Dance and music performances are closely linked to the political and social systems in which they are produced. Although anthropologists have studied what the social meanings of dances become when the contexts of performance change, this question has received little attention as far as tourist dances are concerned. My Tongan case study shows that this shift of context is not a simple matter of decontextualisation or aestheticisation. Initial meanings and functions--although partially changed--are recalled, while new ones are added to the performances.