totally agree!!!!!!!!

@@kOniebUNNy Siempre🥰🥰🥰

💯💯💯💯✨✨✨✨✨

@@Desty1995 ❤️❤️❤️

Immediately looked for your comment - HOW INCREDIBLE!!! In awe, wow wow wow.. what a full circle moment ❤️

Au final elle a gagné

Magnifique danseuse, et chorégraphie . Elle a tout pour gagner, elle est souriante et excelle dans son art de la danse.😊

Because she is, and she dances with Tahiti Ora.

Maiotui

What are you on about? Natalia aka Matagi won Best female Dancer I Heiva 2022! She was the best period, technique and dancing flawless, as it should seeing who her teachers are, and her dancing background. Maybe you confuse the winner with a different competition, or former winner?

Actually it does. It’s not a padgeant. You clearly understand nothing. You can be pretty all you want, but if you can’t even dance… it’s the biggest Ori Tahiti dance competiton in Tahiti held every year. It’s not a joke, and to win the title of best male/female dancer is many a Tahitian’s life long dream and acomplishment.

Kanani didn't win the Heiva i Tahiti, nor is she Maohi (Tahitian) but from the US of Samoan, Hawai'ian and Chinese ancestry, and the competition she won was the Heiva I Paris France Europe, which can't be compared to the biggest festival in Tahiti it self, so she isn't part of the equation. Matatini has a different body type to Natalia (Matagi/Tematangi), she's also from a modern group, Hitireva, Natalia was groomed by famous Makau Foster (Tamariki Poerani group which is more ''traditional''), and her daughter Kohai, since little. She now dances with famous modern group Tahiti Ora (Moena Maitoui, and Tumata Robinson). I don't think it's fair to compare dancers to past winners unless undeserving of the title due to poor technical skills. Also I'm not able to not be biased because I'm a huge fan of Natalia, who in my eyes are Moena nr. 2, and I was also taught in the style of Ori Tahiti that Makau teaches, as my teacher and friend was taught by Makau in Tahiti, and danced at the Heiva with another famous group, Nonahere. But in my personal opinion, due to her technical background, she is superior to many that has won before her. I'm not Maohi, nor am I a professional award winning dancer, I quit years ago due to injuries. So my opinion dosn't matter nor should it matter, but since you asked... If Natalia didn't participate, my bet would be between Onaku, or the vahine dancer from Hei Tahiti. Onaku used to dance with Natalia in Tamariki Poerani, now a mom. She gave birth 5-6 months ago, so attending the Heiva in it self is a huge accomplishment, tho it's her 2nd time competing for the title of Best Female Dancer and she didn't win. Matatini is famous for her Fa'arapu, but her style is very different from Natalia. I like both dancers for this exact reason. But if I had to rank her, she'd be up there with Meona, and Matatini, Calicia Taufa, Tuiana Brodien, Asia Hamill etc. I'd even be as bold to say she's maybe the best out of all of them... and several of them has also danced with Tamariki Poerani. In Tahiti the way Makau teaches Ori is by many seen as the proper way of dancing, then there's those that stand by the style of the Conservatoire that uses a lot of ''Hawai'ian'' steps. Or at least influenced by it. Hula and Ori is not the same, even though due to ignorance, and Hollywood, and many a Luau in Hawai'i Nei and the US, has made people believe otherwise. It's normal in Tahiti to be with different groups to gain the experience of different styles and teachings. And Natalia has danced with Tamariki Poerani since little, then graduated from the Conservatoire, while being with Tahiti Ora. With that type of expertise, and caliber of course she'd win! To all those coming for me for just having an opinion, none of your business. Nothing to do with you, so why care?

Also the Heiva I Paris is open to everyone to participate/compete aka international. The Heiva I Tahiti is not. To be able to compete for the title Best Female/Male dancer you have to be Tahitian, and the chef of each group choose the dancer that will compete, and represent their group . A no brainer as it is their cultural dance. But you can perform as part of the group and not be a native. But only way for that to happen is by invite. And that's not for anyone. Now that the Ori Tahiti community has become so global, many foreigner dancers travel to Tahiti to train, and educate them selves further in the homeland of Ori. There's also this international dance competition held each year, run by Tahiti Ora, that's open for anyone, and they will compete against native Tahitians. Both Kanani and Natalia has won the title of Champion, and best overall at this competition. For international dancers conception is everything, and the way most of them get to dance, besides regular performances if not just for fun/fitness. Many schools/groups also has a performance group that requires a certain level to be in. The Tahitian dance community outside of Tahiti is huge, being the biggest in the USA (CA), Mexico, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France, UK, Finland etc. And it's been popular for many years already, especially peaking between 2007-2011. And most dancers outside of Tahiti are of course non Maohi people, which is a given. Many a champion dancer and directors/leaders/chefs/Ra'atira goes to others countries to judge at competitions, and hold workshops. This is also how certain groups and well as dancers gets close with Tahitians, and often invited to come to Tahiti to dance with them, and even participate at the Heiva, if they are competing that year.

Thank you Gille87 very interesting and educational for someone just discovering this dancing

@@jacksiegel7198 Maeva, you're welcome! I don't claim to be an expert, I just share what I know from having danced since 2009, past 14 years, self taught, then taught by various dancers, and leaders, both famous and not famous until I quit due to injuries in 2020. Now I suck, and I'm old and fat. Most dancers are nice people, so you can always ask them for information etc.

Zzz

Et de quelles vieilles danses s'agit-il? Précolonial ? Parce que personne ne sait à quoi cela ressemblait exactement car Ori Tahiti devait être réinventé après son renouveau dans les années 60/70! Ce que vous considérez maintenant comme de la vieille école/traditionnel était autrefois considéré comme «moderne». La beauté est dans l'œil du spectateur, et toi, ma chère, tu es aveugle.

@@kilipaki87oritahiti La plus belle prestation à mon goût après faut les encourager.Y'aura toujours des critiques mais je sais que ma Tatie Makau Foster lui a transmit de ses fibres, c'est ce qu'il faut retenir...

Ce n'est que ton avis