As a first-time visitor to the beautiful island of Guam, USA, I wasn’t exactly sure where to begin exploring -- there was simply so much Guam offered. Although I had been to other Micronesian islands or U.S territories centered around resorts and beaches, I had heard so much about the distinct beauty of Guam’s culture that I was interested in getting a direct taste of the native culture of the island. My family and I were planning on spending most of our time at the resort we were staying at, swimming and relaxing in the beautiful oceans of the island. But other than swimming at our hotel’s swimming pool and nearby Tumon beach, as well as shopping at the myriad shopping centers in Guam, I didn’t know what specific types of tourist activities were available on the island. But eventually, my family and I were able to discover tickets to the Tao Tao Tasi Show in Tumon, Guam (the tourism center of the island), and immediately purchased our seats to the event. Soon enough, I would be able to discover that the numerous dinner shows catering toward Korean and Japanese tourists would provide unforgettable cultural experiences to show off Guam’s local culture.

[Photo of the author by the beach located at the Tao Tao Tasi Show (Photo courtesy of Rachel Lee)]

The Tao Tao Tasi Show is a leading dinner and performance show by the Tumon beach that has opened in Guam in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil producers. It offers the visitors an opportunity to watch the native fire-dancing masters perform a show inspired by Guam’s Chamorro culture and ancient legends passed down throughout the island’s history. The show also offers a BBQ buffet before when the show would begin, with a menu mostly comprised of meat variations but also offering a few vegetarian options and desserts.

In fact, the quality of the Tao Tao Tasi Show’s performance certainly exceeded the expectations I had entering the venue. In particular, the combination of impressive vocal and dance ability was beautifully showcased throughout the show. Furthermore, the unique and eyecatching native costumes the performers donned as they put on the show, as well as the skillfulness of the Samoan fire and knife dancers, took me by surprise. But what really caught my eye was the incredible view the show offered. The Tao Tao Tasi show effectively utilized the beach scenery, which would eventually turn pitch-black as the sun set around performance time, as the backdrop for the performance venue. As a result, my family and I were able to take amazing photos during dinnertime before the sun set and appreciate the exquisite seascape that we wouldn’t be able to see back in Seoul. In fact, when we were looking to purchase the tickets to the show, both the show’s advertising team and reviewers of past attendees praised the scenery of the show’s venue as a key highlight of the show. However, the show wasn’t perfect - in particular, the BBQ buffet was disappointing, as the quality and variety of menu were both subpar and certainly not deserving of the 89 dollars pricetag the show required.

[Photo of the native performers in their costumes at the Tao Tao Tasi Show (Photo courtesy of Rachel Lee)]

All in all, though the food quality of the Tao Tao Tasi Show in Guam did not match either the price or expectations I had for the dinner show, the quality of performance and native experience the dancers provided for viewers certainly made up for it. If you ever want to get a taste of Guam’s native culture from the eyes of a tourist, I would recommend buying tickets to the show anytime!

 

 

 

 





Rachel Lee
Grade 11
Seoul International School

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