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Historian

What are the qualities of a great Straight Dancer?

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"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
--Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage (1926-1995)

Furiously-Fancy

Acknowledging the ability to dance as a gift from the creator and the willingness to share the gift outside of competition and money.

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"I'd rather be @ a POW-WOW!"

travelingmocs

Well Historian, I am surprized to see a post like this coming from you. From reading your post over time I think you know what makes a good stright dancer. But I will post a few ideas I have that make a good dancer.

A person needs to be smoth and be light footed. Like all over dance stlyes you need to know the songs. You have to love to dance. Man when you see tape of the late greats like Abe Conklin, Johnny Huges, and for the people who were around back in the day to see the old dancers. When you would see them dance you would know what its all about. Its hard to sit here and say what the stlye is all about. To really understand it you need to spend time out where it comes from, Oklahoma and spend time with elders and people like that.

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If I do not know the answer someone else will!!!!
Also forgive me, this system does not have a spell check so forgive the bad spelling

Historian

Thanks for the kind words. Although I have formed an opinion for myself over the years, I was curious as to what some other folks thought were good qualities.

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"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
--Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage (1926-1995)

CHEROSAGE

A sense of a smoothness in your step. An understanding of the style and what it represents. Knowing the songs and the different steps to go with the right song. The willingness to learn the right way of dancing, and knowing the the difference. Imitation is an honor to the one being imitated. Dance in the dances that the best dance and do what is correct.

Keep it smooooooooth!

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BOB

uppit

Gracefullness, knowing what to do on honor beats, acutally looking at the ground as to be looking for tracks with the smoothness gradually looking up and around to see what your looking for. No quick/jerky movements as the nowaday dancers do along with hopping/skipping, passing the old style dancers more that once. Dancers today think they have to have flashy dance clothes along with there hop/skip style but I think that's because these big money pow-wow's.
I think that my old friend "pawtoeman" and his son's would be a good example of the old style. That ole man has danced his style since he was a very young man. They travel to all these Tail-Dance Societies and i've seen them really enjoy themselves as all straight dancers should, just to see what it's all about.

Fat Albert

I like the dancers that seem to dance all songs just as hard (excluding those specials... unless they are getting honored!). From grand entry on is how I choose who I watch. It is one thing to watch a contest dancer dance an exhibition and then dance a contest song. Almost like watching two different dancers! Too busy hiding those secret moves I guess. Not to mention the 'simple' intertribals. There seems to be (in my limited experience) more consistency at those formal dances. But that’s just me. Have a great day!

Beth

dance it from you heart. it is the same with singing. you have to feel the song from inside.

Historian

Very well said...I couldn't agree with you more!!!!!

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"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
--Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage (1926-1995)

ANGELO

well, some people used to call it the old man's dance, some call it the gentleman's dance, and some call it the original warrior's dance. myself i call it the original warrior's dance. i think the good dancers are the ones who dance their style instead of being what other peeps want. the dance is to intertribal for there to be a set form of dancing it. the ponca/omaha gave the dance to many different tribes so they all have their own styles. yet, the smooth graceful dancers who interpret the songs as for what they say instead of lookin for rabbit tracks when the song talks about standing and being proud. the original hethuska songs are warrior deed songs and taunting songs. some songs do call for a dancer to look symbolically for tracks, but the dance is for celebration. southern dancers dont do like the northern guyz. we dont get on the ground lookin for the enemy that we left dead on the battle field,lol. we dance in victory cuz we jus kicked some azz. lol. im sure someone will not agree with me, but thats what some of those songs actually say. its better to ask some one what tribe they are then judge their dancing according to that. but i still like the old guyz who float around the arena. and dance low. the ones who do it where it looks easy. and a person's egalia does make a difference cuz it shows they take pride in the dance. not sayin to be all too flashy. LOL. but atleast be prepared to explain everything on your regalia. those who can and can dance are the qualities that make a good dancer.

Historian

Angelo,
I agree with you, that when a dancer knows the words of a song (both the literal translation and the story implied behind the words), then that can affect the dancer's style as he interprets the song's meaning in a way that he feels it. Below are some examples of a couple song translations as I understand them.

