WHEN I WATCH SIMILAR FOOTAGE, I FEEL SICKLY PITY FOR THE RUSSIAN ROUND DANCE AND THE SAME EVERYDAY “GOAT” WHICH COULD BE SEEN JUST IN THE STREET AT EVERY HOLIDAY - UNDER THE BAYAN.
RUSSIAN DANCES - THEY WERE KILLED AT THE EVERYDAY LEVEL
AND WHEN THEY FINALLY DIE OUT AMATEUR ACTIVITY, WE WILL NEVER EVEN SEE RUSSIAN DANCE!
ONLY SUCH WILD DANCES!

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DANCED IN A ROUND DANCING?
ME - 10 YEARS AGO
AND YOU?

Original taken from masterok in New Zealand Dance

The teachers are seeing us off.

Haka (Maori haka) is a ritual dance of New Zealand Maori, during which performers stomp their feet, beat their thighs and chest, and shout accompaniment.

The word "haka" in the Maori language means "dance in general" and also "song that accompanies the dance." Haka cannot be attributed exclusively to “dances” or “songs”: as Alan Armstrong put it, a haka is a composition in which each instrument - arms, legs, body, tongue, eyes - performs its own part.

Characteristic details of the haka - the dance is performed simultaneously by all participants and is accompanied by grimaces. Grimaces (movements of the eyes and tongue) are very important, and they determine how well the dance is performed. The women performing the haka did not stick out their tongues. Non-military haka may contain wave-like movements of the fingers or hands. The leader of the dance (male or female) shouts out one or two lines of text, after which the rest respond in chorus

Dance at a wedding:

New Zealand rugby players performed the traditional haka ritual dance before their first match of the 2015 World Cup against Argentina. An impressive performance helped and the All Blacks won 26-16. And this video on YouTube has already been watched more than 145 thousand times in two days:

There are several different legends about the origin of the hack. According to one of them, this dance was first performed by women who were looking for a certain Kae, who had killed a whale that belonged to the leader of the tribe. The women didn't know what he looked like, but they knew he had crooked teeth. Kae was among other people, and to identify him in the crowd, the women performed a funny dance with comic movements. Seeing the haku, Kae laughed and was recognized.

The haka was performed primarily in the evening for entertainment; There were purely male hakas, women's, children's, and also suitable for adults of both sexes. Guests were also greeted with this dance. Welcome dances usually began belligerently, since the greeters did not know the intentions of the arrivals. It was with such a warlike dance that the armed Maori met James Cook in 1769.

Christian missionary Henry Williams wrote: “It is necessary to prohibit all the old customs, dancing, singing and tattooing, the main local bacchanals. In Auckland people like to gather in large groups to demonstrate their terrifying dances.” Over time, the attitude of Europeans towards dancing improved, and the haka began to be regularly performed during visits of the royal family.

In the 21st century, the haka is regularly performed by the New Zealand Armed Forces. Twice a year, since 1972, a festival-competition in the haka Te Matatini (Maori Te Matatini) has been held. Since the late 19th century, rugby teams have performed this dance before competition, and in the 2000s the tradition sparked much controversy and accusations that the All Blacks were "devaluing" the haka.

They see off a dead soldier on his last journey.

Not all ritual dances of different nations are lucky enough to find application in our time. The exception was the national dance of the New Zealand Maori tribe, which they themselves call “haka”.

Haka dance history

The Maori themselves consider the ritual dance of the haka to be their national art form. Haka is not just dance movements; these movements include certain plasticity of the entire body and even the dancer’s eyes. Haka is performed to the accompaniment of ancient chants; the dance pattern consists of clapping hands on the body and thighs, as well as stamping feet to the furious shouts of the people performing it.

In addition to the arms, legs and head, the hack uses the tongue and eyeballs. Each element of the body in this dance has a separate part. Maori used haka before fighting the enemy. They performed the dance in everyday life. The dance variety has never been a purely male prerogative among the Maori. Haka could be women's, mixed, or children's.

According to one of the legends of the tribe, the dance appeared thanks to a woman who was looking for a man who had killed the leader’s personal whale. Eyewitnesses told the woman that the offender had crooked teeth. A long search was in vain until the woman began to make faces in front of the crowd, making everyone laugh. So she saw a man with crooked teeth in front of her, and took him to the leader.

