While dance brings humanity together, different cultures have developed their own unique styles. In Tahiti, the hura is a traditional female dance and is characterized by the incredible shaking of the hips, which can be seen in this video. And what about the dancer? Melanie Amen is perhaps the best dancer of this style in the world. I could look at her all day… She is only 19 years old, but she is already an expert in Tahitian dances. She has been dancing since her early childhood and began competing three short years later at the age of five.

Although she is from Stockton, California, Amen has definitely mastered the fast hip movements that are characteristic of the Tahitian dance. She even traveled to compete against the natives of Tahiti… and won! In 2016, Amen performed at the Ori Tahiti Nui World Dance Championship in Tahiti and beat over a dozen other women for first place. In this video you can see her performing in the solo part of the Hura Tahiti competition, which takes place in her home state of Amen, California. Not surprisingly, she won first place there too. Just one quick look at her performance and it’s easy to see why she’s such a winner.