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 signifying 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 around the calves to produce the white fuzzy stuff around their legs. Moccasins are usually worn, although some will use neon Aqua Socks instead.
Southern Native American Pow Wows- ver. 1.2
Chris Glazner, Roxanne Solis and Geoff Weinman
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Penateka Lodge Spring Brotherhood and Fellowship
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