Mako (dance)

The Mako is a fast-paced dance from Tonga which is performed by young men. Accompanied by an extremely fast rhythm on a drum or tin can, dancers perform wild gestures involving their entire bodies; they point in various directions, run, sit, roll, or lie down repeatedly and in quick succession. The dance originated in ʻUvea and is only rarely performed in Tonga.^[1]

Musical themes[]

Songs used with the Mako feature lyrics in Tongan. Their themes are most often drawn from nature and daily life or occasionally from the Bible. Additionally, one of the best-known refrains, toli he siale, is a double entendre; it can mean "picking flowers".

References[]

^ Firitia Velt (1991). "The ʻotuhaka among the other Tongan dances". ʻOtuhaka, a Tongan Dance (PDF). Nukuʻalofa: Atensi Institute. p. 4. Retrieved 18 January 2022.

ʻI.F. Helu; Faikava

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[1] Firitia Velt (1991). "The ʻotuhaka among the other Tongan dances". ʻOtuhaka, a Tongan Dance (PDF). Nukuʻalofa: Atensi Institute. p. 4. Retrieved 18 January 2022.

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