dance contests | BigShots Now

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The Grand Entry at Crow Fair is the beginning of all the festivities that take place in the Arbor. The Dance contests, ceremonies, the general get together when everyone dances for the sheer enjoyment of it. It is the center of all the social activities. It always begins with the color guard presenting the flags.

A dancer performs a special dance to complete the flag presentation.

Then the procession begins with the Royalty entering the circle. These are all the Princesses that have been selected by the various tribes participating to represent them.

The men follow.

The elder warriors leading the men into the circle.

Followed by the women dancing their way around the arbor

There are many different emotions displayed by the participants. This is a very special time for all.

They continue dancing, gradually completing the circle.

Everyone who can, participates.

T Each category of dancers enters in their turn.

The men’s group puts maximum effort forth as they enter.

Each dancer showing his own style as they enter.

Women take their place in the circle.

Young mothers with their children dance and bring their young ones into the circle as soon as they can carry them into the arbor.

An elder warrior pensively completes another round as everyone that can fit enters the arbor.

Younger warriors enter in their turn

As the circle tightens and fills towards completion the dancers begin to pick up the pace.

There is movement and color everywhere one looks.

The drummers are tireless. The beat, the songs, the energy, keep everyone focused and the dancers are totally dependent on them. The ceremonies couldn’t take place without them. They are the heroes in the background, usually unseen but always heard.

The circle is complete. All the participants are inside the arbor, the circle has tightened to make room for everyone and the Grand Entry is complete. Soon the dancing will start and continue until the fair is over.

Over the next few days we e will bring you the Dancing, the Parade, Portraits, the Rodeo, and the Closing ceremonies. Stay tuned.

The North American Indian Days is an annual event held on the Blackfeet Indian reservation usually in July and is billed as one of the biggest tribal get-togethers in North America. They say North American instead of the Unites States because some of the participants are from tribes that live in Canada. It lasts for about a week, four days according to the advertisements, but everybody’s there early and leaves late so plan on at least five or six days if you want the full experience.

The largest events by far are the dance contests and they take place daily. Everyone dresses in their finest and since this is a contest where you can win money for how well you dance, they really put their hearts into it. They would really put their hearts into it if there were no cash prizes because pride and the call of tradition is even more important than the money, as you can see on their faces while they are performing.

The following images are a small selection of the dancers and activities in the contests. They were chosen to show the variety of the costumes, from the more traditional to the fantastic regalia of the Fancy dancers.

Everything starts when the dancers begin to enter the arena. Men’s dancers are the first to enter.

They’re followed by another men’s category composed of slightly younger men. This continues until all the dancing categories are in the arena.

From the youngest dancers

To the elders

Groups form

Elders watch from the sidelines before they dance

The contestants dance the circle

Fancy dancers display their abilities

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Individuals begin to break off and dance on their own

Each showing their interpretation of the dance

From the more traditional

To the swirling colors of the Fancy dancers

Regalia of every type imaginable is on display

A Fancy dancer shows his skill

A traditional dancer shows his

Every piece of the regalia has meaning

Mixing of older and newer elements is part of the style the dancers choose, it reflects tradition as well as their own personality. It is a very personal choice.

Dancing requires focus and determination and stamina

Many hours have gone into the creation of the various parts of their outfit and it shows.

There were hundreds of dancers competing, each vying to win their category, but the most important thing for them was to display their pride in their heritage, their traditions, and their sense of place as modern members of an ancient tribe. That part was effortless. Their every movement displayed the intensity of being a member of their tribe and showing the world that they hadn’t forgotten their old ways. The dancing celebrated this and win, lose or draw their participation was their biggest accomplishment. They were all winners.

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Tag Archives: dance contests

Blackfeet North American Indian Days Men’s Dancing