We are so privileged to be able to witness The ROM or “masked” dance in person.  I hope I am able to convey to you the true spectrum of culture, magic, story-telling, and ritual beliefs that this hypnotic dance conveys.

We shared the history, black magic, and spiritual nature behind the masks and costumes in our last blog.  This blog will detail the actual ROM ceremony, they rhythm music, and will explain the ritual behind the ceremony.

The ROM Dance is an authentic expression of Vanuatu’s culture.  It is a genuine heritage and belief wrapped in the supernatural and rich in symbolism.  The ceremony is believed to influence the harvests.  However, its primary purpose is to provide the men an opportunity to move up the ranks in their community through the grade taking process.

The entire ceremony is shrouded in mystical black magic to evoke the spirits.  Each dance performed by the ROM dancers tells a story that reveals the diverse cultural differences.

This ritual is imbued with secret knowledge that the elder chiefs keep hidden from the community.  Only a few men are chosen and given the honor to pay huge sums to make the ROM costume and perform in the ROM dance.

The ROM Dance

There are two sets of performers during the ROM dance.  The ROM costumed dancers with the elaborate and complex masks and costumes made of banana leaves are the focal point.  Each ROM dancer holds a wooden carving that represents a weapon.  This is in case they need to fight the evil spirit within the mask/costume.

The “nambas” are the warriors (chiefs and elders) that chant, sing, provide protection for the ROM dancers and ensure they are performing the dance correctly.  The chiefs and higher ranking nambas are identified by the number of pig tusks they wear and the red flower.  The more pig tusks the higher ranked the man is in the community.

As the dance begins, story, myth, heritage, and belief entwine with the supernatural in an unfolding rich in symbolism.  I am on the edge of my seat with eyes wide open and they have my full attention.  I don’t know whether to record this with my eyes, iPhone or GoPro so I do it all!

See either sv Sugar Shack or my Instagram for videos.

The Music

Two nambas play a powerful and rhythmic beat on the tam tams. These  are the beautifully carved, 4 meter tall slit drums.  Along with these  is the haunting sound from a bamboo flute.  This music in conjunction with the nambas who stomp their feet make the ground shake and give you goosebumps.

The nambas also carry bamboo sticks which they hit the ground with while stomping their feet. In the top left photo you can see the bamboo flute  and the bamboo sticks in the nambas hands.  The top right are the nambas playing the tam tams.

The Ceremony

During the ceremony they performed 5 distinct dances and songs.  However, it was hard for me to discern the differences between them.  Each performance had a special and unique meaning that evoked the spirits through black magic.

Sometimes the ROM dancers surround the nambas and sometimes it is the other way around.  But the movements are slow as they continue to stomp their feet keeping to the music.

We are lucky enough to have 10 ROM dancers, each with their own personalized and unique mask.  The two at the front were the most intricate and frankly were the most interesting to watch.  They were very energetic, jumping, and stomping  around leading the group.

With their intricate masks and flowing costumes that drape the bodies it was riveting. The entire group together was mesmerizing and breath taking.  I can’t imagine it is easy to see or breath out of these masks and they danced for well over an hour.  

It was raining and very cloud and difficult to get good shots.  Even with a little photo tweaking the photos just don’t do it justice. 

This was a profound and riveting privilege to witness.  I hope I did it justice and peaked your interest to learn more.  Be sure to check out our sv Sugar Shack Instagram account for the videos and photos of the dance and ceremony.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  The ROM Dance took place in Fanla, Ambrym on 12 July 2024.  Did you catch the post on the mystery of the ROM Mask?