Until the 18th century, Europeans in New Zealand had a negative view of the haka dance. Then they got used to it, and even began to invite the natives to perform their dance in front of the royal family.

Haka currently

Today, dance has become an integral part of the culture of the New Zealand Armed Forces. It is also performed by rugby teams on the field. Since 1972, New Zealanders have held festivals and competitions dedicated to this dance twice a year.

There are several types of dance in Maori culture. Let's look at them in more detail:

• Peruperu is a war dance that wars performed before battle. Sometimes he was shown to his enemies completely naked;
• Toia mai is a community dance that was always performed before a general meeting of Maori;
• Tumoto is a dance of rage that wars performed after defeat in battle;
• Poi is a female version of khaki, calmer and smoother;
• Horuhoru – dance for men and women;
• Ka-mate is a modern version of khaki for athletes.

Thanks to the New Zealand rugby team, dances like the khaki began to be performed by many teams before games. Until the early 20th century, New Zealand rugby players almost always beat their opponents on the field. It was believed that this haka gave them such strength.

Since 1892, the New Zealand team wore only black uniforms, and all team members had to be able to perform Maori ritual dances. This behavior was characteristic of the first New Zealanders from those distant times when their canoes landed on the island shores. There is information that the Maori met the haka team of Cook himself, as well as the traveler Abel Tasman.

Former Polynesians see in their ritual dance a connection with their ancestors, a manifestation of masculinity and courage, as well as a way to intimidate the enemy. It was intimidation that was the original purpose of creating haki. The convulsive movements of the warriors could frighten anyone, and the protruding tongues gave the Maori a completely insane look. By the way, when women dance this dance, they limit themselves to actively rotating their eyes, and leave their tongues behind their teeth. Haka is New Zealand's popular culture, which the whole world learned about thanks to rugby teams. The dance is impressive, frightening and fascinating, because it is as ancient as the history of the settlement of the New Zealand islands.

This is how teachers see you off.

Probably our traditions are also assessed by someone as something strange and even scary. I would like to remember - what for example? Here are some of our traditions that a New Zealander can perceive in the same way as we perceive their Haka tradition.

Haka (Maori haka) is a ritual dance of New Zealand Maori, during which performers stomp their feet, beat their thighs and chest, and shout accompaniment.

The word "haka" in the Maori language means "dance in general" and also "song that accompanies the dance." Haka cannot be attributed exclusively to “dances” or “songs”: as Alan Armstrong put it, a haka is a composition in which each instrument - arms, legs, body, tongue, eyes - performs its own part.

Characteristic details of the haka - the dance is performed simultaneously by all participants and is accompanied by grimaces. Grimaces (movements of the eyes and tongue) are very important, and they determine how well the dance is performed. The women performing the haka did not stick out their tongues. Non-military haka may contain wave-like movements of the fingers or hands. The leader of the dance (male or female) shouts out one or two lines of text, after which the rest respond in chorus

Dance at a wedding:

New Zealand rugby players performed the traditional haka ritual dance before their first match of the 2015 World Cup against Argentina. An impressive performance helped and the All Blacks won 26-16. And this video on YouTube has already been watched more than 145 thousand times in two days:

There are several different legends about the origin of the hack. According to one of them, this dance was first performed by women who were looking for a certain Kae, who had killed a whale that belonged to the leader of the tribe. The women didn't know what he looked like, but they knew he had crooked teeth. Kae was among other people, and to identify him in the crowd, the women performed a funny dance with comic movements. Seeing the haku, Kae laughed and was recognized.

The haka was performed primarily in the evening for entertainment; There were purely male hakas, women's, children's, and also suitable for adults of both sexes. Guests were also greeted with this dance. Welcome dances usually began belligerently, since the greeters did not know the intentions of the arrivals. It was with such a warlike dance that the armed Maori met James Cook in 1769.

Christian missionary Henry Williams wrote: “It is necessary to prohibit all the old customs, dancing, singing and tattooing, the main local bacchanals. In Auckland people like to gather in large groups to demonstrate their terrifying dances.” Over time, the attitude of Europeans towards dancing improved, and the haka began to be regularly performed during visits of the royal family.

