Mapping Contemporary 'Ori Tahiti Dance in Virtual Formats

Abstract

This thesis seeks to contribute to understanding how 'Ori Tahiti (Tahitian dance) occupies particular online spaces and fosters particular imaginaries of Tahiti and Oceania more broadly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the presence and role of online platforms in creating and maintaining specific communities and imaginaries are more visible than ever. In the context of this present, highly digital cultural moment, this thesis seeks to explore the dynamic place of Tahitian dance groups online and connections made between the participants of this space and how it has transformed. It will investigate representations of Tahitian dance circulating through multiple social platforms, particularly within the United States, and the emergence of Tahitian dance competitions worldwide in an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis concludes that digital platforms have become contemporary sites for mediating Tahitian dance communities, including for Mā'ohi practitioners in their home islands, for Mā'ohi in diaspora, and diversely positioned non-Mā'ohi practitioners also engaged in these spaces