Te Maeva Nui 2012 - Mitiaro Kapa Rima

Here we area, midway through July and Te Maeva Nui is fast approaching.
This year it will be scaled down compared to the last few seasons. The outer islands will be holding their own festivities, no doubt including singing and dancing, but they will not be sending teams to Rarotonga to compete.
The main reason is the expense of transport. Boat and air fares cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and times are hard!
And in two years’ time the Cook Islands will be celebrating 50 years of self-governance. Now that will be a reason for major festivities so beginning to save up for it sounds sensible. The only problem is that government budgets tend to tackle one year at a time; I don’t know if they have the equivalent of a savings account!
Anyway, the dance competition should still be a lot of fun especially since our Rarotonga villages (apart from Puaikura) didn’t have dance teams last year – the outer islands beat them to it.
Local dancers joined their home island teams of course, but this year it should be village pride on the line. Expect some top notch performances.
In the meantime, here is a flashback to last year. The Mitiaro dancers were awarded a B grade for their kapa rima.
The Ministry of Cultural Development has a pack of 4 dvds consisting of:  Five nights of cultural performances, Choir and Imene Tuki competition, Tangi Kaara Competition and highlights of the 2012 float parade:  $50. For more information on this, you can contact Kylie Herrman on ph:  20725 ext 218 or email:  audm@culture.gov.ck