Spanish TV star and WAG Pilar Rubio performs a haka on Spanish TV. / Getty
A television presenter in Madrid has made headlines this week after performing a bizarre rendition of a Kiwi haka on Spanish television.
Pilar Rubio, a famous Spanish TV star and reporter who's married to Real Madrid hunk Sergio Ramos, performed the haka on the El Hormiguero show.
In a segment titled 'Tutorial in a Week', the 37-year-old mother-of-two said she had spent the past week learning how to “dance the haka”.
Pilar Rubio, a famous Spanish TV star and reporter who's married to Real Madrid hunk Sergio Ramos, performed the haka on the El Hormiguero show.
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Rubio, in her native tongue, tells the audience about the origin of the New Zealand ancestral war dance.
“The haka is a Maori tribal dance, used to intimidate rivals," she said.
"How do they intimidate? Well, using gestures, energy.”
Rubio does her best to imitate a pukana, by sticking out her tongue, before inviting a group of young rugby players on set to do the same.
Pilar Rubio attempts to perform a haka on Spanish TV. / Getty
Stefan Moir, Berny Hall, Scott Manson, Troy Mangan, Sean Conner and Kalo Gadivi appear alongside Rubio in the clip.
The Kiwi rugby players are signed to Valladolid Rugby Asociación Club, based in Valladolid, Spain.
Rubio was joined by Kiwi rugby players from the Valladolid Rugby Asociación Club. / Getty
The team are six-time winners of the División de Honor league, the country’s top club competition for rugby union.
El Hormiguero is a popular Spanish entertainment show, watched by over two million people throughout Spain. Past guests have included Kylie Minogue, Justin Bieber, Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence.
Pilar Rubio was given a week to learn how to "dance the haka". / Getty
Rubio's bizarre performance on daytime TV has drawn raised eyebrows about the cultural appropriation of the historic ancestral dance, and its flippant use for entertainment purposes.
Is the indigenous "Ka Mate" performance art, usually imparted to take the All Blacks into battle on the field, appropriate fodder for a TV star and WAG looking for ratings and column inches? Does it disrespect our cultural heritage?
Rubio's telly rendition comes after the cultural debacle Miss New Zealand faced last year when she was criticised for performing a haka while representing New Zealand at the Miss World competition in China.
Is the indigenous "Ka Mate" performance art, usually imparted to take the All Blacks into battle on the field, appropriate fodder for a TV star and WAG looking for ratings and column inches? Does it disrespect our cultural heritage?
Rubio's telly rendition comes after the cultural debacle Miss New Zealand faced last year when she was criticised for performing a haka while representing New Zealand at the Miss World competition in China.
Deborah Lambie was forced to defend her decision to showcase Maori culture on the world stage after online commenters attacked her performance as "embarrassing" and "disturbing".
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