The family that live on the property are from the island of Tanna.  Simon will arrange his family and friends to perform a ‘Kastom Dance’ performance for you.  These dances are traditional, depicting aspects of their everyday lives.  Simon will be happy to give you a commentary of the meanings of these dances. 

The men will give you a demonstration of fire making and a performance of music made using their pan-pipes.

If you would like to arrange this performance while you are staying at Sand Dollar ask Simon and he will be happy to arrange it for you. 

The dance performance is arranged and performed completely independent from Sanddollar, and Sanddollar facilitates this to bring a cultural experience to guests, and to encourage local enterprise.

The cost for this performance will be Vt 1,500, and should be paid directly to Simon on behalf of the dancers.

Tanna is a part of, and the most populated island in TAFEA Province. Most of its 20000 inhabitants still closely follow the lifestyle of their ancestors and their custom.

Tanna is an Island where culture and custom is still very strong. A number of villages have rejected modern ways and preferred their traditional way of life.

The Bislama word 'Kastom' refers to not only to 'material' cultural objects but also include all aspects of traditional life. The tangible 'arts' comprise the combination of oratory 'song', music, ritual, dance, drumming, body paints, masks, headdresses and ritual decorations.

Pan Pipes form an important part of cultural life in Vanuatu, and men can often be heard playing these at any time of day in their leisure, as well as during 'Kastom' events.

Pan pipes take many forms depending from which island they come from. Pipes are distinguished by the number of reeds, by thie size and by the type of binding. While the typical number of reeds varies from seven to ten, in Tanna panpipes can have up to thirteen, with simple loose bindings.