Ula (dance)

The ula (dance) is an ancient Tongan group dance, already reported by early European navigators like captain Cook. It is also known as fahaokinai-ula (split dance), which may be degenerated to fahaokinaiula. It is still danced nowadays, although less popular than its descendant the tauokinaolunga.

Lyrics

The oldest parts seem to be from Sāmoan origin:

okinaOiau, siokinaa langi ula; okinai okinaiē fai mai siokinaa tauokinaolunga. okinaio! Tulopa he okinaiau moe; okinaio ē! vasaleva okinaiau moe; okinaio! Sina vai tava okinaā ē he okinaiē, okinaā ē. Sina vai tafe lookinau lonā. okinaio, okinaio, he lookinau lonā. Tunotuna okinaoe Ale-le-sā, manuia okinaoe saualuma. Laulau tuokinai Vaea ē, Vaea lau mānaokinaia.

These parts are from the beginning of the 20th century:

Tonga, Tonga ē, tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē peokinai kau muokinaa peokinai kau mai ke tau kalofi kuo tau e langi tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē. Tonga, Tonga ē, tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē ko e faiva ni ko hoto kakala okinao lau taokinaanga pea fola haka tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē. Tonga, Tonga ē, tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē kuo ke meaokinai siokinaoto founga fiemālie tuku ke u ula tulituli faiva, he tuli faiva ē.

And then there are still more variants.

Execution

The name "split dance" comes from the habit that the performers split up in two (or more) groups, one entering the stage from the left, the other from the right, until the two meet in the centre and merge into one or more rows. The performers are always girls, it is rare that boys will join.

The dance movements are in essence very simple and limited. Most of the work, making supple, beautiful posures, is done by the hands and the head. The body remains quite stiff, and except for an occasional step or a kneeling, the legs are not much used either.

The dress of the girls is like that of the tauokinaolunga, although the red dress is here most popular.