Ever since Capt. James Cook and his crew arrived in the South Pacific’s Marquesas Islands in 1774, sailors have been getting tattoos. And while body art has since grown trendy, I’m getting my ...

Many Pacific island nations hold tattoos in high regard, and a new research effort to date some ancient tattooing implements found decades ago reveals that the practice is thousands of years old.

And, like the tattoos themselves, the dance also tells an abstract story of strength and fortitude—qualities that the Porirua, New Zealand–born choreographer sees in his Pacific Island ...