Tauʻolunga

It is usual for a girl to start the dance, then parents, cousins, family members or friends come on the stage to put money notes on her oiled skin, and then join her in the tuʻulafale.

The prizemoney (fakapale) is a reward for the girl, unless, as often is the case, the dance is performed as part of a fundraising or for a special occasion.

A unique feature of any Tongan dance, not found elsewhere in Polynesia, is the rotational movements of the hands and wrists in many of the haka.

A tauʻolunga girl is usually dressed in a wrap around dress, either made from ngatu with traditional designs; a mat (kie) from handwoven pandanus leaves; a piece of cloth covered with green leaves, grass, fragrant flowers or shells; any shiny piece of cloth, decorated with sewn-on traditional patterns; or even a grass skirt.

Putting oil on her exposed skin parts so that they shine enhances her beauty even more in the Tongan mind.

Wristlets and anklets (vesa) may be worn, ranging from simple bands of cloth or ngatu to elaborate belts of leaves and flowers again.

The original ula was a group dance of young chiefly daughters who, on the rhythm of a quite monotonous song, made a series of postures beautiful to look at.

The formalization of the dance as a distinct genre followed the introduction of the Samoan "taualuga" during the early 19th century and its institution among Tongan aristocratic circles (especially those associated with the Tu'i Kanokupolu lineages).

The postures originally emphasized finger and hand motifs (following Samoan stylistics), until 1950 when queen Sālote personally integrated the distinctly Tongan wrist flourishes and lakalaka leg transitions into her song "Manu ʻo Palataisi" (Bird of Paradise), leading to the technical composition and format of the contemporary Tongan tauʻolunga.