This dance….
is called: Palauan Traditional Dance
This dance is located in Palau. Palau is an archipelago located in the western Pacific Ocean. There are separated dances for women and men but also mixed gender dances.
Societal relevance
Palau is comprised of several cultures and languages. Ethnic Palauans predominate, inhabiting the main islands of the archipelago. Although in the past few decades, Palau has adapted to an international economy, Palauans for the most part strongly identify with their traditional culture. Palauan villages were, and still are, organized around 10 clans reckoned matrilineally. Several of their traditional ceremonies are widely practiced and the codes and beliefs adopted by Palauan forefathers are still revered today.
Probably the most noticeable aspect of Palauan culture is the people's connection with the sea.Traditionally, it was the duty of the family to go to sea to harvest fish and battle against enemy villages. As the sea was the source of their livelihood, men developed a close relationship with the waters of Palau, becoming versant in the currents and the phases of the moon and the behavior of the fish they sought to put on the table. Women generally stayed on land or along the shallow reefs surrounding the islands, rather than combat the open ocean, providing foundation for the family. Their days were largely spent tending to their homes, family and fields where they grew taro.
In the past there was thus a strongly gendered division of labor in daily work tasks, which may be refleceted in the seperated dances of men and women. Traditional dances are performed by village groups. The women’s dances are stately and performed by two lines of women, while the men’s line dances often include war stances and stick dances.
In the first two videos we see the women and the mens dance. Intresstingly in the third video we can see a mixed gender dance with the traditional rhythms and oratory adapted to modern music tools such as using microphones and beats.
Music
In Palau, musicians divide their music into two categories: traditional style (chelitakl rechuodel) and modern music (beches chelitakl). Oratory is highly valued, with senior elders performing historical chants and pieces. Chanting is rife with meaning and serves as a means of communication. The text used is an extremely important part of traditional music. Some of these chants go back many, many generations, and some people may not even understand what the chant actually means. There are different kinds of chants for different purposes, and it’s said that the gods were the ones who originally came up with this. Besides voices used in singing and chanting, hand claps and body slaps are common percussive instruments to accompany their vocal music. Much of the traditional music of Palau resembles many of the styles of the broader Micronesian musical traditions. Now, a lot of those traditions have been mixed with popular music from the US, Europe, and Japan.
Costume
The clothes refer to the traditional garments worn by the people of Palau.
[1] Worldlyrise.blogspot.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, http://worldlyrise.blogspot.com/2017/06/palau-music-and-dance.html
[2] Sites.google.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://sites.google.com/site/ourculturesourpride/palau/traditional-dance-costumes
Men Dance
Women Dance
Mixed Gender Dance
How to dance the dance
The dance is performed in a horizontal line. Man and woman stand alternately in a line. The dance is repeated in loops in which the different Step patterns are repeated in different order. The quality of the dance movements is characterized by light swinging rhythm. The body swings smoothly to the rhythm of the music. The arms swing with the choreographic movements, the knees are loose often bent.
Loop 1
Pattern 1
Repeat 4 x:
The right foot rotates 90 degrees to the right with a step in place, while the torso rotates to the right as well. The arms hang loosely and follow the rotation. The left arm crosses the torso and is loosely extended forward. The torso is slightly tilted forward. The knees are loose and slightly bent.
The left foot rotates 90 degrees to the left with a step in place, while the torso rotates to the left as well. The arms are bent and at the same time as the step, the hands are clapped once in front of the torso. The torso is slightly tilted forward. The knees are loose and slightly bent.
Pattern 2
The right foot rotates in place with a step 90 degree to the right, while the torso rotates to the right as well. The arms are bent and with the step, the hands are clapped once in front of the torso.
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotating the body with it to the left and is placed parallel behind the right foot so that the entire body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands simultaneously clap the side of the thighs.
