arwolf

Question: Should experienced dancers be choosen as head dancers and have then Jr. Dancers? Or should the older more experienced dancers come behind the Jr. dancers?

Reason asking : We put on the "Honoring Our Children" Powwow in Richmond Indiana, where we have experienced dancers lead and the Jr. dancers follow and learn what is to expected of them as they gain more experience.

Question : What should be the cut off age of being a Jr. Dancer and becoming a head dancer?

CHEROSAGE

We have dances around home and the younguns have been chosen as head staff. They lead out everything they are supposed to. Let the kids do their thing, you'll be surprised at how much they already know and how much their elderfamily members will help them with. Even when they do something not just quite right they learned, they were never scolded. All of our kids were asked to be a head little girl or boy at some time or the other. I guess I'm just saying let them do what it is you asked them to do. (headboy, headgirl or what ever it is.) I haven't seen a head littleboy singer but some day I may.

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BOB

northern slang

There are many pow-wows with head teen and head Jr dancer and even head tiny tot dancers. The difference for your powwow should be, to have just the Jr. head dancers.

Answer question one: Have the Head Staff be JR. AGE DANCERS

The OR Question: The more experienced dancers are all around like Cherosage said.

My opinion on Your reason for asking: "experienced dancers lead and the Jr. dancers follow and learn what is to expected of them as they gain more experience."

It really depends on whom you choose to be those experienced dancers.
Reason: Not all experienced dancers interact with especially the young dancers despite the reason for the powwow. This is where "it takes a village to raise a child" comes into play.

Question three: If you would take a look at most contest pow-wows, they have the age categories laid out. From Tiny tot to Sr. and Golden Age, there are many age groups inbetween.

And: I think the age of when you can walk and dance is when you are welcome to become a part of head staff as a tiny tot.

Reason: There are tiny tot princesses that step into the arena for the first time, on head staff, as a princess.
That is WOW! Commend the PARENTS!

I have been to a children's powwow in OK. They had the head dancers and head staff as young kids.
The M.C. was the cutest.Kinda the class clown kid:outspoken!
(There was committee members there to jump in and help him with the schedule. (There was actually two young M.Cs)
The head singer was a young boy, and he sang with a drum group that had very experienced singers and elders. He had great guidence there at the drum where he did learn A LOT.
A.D. was a kid, and did great recruiting his friends to help sell raffle tickets.
It was GREAT to see ALL CHILDREN out there. That was the purpose of the pow-wow and they gained knowledge, respect, and self esteem. THEY WERE THE HEAD HONCHOS!

These kids got paid like adults too. Everything was done as just as it would if the adults were out there as head dancers and contest winners. (Contest Powwow) And yes, even the KIDS got to pick the judges and the KIDS got to do the judging.
It was AWESOME: that is what you call a Childrens powwow