We were invited to come in at 7pm to a area south of the village and meet on the beach. From there we were escorted uphill to a place they called Bar 66. It was a unsuccessful attempt at a resort a few years back which is now inhabited by some of the bachelors of the village. Not surprisingly, it is also party headquarters for Nagara village.
Bar 66 is a simple structure with a tin roof and palm thatched walls. Palm leaf mats cover the floor and lights powered by a generator illuminate the 12 by 20 foot area. A kava bowl sits in the middle of the room and the Fijians have all gathered on one side, leaving space for the sixteen of us at the other. We are told that when the music starts, it is appropriate for any male to ask a female to dance and any female to ask a male. The action begins quickly and soon we’re all dancing.
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| Ann dances Fijian style |
Traditional male-female dancing in Fiji is done side-by-side, not face-to-face. This may have been a conservative practice imposed by the missionaries who christianized the native people in the 1800’s because when you compare it to the raucous meke dancing and the provacative fire dancing, it seems out of character. Although as the evening progressed and we all became more comfortable, more western style dancing took place – including the conga line at the end of the night led by our dear friend, Dave, from s/v Jackster. Our friend, Jo, was the bell of the ball when they learned she was unattached. She was invited into the band’s circle, asked to serve kava to the men and had enthusiastic dances with every bachelor of the village to the hoots and hollers of the others. Even the Fijian woman thought it was hilarious to watch the flirtatious antics of the young men. We danced well into the night and dinghied home in the rain after midnight.
