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DANCE STYLES & REGALIA
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There are many different types of dance styles & regalia.
This page is designed to give you a breif description of some of the differend styles of dance and the regalia worn by each style of dancer.
For more detailed information, see our "Link" page or contact the dance team directly.
The information on this page is from:
Southern Native American Powwows - http://library.thinkquest.org/3081/index.htm


TRADITIONAL
The first time a person sees a Traditional Dancer, he or she usually asks, "How can this man, with super glue, colored tape and bright outfits, be called traditional?" Today, traditional means not strictly adhering to the past, but instead it refers to a style that developed from the original dance many years ago. Around the late 1800's, only a few dignified warriors were entitled to wear the articles of the traditional dancer, the roach and the bustle. As the dance progressed from tribe to tribe and went northward, tradition changed and more dancers began to put on a bustle and roach. The Lakota tribe is usually credited for the birth of this dance as a true style everyone participates in. The Lakota style, or Northern Traditional, still exists and is popular at dances in the South as well. (It is overwhelmingly popular in the North.)

The Traditional Dancer in the South today does not look very much like the original dancers of long ago . Many tribal traditions, such as the Mandan's "nest" head dress, have influenced many dancers until many tribal outfits have blended together into a general style with less tribal affliation. Because of this varied blending, it is hard to give an overall view of what "traditional" is supposed to look like. In the South however, dancers do use more feathers and animal parts in their regalia. The Southern style is usually called "Contemporary Traditional," and is more freestyle in dance than Northern Traditional.

THE DANCES

The Traditional Dancer has a few dances that are uniquely his and his alone. One of these is the crow hop, where the dancer will "hop" to the beat of the drum. The other traditional specialty dance is the sneak-up, where the dancer may imitate a warrior in the field or an animal looking for prey. It begins with the drum rolling, and all of the dancers low to the ground. "Gunshots" will be heard on the drum which cause the dancers to be wary. The drum then picks up a normal beat, and the dancers rise and dance.

THE REGALIA

As mentioned before, the regalia of a Traditional Dancer is almost impossible to define. The following will be a very general description and is by no means true for everyone.
Almost all have some sort of headress: a roach, Mandan, fox hide, etc. A choker, scarf with slide, or beaded tie tab will cover the neck, and a ribbon shirt is usually worn. A breastplate is almost essential, as well as a bandolier or two. The bustle worn on the lower back is only thing that is guaranteed, but they may look very different as well. Aprons with many kinds of decorations are worn, and side tabs are frequently seen. Most contemporaries will wear leather leggings with bells or clackers around their knees, while Northern Traditionals do not wear leggings but instead wear leg fringes at the knee with their bells and a small piece of Angora hide at their ankles. All dancers wear moccasins. Traditionals will also have beaded arm bands and cuffs with fringe hanging off, and will dance with a flat fan or more commonly a large wing fan. In addition, most will carry a dance staff of some kind with a few feathers attached to it.
GRASS DANCE
The Grass Dance style is a very old dance rich in history that has become very popular. In the old days, it was the job of the grass dancers to flatten the grass in the arena before a pow wow. The name "grass" does not come from the stomping of grass, but it comes from the old habit of tying braids of sweetgrass to the dancer's belts, producing a swaying effect. Today, Grass Dancers resemble a multicolored swaying mass of yarn or fringe on the dance floor. The Grass Dance is a very fluid and bendable style, with the dancers trying to move their fringe in as many places as possible at once. The Grass Dance style was born in the North, but its popularity has spread South, and now this beautiful style is availible for everyone.


THE REGALIA

The regalia of a Grass Dancer is very different from most other styles. The head gear is much the same: roach, spreader, and maybe a beaded headband. One primary difference in Grass dancers is the optional "antennas, " which are long, thin wires with fluffs attached to the end that protrude from the spreader in the place of roach feathers. Most dancers today wear fringed capes that are edged with lots of yarn or chainette fringe. Multicolored designs in the yarn are popular, but all white with colored highlights is becoming popular. A matching apron to the cape is worn to cover the waist, and usually fringed sidetabs are worn as well. Instead of leather leggings, most Grass Dancers will wear a pair of jogging pants that have been modified with fringe just below the knees. The bells are worn just below the ankles above the moccasins.