Ponca Hethuska Song:
A-wa-ki noN-shko-na la
A-wa-ki noN-shko-na la
A-wa-ki noN-shko-na la
A-wa-ki noN-shko-na la
“SiN-te Gle-shka,” ha noN-cu-le-ga zhu-wa-gla igla
Da-ha-wa-ge ga-ma zha-ma no-i, ha ya hi ya
MaN-zi u-wa-la ge shko-na shoN-zhiN-ga la la
ShoN-zhiN-ga da-ha-wa-ge gli-za-ga

English Translation:
Do you want to fight me?
Do you want to fight me?
Do you want to fight me?
Do you want to fight me?
“Spotted Tail,” hurry and come with your group.
Get your shield, I’m not afraid of you.
Over these yellow cliffs, to fight me, young Lakota.
Young Lakota get your shield and prepare.

Commentary by Sylvester Warrior, Headman of the Ponca Hethuska from 1958 to 1973:
“Awaki nonshokona, ‘do you want to fight me’? Sinte Gleshka, we happen to know that word. It’s the name of a Siouan war leader. It means, ‘Spotted Tail,’ Sinte Gleshka. Nonculega zhuwagla igla, ‘hurry and come with your group’ to fight. ‘I’m not afraid of you’. Manzi uwala ge shkona shonzhinga dahawage glizaga, ‘do you want to fight over these yellow cliffs’? Shonzhinga, ‘young Sioux,’ dahawagle glizaga, ‘get your shield, prepare’ to fight. Of course it doesn’t actually say all that, but that’s what it means.”

Commentary by a member of the Ponca Hethuska Society:
“My favorite translation is one that concerns a Ponca war party and a group of Lakota led by Spotted Tail. The meaning of this particular song says this: The two groups encounter each other and begin preparations to fight. The Poncas call out to Spotted Tail, who had obviously been calling insults, ‘Hurry! And come with your group Spotted Tail, we’re not afraid of you.’ Then it seems one of the Ponca men spots a young Sioux warrior and wants to test his courage. The Ponca taunts the boy by calling out, ‘Young Sioux! Get your shield and prepare to fight.’ The song mentions the ‘yellow cliffs’ which are located in the northeastern part of Nebraska near the South Dakota border. It seems that whoever controlled these cliffs used them as a sentinel post and could maintain control of a vast area by executing surprise attacks on any intruders.”


Omaha Hethushka Song:
(vocables in first part of song)
She-thiN the thiN, doN-ba ge, tho he
She-thiN the thiN, doN-ba ga
Ha doN-ba ga, ha doN-ba ge, tho he the
“A-ga-ha-moN-thiN,” doN-ba ge, tho he tho-e

English Translation:
(vocables in first part of song)
Yonder that one going, behold him.
Yonder that one going, behold him.
Really behold him, really behold him.
“Walks Outside,” behold him.

Commentary by A. Fletcher and Francis LaFlesche:
“The words are few, an exclamation bidding the people to behold, to look on A’gahamoNthiN, and would be quite unintelligible but for the story which gave rise to the song. A’gahamoNthiN died in the early part of the last century (early 1800s). He was a man of great valor. He had won and received all the public war honors but he was not satisfied. At each meeting of the Hethu’shka Society all through one Fall and Winter he would rise and declare: ‘During the next battle in which I take part I will drag an enemy from his horse or die in the attempt!’ The following Summer, when the Omaha were on the buffalo hunt, the tribe was attacked by the Yankton and a fierce encounter took place. True to his word, A’gahamoNthiN charged the line, dragged a Yankton from his horse, and slew him. Almost immediately A’gahamoNthiN was killed. In emulation of his courage the Omaha made a desperate charge on the Yankton and defeated them. This song was composed to commemorate the warrior who made good his promise and in so doing saved his people. Of A’gahamoNthiN it was said, ‘He spoke a word and chased it to his death’.”

