All Blacks dazzled by haka ballet

All Blacks dazzled by haka ballet

Greg Ford in Aix-en-Provence | September 28, 2007 - 8:46AM

It was a sight to behold. The house lights were dimmed, the curtains drawn, and before four All Blacks sitting in the front row in Pavillon Noir, 15 lithe ballerinas, decked out in All Black jerseys and four inch stilettos, pranced around on stage for about 10 minutes doing their take on the haka.

They sat, like the good guests do and watched (without yawning once), listened as the troupe grappled with the words of Ka Mate and then clapped wildly out of a mixture of relief the Ballet Preljocaj's performance was over and true appreciation for something so out of the ordinary.

The haka homage had been a work in progress since last year when it was announced to Aix-en-Provence the team would use the small city in the south of France as their bolthole in the early stages of the world cup.

Mils Muliaina, Carl Hayman, Chris Jack and Andy Ellis were sent along to represent the team. Their faces during the performance said it all: shock gave way to awe, and admiration turned to appreciation.

Ellis added he wasn't sure what to make of it at first.

"It was different that's for sure," he said. "But it was pretty impressive."

Jack was similarly impressed.

"They put a lot of work in," he said.

Muliaina was grateful too.

"I thought it was awesome."

Especially when the team was whisked back stage for a private photo session with the troupe and then exited stage left looking mightily relieved that nobody had said the wrong thing.

French rugby great Jean Pierre Reeves attended too.

"We love the All Blacks in France," he said. "The All Blacks are rugby."

So Reeves said he wasn't surprised to see the team feted in such fashion.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive designate Steve Tew, who also attended the performance, said the incredible gesture from the artistic community of Aix was another graphic illustration of how France has embraced the team.

"It was certainly something I have never come across in all my time in rugby," he said. "I think yes my horizons have been broadened. It certainly shows this team is loved for what they have done for rugby and we thank the people of Aix for that."

Fairfax Media

I am trying to remember an incident from about 10 years ago or more - anyone who can back me up, or correct me if I am wrong please feel free to do so.

The Spice Girls, on holiday, or tour, in South East Asia (Bali or Phucket) and joined some Kiwi holiday makers and proceeded to attempt to do the Haka (badly). This lead to an almighty uproar as apparently the Haka is a Male ceremony and should not be performed by women, let alone some talentless pop princesses from Pomogolia.

Yea if that's true...that would've caused an almighty outrage because the Haka is only a male thing...and especially because it was the Spice girls...man i would've loved to have seen that :D

I found this here

From the MTV website: April 29 -- While the Spice Girls continue to win new fans across the world, they've picked up a few new enemies in New Zealand.

The pop outfit reportedly offended the Maori people of New Zealand by offering their version of the Ka Mate haka, a traditional male war dance. The dance has reportedly been adopted by a rugby team as a way to intimidate opponents, and the Spicy ones were offered a tutorial in the dance by two ruggers during a promotional stop in Bali, Indonesia.

The Girls then reportedly performed the dance in front of some 100 onlookers, infuriating Maori officials who see the dance as a tradition reserved for men.

"It is totally inappropriate," Joe Harawira of the Urban Maorian Authorities told reporters. "It is not acceptable in our culture, and especially by girlie pop stars from another culture."

The Spice Girls' manager, Bart Cools, reportedly told Radio New Zealand that the band meant no harm in trying out the dance, and that they were merely following the lead of their rugby player friends.