, then matamatong, and then contemporary. Btw, who says there is no such contemporary dance in Palau? Who can't remember the first Independence Celebration back in 1994 when all the states came out and danced to contemporary music mixing matamatong and hula and trying to come up with'matamahula'? And now, even OBF has a category for Contemporary Dance.

[aliiapu]

But first, I am proud of all of you who helped me out representing Palau in Oceania Week. N-E-Way, the video shown above was not "Traditional Dance". It was specifically written on the program as well as introduced as the Contemporary Dance (If you listened from the beginning, you would've heard them saying that the performance before was the Palauan traditional dance and the next one is contemporary dance).

[aliiapu]

Normally I wouldn't spend my time writing this, but for all of those who helped me out, praciticing for nearly a month and catching the last bus home during winter, and literally working their butts off to represent Palau the best they could, I feel the need to explain to all of you who clearly do not know.

[loleebro]

I can understand people's opinions about this whether negative or positive. Contemporary palauan dance is basically doing the hula to modern palauan music. I get people can be offended because it does not represent and tell the history of the palauan culture. I think it sad that a lot of young palauans don't know traditional palauan dances. But sometimes have to make the best of what they have and still represent their island with pride whether with contemporary or traditional dance.

[jacobmusic]

Wow you guys r great...

[IslandIrie]

and yea, it is a contemporary dance & costumes don't really matter. Just look at the Palauans IN PALAU dancing in tshirts & skirts made out of yarn or cellophane! You can't tell me that's "traditional"! So I don't know why some Palauans are tripping out, you all did great! I'm proud to be Palauan & that people are interested in learning more of the culture even if it's not the older traditional stuff. :D

[bangonthedoor]

thank you...some people can be really negative without even wanting to understand. i know people have the so-called "pride" for their culture, but sometimes some just have to take a chill pill... : )

[tuich01]

koyu's in palau. she's working for the college as a public relations manager. she's very active in volleyball as she played representing our state this past Belau Games. But yea, unfortunately i'm in texas so i won't see her anytime soon but i sure will pass it on.

[IslandIrie]

hey I'm Palauan & I know this dance! the choreography's from one of the Palau Art Festival shows from the early 90s. I have video of it! but i used to dance this one for like every school talent show! LOL!

[tuich01]

Sorry e sechelei......This is my sister Koyungil Kebekol and this was a matmatong dance she had done at her school in japan. She did not post it herself and we all know it's not traditional but contemporary matmatong. So please don't be so negative for she represented palau with a good motive.

[bangonthedoor]

thank you so much : ) how's Koyu btw? i hvnt spoken to her for a long time ^_^ say hi frm me. and thank you again for your comment.

[10rmr01]

I am From Palau

[8243327]

eang hello..is that my name or some1 else? im sure thaz not me ??? is ther like other diraisaol ? lol.. wow.. she mean..

[bangonthedoor]

huh?

[diraisaol]

please change this..it's not a palauan dance and u all are confusing the world for the real palauan dances.. some of us still want our PRIDE!! this is not palauan dance!!

[bangonthedoor]

i'm sure u still have your PRIDE without us "confusing the world". read the comments above and my replies before you make any judgement.

[ares213]

WTF is this? As others have said before me: This isn't traditional Palauan dancing nor are they wearing traditional Palauan costumes. There's one Palauan in this group and she should have known better.

[bangonthedoor]

well i have no idea, my palauan friend who taught us the dance said it is a contemporary dance and she mainly created all the movements based on her creativity (she's the one & only Palauan in my college). i'm not defending her or anything but just to clarify all the misunderstanding.

[bangonthedoor]

and about the costume, well.. we did all the best we could to get the 'ocean' feeling since, again, it's a contemporary dance, so we decided to dress up more simple (plus the budget issue)

so i apologize to all of you who feel offended.

[kahunakane69]

well, i can probably understand that.. im looking at the performers and there's only one of 4 that actually looks palauan. im assuming that she just wanted to be curteous because palauan dances are harder to learn and are little more complex as far as hand-to-feet coordination is concerned. I say good work.. besides.. your audience aren't palauan, so im sure they didn't care what-so-ever...

[bangonthedoor]

hehe that is actually true, but i still feel bad for messing up with other people's culture, oh well, at least being accused to. thanx tho : )

[lei2292]

dang, if my auntie osa saw dis...tsk, no more belau pride rechaad er belau? poly culture is takin over micronesian culture...startin wit da south islands like belau and pohnpei...:S

[trenridge07]

It's Paluan music but the true Palauan dance is not there.  And the comstumes??? Ngarke eriut???

[centralkeks]

i love da way dey werr shaking der hips.

[iaorana7]

ummm...this look more like hula to me than a palaun dance...

[kahunakane69]

man, palauan dances are converting to hula these days.