Poi Dance
The Maori poi dance is performed by women who rhythmically twirl poi balls at the ends of long flaxen strings. The poi balls traditionally are decorated with taniko designs in geometrical shapes and sometimes adorned with feathers or long white dog's hair. It is a skill of dexterity and is said that in the old days only women of high rank knew how to dance the poi. They jealously kept this knowledge from the lower classes. The poorer maidens eventually devised a short poi and learned the art of twirling them for their own amusement.
