Dancing te Moana: Interdisciplinarity in Oceania

The article examines the discourse of interdisciplinary and highlights its implications for dance studies in Oceania. It describes the ethnography of dance which investigates the creative process and philosophies of the Atamira Dance Co. to identify the cultural relevance and practices of interdisciplinarity. It also explores the significance of interdisciplinarity for Pacific Dance Studies

Of water and spirit: Locating dance epistemologies in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Senegal

Using memoirs of dance, land, and music, this paper is an ethnographic investigation into two diverse dance cultures and identifies the cultural knowledge that is embodied in mo- vement. This dance ethnography examines contemporary expressions of Maori dance as done by the Atamira Dance Collective in Auckland, Aotearoa/NZ; in addition, V^o\ofsabar dancer Tacko Sissoko, a dancer/teacher extraordinaire in Dakar, Senegal is also conside- red. The portraits provide a window into the epistemologies embedded and disseminated within the unique movement literacies. Using decolonizing theory and practice as well as auto-ethnographical experiences of dancing with these communities, 1 explore the links between dance, water, music and identity. The research and analysis reflects my striving to highlight the intersections between the fields of Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, Dance Studies, and African Studies

Espritu tasi/ The ocean within: Critical dance revitalization in the Pacific

Work by Teaiwa (2008, 2012), Kaeppler (2004), Alexeyeff (2011), Mazer (2007), Royal (2008), Freeman-Moulin (2011) and Cruz-Banks (2009, 2010) highlights indigenous dance endeavours and predicaments from Aotearoa/New Zealand to Kiribati to Hawaii to Tahiti and the Cook Islands. Scholars examine the complex postcolonial, pan-indigenous, multicultural and diasporic contexts that provide windows into how people construct their identities and worldviews through dance. This paper takes a look at what is happening on Mariana Islands, located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Specifically, this study looks at the island of Guåhan/Guam and the 2011 Chamorrro dance competition/Dinana Minagof and also engages in some of the broader questions and challenges relevant to the emerging Pacific Dance Studies field. Furthering the work of Flores (1996, 1999), this study is the first to examine specifically what dance revitalisation efforts reveal about contemporary Chamorro identities. In this preliminary dance ethnography, I explore the challenges of cultural revitalisation, share observations, comments, raise questions, and make some recommendations for (re)conceptualising Chamorro indigenous dance practices