+the news

Dwayne Johnson shows off Polynesian dance

Written by . Published: September 15 2016

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson gave fans a taste of his Hawaiian culture on live TV on Thursday (15Sep16) as he took part in a traditional Polynesian dance.


The Furious 7 star is currently on location in Hawaii preparing to shoot his new Jumanji reboot, but he got up early to make a special satellite appearance on New York-based breakfast show Good Morning America at 3am local time and introduce a new trailer for his upcoming Disney movie, Moana, in which he voices a Polynesian demigod named Maui.


As he got ready to share the exclusive clip, he decided to treat viewers to a fiery display as he welcomed two topless male dancers to join him on the beach, wearing red wraps around their groins and fringed calf accessories.


"Before we debut the world premiere of the new Moana trailer, I just want to give you guys just a little example, a little taste of our Polynesian culture," Johnson said.


The two men then launched into a fire dance, twirling batons as they showed off their moves in the sand.


Johnson soon jumped back into the frame, donning a similar outfit, which displayed his oiled-up torso, and joined in as they slapped their chests and thighs to the beat of a drum and roared as part of the show.


At the end of the dance, he exclaimed, "We have completely woken up the entire state of Hawaii! Honolulu is on their feet now!"


He also gushed about the new Disney film, about a 16-year-old Hawaiian girl who sets sail on a life-changing journey across the sea.


"I think it's a really special movie," he smiled. "I saw it, I really loved it, and a lot of times when you see a movie, you try not to get drunk on your own wine, but the movie's really good, I can't wait for everyone to see it."


Johnson is equally as excited to start work with co-stars Kevin Hart and Jack Black on Jumanji, which he previously insisted would not be a remake of the Robin Williams classic.


Asked about the movie's preparation, he explained, "It's going great, we've been here for a week now, we're prepping. Our big first day is this coming Monday, we're excited... This Jumanji is a continuation of the story that we all love...


"We've got a lot of things that feels like we're setting ourselves up for nice success."


The wrestler-turned-actor is also enjoying being back on home soil, and helping to boost the local economy with his film endeavours.


"We're here in Hawaii, so on a personal level... for me, to be able to come back to Hawaii, my Polynesian culture, this is the place where I grew up...," he said. "Just to be able to come back these days, who I am today, and bring a movie like this of this size and magnitude to Hawaii, the jobs that it creates for all the hardworking locals, it's such a cool thing."

Error! Unable to retrieve any Images!