Let’s Dance

Last Friday I discovered the dance parties in Bairiki. I met my volley-ball partner at the maneaba where they spend most of their free time. There was music and many people aged from 8 to 30 years old were sited on the floor; again I was the oldest person in the room.
As I was sitting I was asked to introduce myself in front of everyone because very few people knew me; someone was translating as I was speaking in English. Hello my name is, I come from France, I am staying at Mary’s Motel, I will stay here 2 months and I am happy to be here. I was then asked my age, what I was doing on the island and my room number (I declined to answer the last question).



After introducing myself, I took a sit on the floor; the young one where so fascinated by me that a lot came to sit next to me to be able to get a closer look. In the beginning I didn’t really understand why the DJ was never allowing a song to be played in its entirety, he would stop the songs after 30 seconds or 1 minute; it was pretty weird. Someone explained that the way the evening works is that everyone has to pay for the song he wants, how long the song will be played depends on how much he pays. It is a peculiar concept but that is the way they do things. Instead of ending up with a nightclub type of atmosphere it would be more like a family party where even the kids would pay for their songs and would not hesitate to dance.



Most people pay 10 cents for a song and will get a very short song. When you choose you con decide if the song is for everyone or just for you and your dance partner. Here nobody dances alone, you have to ask someone to dance with you either for a personal dance or a shared dance. I was invited to dance and made a lot of people laugh because of course I don’t dance the same way they do. When the song ends you thank your dance partner with a specific gesture: both ends start at the bust and then unfold as if you were opening a window. This exact gesture is also used to designate your dance partner, he or she is not allowed to refuse the offer.



I returned to my hotel room to put a few songs I like very much on a USB drive to have a little bit of fun on the dance floor. The first song I chose was personal, so I was dancing with my dance partner in front of everyone. The songs I chose later where shared and each time I made sure they would last long enough by paying 50 cents. Kids love to dance, it is a real pleasure to see them have fun on the dance floor. There is no alcohol at this party, to pay for a song is not common for me who really loves to dance but it doesn’t stop you from having a good time.