Dance History & Appreciation: Native American Dance

I'm enrolled in a class at my local community college on dance history & appreciation. As a dance teacher, it behooves me to know as much as possible about my chosen field so I can be a wise and understanding instructor. As a professional dancer, I like to know the roots of my craft, to connect to the past and draw new sources of inspiration.

A few weeks ago, we had a group perform a ritual Native American dance for us to welcome autumn. They burned the most amazing incense (like tar and sage or something clean like that) and danced vigorously in their shells and feather headdresses to drums. The steps were simple but required endurance. We got to participate in the ritual dance at the end, generating a greater sense of community within the class. The dance was much like a game of follow the leader. It was great fun.

I realized I should employ the use of community circles more in my classes. I use them the first and last day, but I should incorporate them more as the ladies in my class are their own community of neo-burlesque enthusiasts. These girls are going to have their own craft nights, and some will work their way through the ranks together to perform professionally. I can help foster that now.

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