The male performs with a troupe of subordinate males
The male's dance is a meticulously choreographed and managed dance of a troupe of up to 5 or 6 subordinate males. Males in the troupe can practise and perform for about 10 years or more before one of them will perhaps become the dominant male and be able to mate. Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Manakin, (subfamily Piprinae), [is the] common name given to about 60 species of small, stubby, generally short-tailed birds abundant in American tropical forests. Manakins are short-billed birds that range in size from 8.5 to 16 cm (3.5 to 6.5 inches) long and weigh a mere 1040 grams (0.351.4 ounces). Females and immature males are typically coloured in drab greens and browns, but adult males are often black with splashes of bright plumage ranging from cerulean blue to fiery red to egg-yolk yellow."