In the 21st century, the haka is regularly performed by the New Zealand Armed Forces. Twice a year, since 1972, a festival-competition in the haka Te Matatini (Maori Te Matatini) has been held. Since the late 19th century, rugby teams have performed this dance before competition, and in the 2000s the tradition sparked much controversy and accusations that the All Blacks were "devaluing" the haka.

They see off a dead soldier on his last journey.

Everyone who considers themselves involved in rugby knows this cherished four-letter word. The strongest team of all time, the New Zealand team, performs its ritual dance before each match, inspiring fans and intimidating enemies. So, let's tell you what haka is.

Ritual dance

Haka is a ritual dance of the Maori (the indigenous population of New Zealand), accompanied by stomping feet, striking the hips and chest with palms, and shouting.

For New Zealanders themselves, haka is much more than just body movements. This is a whole composition consisting of dance and song, and various parts of the body act as an orchestra. A separate role is assigned to the eyes and tongue. It is by the movement of these organs that the quality of the dance is determined. Interestingly, women are prohibited from sticking out their tongues.

Khaki always has a leader. He is the only one who is on his feet throughout most of the action and shouts out the words of the song, which all the other participants repeat in unison.

Each tribe has its own haka. The version that this is exclusively a war dance is incorrect. There are different hacks in New Zealand: from greeting to funeral. The dance is performed before a fight, sports matches or even a wedding.

Haka in rugby

The first haka to be performed before a rugby match was in 1888 by the Australasian team (a joint team of New Zealand and Australia) before a match against Great Britain.

The New Zealand rugby team appeared a little later, in 1892. However, they received the nickname “All Blacks” only in 1905. The Daily Mail newspaper, after the defeat of one of the English clubs by New Zealanders, nicknamed the team the All Blacks because of the all-black uniform. During that same European tour, the Maori performed “Ka Mate”, which became the hallmark of New Zealand rugby players.

The meaning of khaki

According to legend, “I Perish” (Ka Mate) was coined by Te Rauparaha, the head of the Ngati Toa tribe. Fleeing from his enemies, the leader hid in a hole, but when he heard a noise above the shelter, he began to say goodbye to his life. When the pit lid was pulled back, Te Rauparaha saw another leader, Te Whareangi (literally translated as “hairy”) from a neighboring tribe. To celebrate, the rescued one composed “Ka Mate”.

First, the leader “sings”, organizing and setting up his team:

Ringa pakia! Hands on your belt!

Uma tiraha! Chest forward!

Turi whatia! Bend your knees!

Hope whai ake! Hips forward!

Waewae takahia kia kino! Stomp your feet as hard as you can!

Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!

Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm alive! I'm alive!

Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru But here is the Hairy Man

Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā He brought the sun and lit it.

Ā, upane! ka upane! Step forward! one more step forward!

Ā, upane, ka upane, whiti te ra! Step up! Towards the sun!

Hi! Rise up!

The “I am perishing” haka describes the cult of the sun, dawn, the cyclic change of day and night, life and death.

It is important to know that haka is performed exclusively by New Zealanders. The national teams of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji have their own dances, differing in words, movement and meaning.

The All Blacks also sometimes perform another dance called the Kapa O Pango, but we will cover that in a future article.

The haka dance is not just a menacing performance by New Zealand rugby players before a match. First of all, it is the culture, traditions and heritage of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. However, it was thanks to rugby and the All Blacks that haka gained popularity in the world.

Haka dance - Maori heritage

According to history, the haka was performed by Maori warriors before battle in order to intimidate the enemy. The haka includes menacing foot stomping, swinging and punching, and various grimaces. Nowadays, conflicts are no longer resolved in the open field in face-to-face battles with the enemy, but military traditions remain alive, only flowing into a peaceful direction.

Rugby is also a kind of war. Unlike many other team sports, the game is played dice to dice, shoulder to shoulder, and all within the rules. At times, rugby battles do look tough and even brutal. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was with this game that the introduction of khaki into the sports world began.

