[1800s_indian]

Who agrees? Chicken dancing has joined the many other exploited dancing styles, tainted by cash payouts. Tribal people from all over are trying to copy a style of dancing that they know little about much less how is should be danced. Judges perception of the dance style is skewed by mainstream or popular dancers attempt to dance this style. This contemporary view pushes traditional chicken dancers to the wayside, and just like the contemporary traditional dancers of today, the face painting, the outfits and the dance steps are over exaggerated. Traditional ways are replaced by blurs of neon dancers flailing and contorting their bodies about the dance area. The moves of the "contemporary" chicken dancer are mostly grass dance and fancy dance hybrids. It is good to see chicken dancing and round bustle dancing make a comeback, but not in this way

[CloudN9ne]

i agree with you on some of the things like grass and fancy dance moves. i think it's not right that someone can just go out there and jump around with a bustle on, and not know how the dance came to be. or least know some of the songs........

[Migiziwomen]

you know i agree! i have not seen this yet, as i really only go to my annual lately and not the big one in hinkely but the one in mille lacs. what you say makes me sad cause i love to watch the chiken dancers, and so far i have only seen the tradish ones at mille lacs.

[Chilimama]

I agree with you 100% 1800s indian. This dance style is going the way of the Jingle style of dancing today. Way to fancy and to much neon and bling.

[oldstylechicken]

i have to agree with 1800s indian because thats what i mostly see at powwows people putting to much grass and fancy dance moves in their chicken dancing. nobody hardly knows how an oldstyle chicken dancer moves, they have to move gracful and imitate the prairie chicken. dance to the beat of the drum. the real chicken dancers are in Siksika/Kainai/Pikunii country.

[billyjoejimbob]

i got the chicken dance special ffrom GON 2 years ago.


i was very disappointed.

all it was was grass dancers with chicken outfits on. especially the person who won. but his grass dancing video on next to his chicken dance video and they are exact. i thought that was a rip off.

its messed up, anything for money.

you become a respected dancer in your style and yoou switch the the newest style just to compete because there may not be as many dancers in that new style.

[kneegrow_native]

I like to watch prairie chicken, especially when the floor is full of dancers and the feeling is good, but I will admit that I have a little more respect for the ones that were doing the dance before it was the cool thing to do.

[RedShield]

My wife's uncle started sponsoring a chicken dance/round bustle special at Wellpinit pow wow as a way of trying to bring back these traditional styles. He also sponsors others around the area like at Riverfront Park and a few others I think. To me it is awesome to see the dance style that was nearly wiped out in favor of the more popular men's traditional style make it's way back.
Since I've moved back east, I have seen some sorry excuses for chicken dancing. I don't think they'd know what was going on if they actually saw a prarie chicken/round bustle grand entry... and the songs... There are all kinds of "new" duck and dives coming out here, the way I was taught from out west is there is only ONE duck and dive and it is sung 4 times through with a tail, with the strong beats only coming on the second half of the part of the push-up, but could be extended past that if the spirit was right.
What has been said here is very valid, there are a lot of people exploiting this dance style and whipping up the regalia to contest, using grass, fancy and mainstream traditional dance moves that don't match the style. (Thank god the only real chicken dancer I have seen over here was a Blackfeet from Montana!)
But, by the same token, when I was out west, the jingle dancers who had no clue bothered me too. But because they think they stand a better chance of placing, they'll whip up a jingle dress in a week or two and start competing a few weeks later using nothing but fancy dance moves, and then get judges who may not know the style correctly and PLACE!!!
I don't know... me personally, I have a hard time with jingle competitions in the first place, and my wife gets hot under the collar when she sees bad excuses for chicken dancing... it's a vicious cycle that contest money creates and perpetuates, I wish people would just be true to their own nations, and if they are interested in learning someone else's style... take the time to learn.
Just my 49 cents worth...

Paselo

[chazziff]

as with n e category .. a more contemporary version will come to be ... like it or not.

a good example or larger selection of both styles can be watched during the FSIN pow wow in saskatoon (usually held in october) ... they have a contemporary and original/oldstyle categories for praire chicken there. and it seems that everyone and their dog is there - theres everyone from the scalplock brothers, mr. whitford, mr. waskewitch, mr. warren, mr.top sky, mr. tootoosis and alot of others ... there isnt that many US dancers that come up this way.

but i have to agree with the over use of neon yellow/green fluffs and hackles ... especially those hackle feather "necklaces" and anklets that a couple of dancers have now ... its too much. mind you these dancers are more along the line of more contemporary ...

