Many resorts on Rarotonga have “island nights” to showcase the traditional dancing and costumes of the Cook Islands. The Edgewater Resort & Spa is no exception, with Tuesday and Saturday nights set aside for these events. We went on the Tuesday night in 2016.
When the people were converted to Christianity in the 19th century, the missionaries prohibited the “lewd” traditional dancing displays. For over one hundred years such public displays were very rare, but in recent decades the tradition has resumed, as Cook Islanders reconnect with their past customs.
The night’s Master of Ceremonies. Here he is talking about the young coconut, known as “nu”.
The night commences with a sumptuous buffet featuring local and western foods. This is then followed by a procession of dancing by a local dance troupe.
Like most of these performances, audience participation is an integral part. The dance group at the Edgewater brought out their young dancers to go into the crowd and select members of the audience to come on stage and be ‘taught’ to dance.
Overall, it is a very interesting event and the quality of the performance is first class.