Polynesian Dance in the Hawaiian Tourist Industry in Waikiki, 1981

Abstract

I believe the performing arts of a society reflect not only the values and mores of that society's culture, but also in pre-literate societies the performing arts served as a primary means of perpetuating important aspects of the culture. In modern day Hawai'i, a literate society, there exists a tourist industry in which the performance of a cultural art form is found as an entity apart from its original sociological function. […] Dance in the context of the tourist industry is the first and often the only exposure many visitors have to Polynesian dance. Most dance programs designed for tourists include not only Hawaiian hula but a wide variety of styles from Polynesia. Therefore, I have not limited my discussion to Hawaiian dance but discuss these forms as well.