[kneegrow_native]

Originally Posted by RedShield

My wife's uncle started sponsoring a chicken dance/round bustle special at Wellpinit pow wow as a way of trying to bring back these traditional styles. He also sponsors others around the area like at Riverfront Park and a few others I think.

You must be talking about renowned Native Artist George Flett.

George is a heckuva good guy, and a huge fan of prairie chicken.

[Chelseyrosebutterfly]

I don't know anything about chicken dancing. Because I dance woman traditional. I personally havent seen it come into Canada yet. I have no problem with it. If a person goes out there and chances it because they don't know what their doing out there let them.

[1800s_indian]

I guess its the same with alot of dancing, just as it was back in the day, we shared our ways but it seems like it had more significance back then and the sharing of ways were respected. It just as with everything, money corrupts. I just wonder why people haven't been as bold as to copy Crow styles? Ithink its a matter of money and sheer numbers of Crow dancers. I dont think a Navajo would have any luck trying to win some money in a crow special just because of the number of Crows who still dance thier original style. One the other hand, this dosent stop Southwestern tribes from adopting Southern staight style dancing, fancy dancing, jingle style and chicken dancing? So....whats this difference??

[sookout sh'nob]

Originally Posted by Chelseyrosebutterfly

I don't know anything about chicken dancing. Because I dance woman traditional. I personally havent seen it come into Canada yet. I have no problem with it. If a person goes out there and chances it because they don't know what their doing out there let them.

Teh dance is all over the southern parts of Cree territory - it was rare as hen's teeth (har har) for a while there, but has really come back in a big way. There are also quite a few Piegan people in Canada.

[sookout sh'nob]

Originally Posted by 1800s_indian

I just wonder why people haven't been as bold as to copy Crow styles?

A lot of the prairie chicken dance outfits I'm seeing today look very Crow-ish if not outright Crow. The old pics don't look much like today's regalia - but then again what style today still looks like how it used too?

[RedShield]

Originally Posted by kneegrow_native

You must be talking about renowned Native Artist George Flett.

George is a heckuva good guy, and a huge fan of prairie chicken.

Nice there Kneegrow... yep that's the guy I'm talking about, the guy is awesome, and very down to earth. The thing is his beadwork is the art he never gets credit for... he will do original art and bead it into a vest for the Wellpinit chicken dance special winner.

You're right George is an awesome guy!

[sir_snagalot]

Originally Posted by 1800s_indian

Who agrees? Chicken dancing has joined the many other exploited dancing styles, tainted by cash payouts. Tribal people from all over are trying to copy a style of dancing that they know little about much less how is should be danced. Judges perception of the dance style is skewed by mainstream or popular dancers attempt to dance this style. This contemporary view pushes traditional chicken dancers to the wayside, and just like the contemporary traditional dancers of today, the face painting, the outfits and the dance steps are over exaggerated. Traditional ways are replaced by blurs of neon dancers flailing and contorting their bodies about the dance area. The moves of the "contemporary" chicken dancer are mostly grass dance and fancy dance hybrids. It is good to see chicken dancing and round bustle dancing make a comeback, but not in this way

I agree with the chicken dance gone crazy.........hell i even heard from my ex gf taht there is a traditional Blackfeet Women's Chicken dance society in Montana.....i laughed so hard cuz it seemd odd to me. If its true i dont know im not a chicken dancer or northern native, but i hear things nowadays get funnier and funnier.

[CHIEF~RED~CLOUD]

From What I Hear Chicken Dance Comes From The Blackfoot Territory It Was A Society

[sir_snagalot]

Originally Posted by CHIEF~RED~CLOUD

From What I Hear Chicken Dance Comes From The Blackfoot Territory It Was A Society

made up of women dancers? did you ever hear of a society of women chicken dancers?

[oldstylechicken]

what do u know about chicken dancing? To tell u the truth there is no such thing as a womans chicken dance society. but there is a chicken dance society up north in canada made up of men. chicken dance is a mans dance. My opinion about women dancing chicken is silly and also crazy.

[Kiwehnzii]

Treffry didn't ever mention women chicken dancers.