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"Be good, be kind, help each other."
"Respect the ground, respect the drum, respect each other."
--Abe Conklin, Ponca/Osage (1926-1995)

Gledanh Zhinga

A "great" straight style can't be described with words, but I can put forth opinions, ideas, and suggestions.

All of your joints should be "unlocked" (the Chinese say this about tai chi chuan). With the feet, you can "glide", toe-flat, or flat-flat, but fairly smoothly and with equilibrium. On the accent beat, the foot can be moved forward and suspended in air, what horsemen call "dwelling" in a horse's gait, but the dancer must be "hot" to make this look good. Abe Conklin could do it. The body can be low, bent, and angular, especially after the "goshga beats", but not necessarily just then. You can come off the bench low. The old Kaw dancers were good at that. When they got near the drum, they would then turn to go sunwise.* Bill Wahnee and Gary Begay have that angular style. After all, "straight" does not mean to be like a telephone pole. Unfortunately, many judges nowadays think that straight means upright. Duh! Hullo!

George "Woogie" Watchetaker, Comanche, dressed fancy feather when he "came out of retirement" in the 1950's, but he had a wonderful angular, straight style, even while in a fancy contest. I've never seen the beat of it.

Straight dancers move sunwise,* unless maybe you're heading for the drum before you turn to go sunwise. While circling the drum of course, you can zig-zag, follow curves and arcs, go low, and go semi-high.

Many dancers don't use their head and furthermore, their shoulders are stiff. Smokey Lookout, when dancing, looked as though his neck was hinged...lots of movement. I enjoyed watching that. The great head movement comes toward the end of a kind of bodily whiplash. It is a subtle body ripple, hard to explain. It is NOT just bobbing and nodding your head. Looking to the right and left is good if not overdone.

Some dancers forget that they have arms. The arms are often held a little ways from the side of the body with a slight elbow angle. Great dancers move their arms with song phrasing. For instance, one elbow can be flexed and pulled backwards while the other arm is extended. This can alternate. Sometimes the arms can move further away from the body, sometime a bit close, but briefly. There is movement. What looks bad is to see a dancer with his fan feather tips pointing downard with his arm being fairly straight at his side throughout the entire song or dance. Same way with the tail stick or mirror board. It's as though the dancer is too lazy to bend his arms, or he's just not conscious of what's going on.

The Historian gave us words to some songs above, and you'll notice that he wrote them in phrases, so to speak, line by line. Generally, the songs are sung that way; the songs are sung with "phrasing", and the good or great dancer will dance to the phrasing. This is difficult to explain, and is not always easy to do, especially if you're unfamiliar with the song. However, a "great" dancer will rapidly "catch" a song's phrasing, even without knowing the song. An example of this would be to slightly "duck and dive" or change direction at the end of certain phrases (pardon the Northern expression). If the dancer knows the song's meaning, as the Historian mentioned, then this adds a psychological dimension, which may aid the dancer's style. This is subtle stuff, and many judges wouldn't know a phrased dance statement from apple butter.

I personally don't care to see the tail stick touch the ground, nor do I dance in small circles. I like to keep things moving sunwise, similar to a war party on the move (Bill Wahnee's ideas on straight dancing).

I think to kick off the last beat looks OK for a proper tail dancer, because he continues that statement by turning and going to the bench. I don't think it looks too good in a contest. To me, it appears ungainly.

One of the awful things a dancer can do is to put the first of his two foot beats (same leg) on the unaccented beat of the song. George Flying Eagle, Taos/Navajo, calls this ha ha "dancing on the wrong side of the drum". Now, sometimes the drum will screw up, and perhaps a singer will start the song on the wrong beat, say the intro on the second pushup. A good or great dancer will pause, and get on the beat again.

This sometimes happens with a drum of young men who are still learning. I was present a couple of years ago, when a traditional lady dancer verbally chewed out a contest drum for changing the beat over and over again. The boys looked confused. I think what she told them might have just collectively parted their hair.

Finally, I met a female flamenco dancer recently, and she asked me whether, when I straight danced, was it "from the heart", as in flamenco dancing. I replied, "Yes, I certainly don't want to dance from the head!"

* The Wa Zha Zhe can go "anti-sunwise."