In the following, the left foot takes a step forward again, so that the body is again frontal to the audience, whereupon the right foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body to the right and places the foot parallel behind the left foot, so that the entire body is now parallel to the audience, while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat 2 x:
With the body facing to the right, standing parallel to the audience, the right foot takes the following sequence of steps: The right foot takes a step forward, then returns the foot to the starting position and takes a step sideways backwards. Then the left foot steps backwards so that both feet are parallel again. While the right foot steps forward and to the side, the arms are extended forward parallel to the floor and are bent and pulled towards the body when the foot is put back.
To return to a frontal position, the right foot steps forward, the body is now facing the audience, the left foot steps behind the right leg crossing, the right foot takes a balancing step in place, then kicks the left foot forward with a swing, placing it parallel to the right foot. The right foot takes another balancing step in place. Now the body is again facing forward.
Stamping the right foot twice in place, shifting weight and kicking the left foot forward.
Pattern 3
Knees bent, the upper body rotates slightly to the left. The left arm is bent, gently swinging and opening up to the left and back to the centre. Returning to the centre, both hands clap together in front of the torso. Continuing in a bent-knee posture, the upper body now rotates twice to the right and back to the centre. At the same time the right arm, gently swinging opens up twice to the right and comes back to the centre. The upper body swings with it. The left arm is pocketed. The Torso now faces front. The right foot stamps twice on the floor while the right arm, which remains bent, simultaneously makes two downward accentuated movements.
In the following, the right foot goes diagonally backwards with an evasive step, while the whole body rotates to the right. Following the evasive step, the left leg now kicks forward standing parallel to the audience. Simultaneously to the kick, the left hand claps the side of the thigh. Then the left foot sets under the body, shifts the weight onto it while extending the left arm and right leg out to the side. Then the right foot is again placed parallel to the left while the whole body rotates back front.
Pattern 4
Knees bent, with the upper body slightly bent forward. The hands are clapped together once in front of the torso. Then the knees swing 2 x alternately to the right, left, right, left while the hands clap once on the thighs with each rotation to the left and right.
To return to a frontal position, the right foot steps forward, the body is now facing the audience, the left foot steps behind the right leg crossing, the right foot takes a balancing step in place, then kicks the left foot forward with a swing, placing it parallel to the right foot. The right foot takes another balancing step in place. Now the body is again facing forward.
Stamping the right foot twice in place, shifting weight and kicking the left foot forward.
Standing frontal, raise your arms mill-like: bring the left and then the right bent over to the front of the torso and down beside the body. Then the dancers take each other's hands and stretch them together upwards over their heads, marking the end of the first loop.
Loop 2
Entrance: Step in place with the right foot, shifting the weight onto it and kick the left leg forward. The left leg is placed under the body with a step in place and the right leg kicks forward.
Repeat Pattern 2
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that the whole body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 3
Repeat Pattern 1
Repeat Pattern 2
To introduce the next Step Pattern, the right foot rotates in place with a step 90 % to the right while the torso also rotates to the right. The arms are bent and with the step the hands are clapped once in front of the torso.
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that..............
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 4
Entrance: Step in place with the right foot, shifting the weight onto it and kick the left leg forward. The left leg is placed under the body with a step in place and the right leg kicks forward.
Repeat Pattern 2
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that the whole body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 5
Repeat Pattern 1
At the end clap hands 4 times right,left,right,left with the movement of the knees to mark the end of the dance.
The dance is performed in a horizontal line. Man and woman stand alternately in a line. The dance is repeated in loops in which the different Step patterns are repeated in different order. The quality of the dance movements is characterized by light swinging rhythm. The body swings smoothly to the rhythm of the music. The arms swing with the choreographic movements, the knees are loose often bent.
Loop 1
Pattern 1
Repeat 4 x:
The right foot rotates 90 degrees to the right with a step in place, while the torso rotates to the right as well. The arms hang loosely and follow the rotation. The left arm crosses the torso and is loosely extended forward. The torso is slightly tilted forward. The knees are loose and slightly bent.
The left foot rotates 90 degrees to the left with a step in place, while the torso rotates to the left as well. The arms are bent and at the same time as the step, the hands are clapped once in front of the torso. The torso is slightly tilted forward. The knees are loose and slightly bent.
