Heiva festivals

Amateur and professional dance groups in Tahiti perform for special occasions or entertainment, and may compete for prestige and prizes at annual Heiva festivals. These festivals provide a venue for solo and group competition. For the overall presentation, each group chooses its own program theme. This theme drives song selection, choreography, and costume design. Groups take great pride in their fine costumes, which also factor into the judging criteria. Each group's presentation is dramatically introduced or narrated by the ra'atira,or director.