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| The littlest kids were in the first dances. |
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| This little boy always had a smile on his face. What was he up to? |
One of many Vava’u events showcasing local culture and promoting fundraising for Tonga causes was a local school dance event, sponsored by the New Zealand-based Blue Water Festival. The dancers were preschoolers, dedicated enough to perform even though they were on holiday.
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| No question this mom adored her little boy. |
The dancers were accompanied by a very competent all-male high school marching band, which led cruisers from Tropicana Café through the rain to the school via parade. Their band leader was also a fantastic crooner, with a smooth, Louis Armstrong-like voice.
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| This mom looked like she was grooming her cutie for stardom. |
By the time everyone arrived at the school, the rain stopped, and the sun broke out. The rain didn’t deter the kid’s devoted parents, who happily collapsed their umbrellas to assist their children’s performance. Their obvious devotion to their children was almost as charming as the children themselves.
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| The local iPad photographer. |
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| Look how young he is! |
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| Mr. Feather look like he’s got a great story. We saw men in bright red wigs like this in the rugby parades. |
The children were garbed in brightly colored native attire and festooned with flowers, feathers, leaves and shells. There was even a costume change as the groups alternated between male and female performances. Impressive, considering how much work went into the making of the costumes!
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| Divine inspiration? In any case, she’s really getting into it. |
They sang and danced to a mix of native tunes, like “Happy, Happy Tonga” and even to more mainstream modern classics like “La Bomba.”
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| I thought the leaf dresses were pretty snazzy. |
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| Close up, you can see it took some work to make these leaf dresses. |
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| Couldn’t resist taking a close-up of the cutest little girl. |
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| Tips! This little girl’s flower necklace got passed onto me after the performance. |
Not sure how much money Blue Water Festival raised for the school; the prior year it was enough to purchase a trampoline for the school.
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| Mission accomplished. The school performance definitely collected donations. |
Location Location
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| Buffet time! Cruisers chowing down, bedecked in the flowers from the performers. |
Cruising Progress by the Numbers