Pattern 2
The right foot rotates in place with a step 90 degree to the right, while the torso rotates to the right as well. The arms are bent and with the step, the hands are clapped once in front of the torso.
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotating the body with it to the left and is placed parallel behind the right foot so that the entire body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands simultaneously clap the side of the thighs.
In the following, the left foot takes a step forward again, so that the body is again frontal to the audience, whereupon the right foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body to the right and places the foot parallel behind the left foot, so that the entire body is now parallel to the audience, while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat 2 x:
With the body facing to the right, standing parallel to the audience, the right foot takes the following sequence of steps: The right foot takes a step forward, then returns the foot to the starting position and takes a step sideways backwards. Then the left foot steps backwards so that both feet are parallel again. While the right foot steps forward and to the side, the arms are extended forward parallel to the floor and are bent and pulled towards the body when the foot is put back.
To return to a frontal position, the right foot steps forward, the body is now facing the audience, the left foot steps behind the right leg crossing, the right foot takes a balancing step in place, then kicks the left foot forward with a swing, placing it parallel to the right foot. The right foot takes another balancing step in place. Now the body is again facing forward.
Stamping the right foot twice in place, shifting weight and kicking the left foot forward.
Pattern 3
Knees bent, the upper body rotates slightly to the left. The left arm is bent, gently swinging and opening up to the left and back to the centre. Returning to the centre, both hands clap together in front of the torso. Continuing in a bent-knee posture, the upper body now rotates twice to the right and back to the centre. At the same time the right arm, gently swinging opens up twice to the right and comes back to the centre. The upper body swings with it. The left arm is pocketed. The Torso now faces front. The right foot stamps twice on the floor while the right arm, which remains bent, simultaneously makes two downward accentuated movements.
In the following, the right foot goes diagonally backwards with an evasive step, while the whole body rotates to the right. Following the evasive step, the left leg now kicks forward standing parallel to the audience. Simultaneously to the kick, the left hand claps the side of the thigh. Then the left foot sets under the body, shifts the weight onto it while extending the left arm and right leg out to the side. Then the right foot is again placed parallel to the left while the whole body rotates back front.
Pattern 4
Knees bent, with the upper body slightly bent forward. The hands are clapped together once in front of the torso. Then the knees swing 2 x alternately to the right, left, right, left while the hands clap once on the thighs with each rotation to the left and right.
To return to a frontal position, the right foot steps forward, the body is now facing the audience, the left foot steps behind the right leg crossing, the right foot takes a balancing step in place, then kicks the left foot forward with a swing, placing it parallel to the right foot. The right foot takes another balancing step in place. Now the body is again facing forward.
Stamping the right foot twice in place, shifting weight and kicking the left foot forward.
Standing frontal, raise your arms mill-like: bring the left and then the right bent over to the front of the torso and down beside the body. Then the dancers take each other's hands and stretch them together upwards over their heads, marking the end of the first loop.
Loop 2
Entrance: Step in place with the right foot, shifting the weight onto it and kick the left leg forward. The left leg is placed under the body with a step in place and the right leg kicks forward.
Repeat Pattern 2
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that the whole body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 3
Repeat Pattern 1
Repeat Pattern 2
To introduce the next Step Pattern, the right foot rotates in place with a step 90 % to the right while the torso also rotates to the right. The arms are bent and with the step the hands are clapped once in front of the torso.
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that..............
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 4
Entrance: Step in place with the right foot, shifting the weight onto it and kick the left leg forward. The left leg is placed under the body with a step in place and the right leg kicks forward.
Repeat Pattern 2
The left foot takes a step backwards, rotates the body with it to the left and places the foot parallel behind the right foot so that the whole body is now parallel to the audience. The right foot takes a small step in place while the hands clap simultaneously on the side of the thighs.
Repeat Pattern 3
Repeat Pattern 4
Loop 5
Repeat Pattern 1
At the end clap hands 4 times right,left,right,left with the movement of the knees to mark the end of the dance.