STRAIGHT DANCE
The Straight Dance, sometimes referred to as Southern Traditional, is the formal and original dance of most of the Oklahoma tribes, including the Ponca, Osage, Kiowa, Comanche, Kaw, and many others. It is a dignified style, where the men who dance it keep a steady, flowing pace that is not interrupted with fancy moves or extra footwork. Because of its slow place, some people believe that it is an old man's dance, but this is not the case. There are many fine Straight Dancers in the Oklahoma area, ranging in age from ten to eighty. Some of the best places for Straight Dancers to go include the Ponca Hethuska and the Kiowa Tia-piah Society's Dance. The Ponca Hethuska is held twice a year in the town of White Eagle, Oklahoma, once in April and once in October. It is a formal war dance, meaning that it follows the old ways, and has many strict rules that must be adhered to. There, every dancer is required to dance every dance for the duration of the war dance, which is very tiring. The Kiowa Tia Piah Society holds their annual dance at Carnegie, OK over the Fourth of July. This dance is also excellent place to see Gourd Dancing.


THE REGALIA

The well made outfit of a Straight Dancer is a true work of art. Many tribes, especially the Osage, value very fine materials that are used in the construction of regalia. Many of the articles a Straight Dancer wears are unique to his style and cannot be seen anywhere else
Beginning from the top, most Straight Dancers wear a roach, about 20 inches in length with a single immature Golden eagle tail feather in the center. The spreader is often silver beaded leather, and a single lock of hair with a plain or beaded roach pin holds the roach in place. Often a few feathers will be atached to the roach pin. Many Straight dancers also will wear a headband made from a rolled up white handkerchief that is knotted on the forehead. Most also will have scalp feathers as well.

Most dancers will wear a ribbon shirt of some kind, although some do go without a shirt in the Southern heat. Bandoliers, made of everything from hairpipe, beads, and rifle cartridges, are worn from each shoulder, crossing the chest. It has also become common for almost all to wear a large neckerchief around their neck, secured by a German silver slide. A Beaded belt ties off everything nicely.

The primary article of any Straight Dancer is a drop, which can be made from a otter hide decorated with beadwork and ribbonwork or several silver or brass conchos strung together the length or the body. Drops are attached at the neck and should just scrape the ground when dancing. In the South, there are two main variations in dress. In the Ponca and Osage style, dark blue woolen aprons and leggings with beautiful and intricate ribbonwork is worn to cover the lower half of the body. This style relies heavily on ribbon and fine cloth to create its "look." The other main style, the Kiowa and Comanche Style, tab leggings are worn, and there is a greater reliance on German silverwork. Both styles have fingerwoven garters and belts tied around the waist and just below the knees. Either bells or deer toe clackers are worn just below the knee to produce a good sound. The outfit is finished with a beaded pair of moccasins.

A Straight dancer will always have some type of fan on him, either a loose fan, a flat fan or a wing fan. He will also will have a dance staff that is shorter and thinner than found in most other styles, and the staff may have small eagle feathers hanging from it.

FANCY DANCE
The brightest and fastest of men's dance styles, the Fancy Dance or Feather Dance did not originate from any old dance or style. Fancy dancing is the result of trying to entertain visitors at reservations in the early 1920's. The outfit combined the popular bustles of traditional dancers and made them larger, brighter, and more exciting and added feathers, fluffs, and colors wherever they would fit. The Fancy Dance has typically been a young man's dance, although many older dancers who are still in shape participate. The Fancy Dance belongs to no one tribe -- it started in Oklahoma and is now all over the country, with some differences in dress and style in the North.
Fancy Dancers dance much faster than all other styles, and it is sometimes freestyle, with dancers doing such wild things as the splits and backflips, but this is more uncommon. Fancy dancers can dance a type of dance known as a ruffle--it is full of shaking, ruffling, and blinding footwork.

THE REGALIA

Fancy Dancers have many objects in their outfits that are unique to them. Starting at the top, all Fancy Dancers have a roach, usually a little shorter than normal and with brighter deer hair. The main difference in the head gear of a Fancy Dancer is the rocker spreader, with two eagle feathers that are often decorated with plumes and reflective tape. Some dancers wear scalp feathers, but it is not as common. Most also wear beaded headbands, sometimes with a rosette on the front.
Fancy Dancers usually don't wear a ribbon shirt, but are covered in beaded and fringed aprons over the shoulders and waist. Some also wear loom beaded harnesses that are draped over the neck and hang past the waist. Most also wear small arm bustles that are made from a disc with feathers glued around it. The signifing mark of a Fancy Dancer is his bright, twin bustles. Southern bustles are made from stripped feathers that are decorated with dyed hackle feathers and plumes. One bustle is tied around the neck, and the other is tied to the waist. A newer twist to this is making the bustles from eagle wings, which gives more of a "flying" look. This is more common in the North.

In addition to their aprons, Fancy Dancers wear matching sidetabs to cover their thighs while dancing. All dancers wear large sleigh or the smaller Hawk bells just below the knee. A large Angora goat hide is wrapped aroung the calves to produce the white fuzzy stuff around their legs. Moccasins are usually worn, although some will use neon Aqua Socks instead.