Since so much Tikopia singing is associated with dancing, it is necessary to give an outline of the dance as an institution in Tikopia, and of the types of songs produced for dancing.

All Tikopia are extremely enthusiastic about dancing. A favourite expression meaning ‘I want to dance’ implies not so much voluntary action as that the person has been taken over by his involuntary drives - literally, the ‘dancing impulse’ has entered into him. When a dance has been ‘set up’ and the beat of the sounding board begins, even old people are often stimulated to join in. A dance may take place at any time of the year, but traditionally the most formal festival dances tended to occur in the monsoon season, which had many fine weather periods and when food supplies tended to be readily available. When dancing was at its height, on a large scale, no work was done apart from the collection of food for the occasion. People went to their orchards, brought back provisions, cooked them and carried them off to the dance. In reference to this almost obsessional behaviour the Ariki Taumako said to me: ‘The one work of Tikopia is the dance’. The Melanesian Mission teacher, a man from Motlav in the Banks Islands, said to me: ‘Their great valued possession in Tikopia is dancing, is enjoyment.’ When the community was caught up in dancing many people did not sleep at night.