Another Day, Another Dance

Emma performed in an end-of-the-year recital with her dance group, Siva Maia, on Memorial Day evening. Some of the costumes may look familiar, as they performed literally every dance they know. Emma performed in six different dances.
It was a very rainy day, and “very rainy” in Samoa means that it poured and poured all day. It was the kind of rain that floods the roads in five minutes. There was even thunder and lightning, which is rare here. It was pretty spectacular. The thunder was so loud and could be heard echoing off the mountains. As evening was approaching I called a veteran dance mom and asked her if these things were ever cancelled due to the weather. She said that in her 10 years of having daughters dance in all kinds of tropical storms, a cancellation would not happen.

Emma got all dressed up and we headed out to a pavilion in Fagatogo. The rain let up a bit as we got to the other side of the island. Everything was wet, but luckily the stage and seating were all covered. The only glitch in the night was that the sound system would not work. It may have been due to the rain or just a random bad wire, but we were somewhat relieved to not have ear-deafening music for once in Samoa. Instead, a boom box was placed on the stage that turned out to be too quiet. Maybe one of these times there will be a happy medium on the noise level.

The sound issues didn’t stop the dancers, though. They all did a great job! Emma’s six performances included a “solo.” She practiced very hard to learn a brand-new dance for a solo, but it ended up being a trio. Emma still referred to it as her solo, though, so we didn’t argue. It was a beautiful, slow dance. I believe it was Hawaiian. Emma danced and swayed her hips with a lei in her hands. She did a fabulous job and we were very proud as she initiated doing a solo, on top of getting ready for her swim competition.

The performance ended with a group dance, featuring all of the girls in their various costumes. This will be the last performance for a few months, as many families leave the island for the summer.