New Zealand performs a haka before the match against South Africa. Photo EPA/NIC BOTHMA

But the haka has much more meaning to New Zealanders than just a pre-match dance. This is a tribute to tradition, part of culture. Even in ancient times, the haka was performed not only before battles, but also on other occasions, such as when receiving important guests or when achieving something outstanding. And now it is difficult to imagine this country without khaki; the haka dance has become a brand of New Zealand, its symbol, along with the All Blacks. Haku is performed at sports competitions and receptions, at weddings and when saying goodbye to the departed. Haku is taught in the army and at school.

Maori celebrate the return of the Maori battalion from the First World War. 1920

The most famous haka is Ka Mate. According to legend, it was invented by Te Rauparaha, the leader of the Ngati Toa tribe. He hid from enemies in a food storage pit, and then climbed out, where he met the leader of a friendly tribe. It is these events that are reflected in the text of the Ka Mate haka, which is dedicated to celebrating the victory of life over death.

The New Zealand rugby team performed the haka for the first time during the 1888-1889 away tour. Then it was not yet the official New Zealand team, but a team called New Zealand Natives (natives of New Zealand). They played 107 during their tour! rugby matches, as well as several matches under other football rules.

New Zealand Natives - New Zealand natives. 1887 Photo by S. Mercer

The first versions of the New Zealand rugby players' khaki did not look as impressive as modern versions. Not all players knew what exactly needed to be done, and the movements were not as clear and precise as they are now. Even in the famous 1973 match of the Barbarians against New Zealand, the dance of the New Zealanders is very far from combative. But even then the haka was a special event that the audience was waiting for.

In our time, rugby players have become much more like warriors, and the haka has become more formidable, and the players’ movements are synchronized and refined. Players understand the significance of this ritual, and take its performance seriously. And for the opponents, the haka is truly a challenge.

Evolution of khaki

Although it should be said that according to Maori concepts, hakas are not addressed at all to the enemy. These wars showed and praised their own strength, and made it clear to the enemy that they were going to destroy him. That is, this is not a challenge, but a statement. We don't dance the haka to challenge you to a fight. We dance the haka to say we are going to kill you. Naturally, in rugby everything is not so radical, but the meaning is about the same.

Although haka is also performed by representatives of other team sports, including even such interesting variants as hockey or baseball, it still gained the main share of popularity in the world thanks to rugby. The reason is obvious, the All Blacks are one of the most successful teams in the world, regardless of sport. The percentage of official matches won is 76. And therefore the haka is equivalent to a victory. If New Zealanders performed the dance and then lost, then the haka could indeed be perceived as a joke. But knowing the strength of the team, the opponent, watching the haka, understands that they are serious, and after the whistle to start the match there will be no time for jokes.

Haka in various sports

But it's not just the Maori who have their own fighting rites, and it's not just the New Zealanders who have brought them to the field. Representatives of other Polynesian countries were also not averse to dancing before the fight, and now before the match. However, it is a mistake to call these dances haka; each of them has its own name. For Samoa it is siwa tau, for Tonga it is kailao (sipi tau is the dance of Tongan rugby players, a variation of kailao), for Fiji it is sibi, for Hawaii it is hula.

Rivals did not always perceive the haka as just a tribute to tradition. This is a real challenge for New Zealand's opponents. And they didn’t always just watch how New Zealanders “traditionally” run their fingers along their throats and stick out their tongues.

Haka kapa o pango

In 1997, Richard Cockerill came out to his New Zealand counterpart while performing a haka; as a result, Norm Hewitt completed a private haka face to face with the Englishman. English captain Martin Johnson then quietly said to his player, “What have you done?”... As a result, the angry New Zealanders defeated the English 25-8.

Of course, everyone remembers the French team, which met haka face to face twice. At the 2007 World Cup in the quarterfinals, the French team came close to the New Zealanders, creating a unique moment. Moreover, the French won a sensational victory 20-18. The French were not averse to repeating this and. Despite the ban, they again moved towards their opponent, for which they later paid a fine. And this time they almost managed to repeat the miracle; the New Zealanders barely managed to hold on to the winning score 8-7.

New Zealand - France. 2007. Photo ROSS LAND/AFP

I've seen haka live several times. , and in 2013 in Moscow, when New Zealanders won the Rugby Sevens World Cup. This is an impressive sight... and it was no longer so amazing. But I think any aspiring rugby player dreams of performing a haka and then going out on the field to win. So if you want, you can try it.

Learn Haku

But to win, you need to train first!