Rarotonga golden oldies dancer of the year

The Golden Oldies dancer of the year competition was held at Hidie’s Bar, Cook’s Corner following the Papa’a contest (see previous video).
The dancers might not be as nimble as they once were but they can still teach the youngsters a thing or two when it comes to showmanship. There were some great performances - the dancers were obviously having a wonderful time and carried the audience along with them.
Three contestants took part in the rauti para section (for the older mamas and papas) with seven in the rauti pi.
Mau Raina retained the rauti para male golden oldie title with an energetic performance; graceful Tekura Benioni became the female champion and regular golden oldie dancer Mama Tutu Pita was second.
Tanya Savage, appearing as a Golden Oldie for the first time, produced a stunning performance in both slow and fast beats to take the female rauti pi section. Last year’s winner Merle Pukerua came second this time while third placed Joane Manuela had plenty of fans in the audience singing along with her slow beat number. Newcomer local policewoman Rebecca Hosking was another crowd-pleaser.
Noo Ngametua successfully defended his male rauti pi title with the ever-cheerful Mongoose Casper Mateariki second and community constable Allan Rua third.
All in all it was another successful competition for the Ministry of Cultural Development and their DVD of the entire Dancer of the Year competition will be available in a few weeks. That includes the juniors, intermediates and seniors as well as the golden oldies and papa’as.
Anyone who wants to see Cook Islands dancing at its best should keep an eye on the ministry website.