'gotul' Muria, whose co-ed dormitory system (the gotul) open to all young people from the age of 9 or 10 until marriage in late teens, remains a unique social and educational experiment which undeniably encourages the Muria young to present themselves to each other and the world at their attractive and harmonious best. Near the road, the institution of the gotul is only a shadow of its strictly maintained former self, properly ruled exclusively by the young themselves, with no adult (married person) allowed in its sanctum in the night hours. Authentic gotul life still continues in interior villages less accessible to moralists and others who believe they should interfere with lifestyles not their own. Yet it is still possible to witness the dancing and singing skills and the intimate sense of community of the young Muria Koitor, honed over countless centuries of relative freedom from intrusion. Part of lifestyle is the gotul dance