substitutes

[FluteMaker]

i was wondering about something with regalia...
im off work with a back injury at the moment. having alot of extra time ive been looking at the dance style pages here on pw.com and came to feel id like to try dancing next year.
id like to get involved with straight dancing (going the long way around and doing it the right way) because since i already had bad knees and now a bad back i thought the straight dance style was less aggressive and more stately a dance style than the others.
something i had been wondering about was how well do y'all think it would go over if i used a flute in place of the typical dance stick?
being a flute maker and flute player i thought it would fit me well, but naturally i dont want to irk anyone


pony

[rodond]

by tradition you should be given your first dance stick or tailstick most straight dancers start out with a mirror board. never have seen a straight dancer carrying a flute. do some more research on why we carry a tailstick and the history behind it

[powwowbum49]

the gals might think you are on the make carrying a flute around all the time

[FluteMaker]

so no flute, ehh?

[FluteMaker]

new question...
would i even be allowed to straight dance? i have no family connection to any of the typical peoples with the straight dance (ponca,osasga,kiowa etc) im mi'nqua, i have family at onondaga and some more distant cousins with the florida seminol.
history says that any mi'nqua that moved west got lumped in with the seneca but nobody that i personally know im related to.

[rodond]

Where were you planning on straight dancing?

[FluteMaker]

im on the east coast.

[rodond]

who is going to teach you the proper ways and how why they are done that way? are there many straight dancers where you live

[Privateer6]

who is going to teach you the proper ways and how why they are done that way? are there many straight dancers where you live

In NC there are a few good straight dancers that I've seen. NCSSM Powwow in February will ahave a few out there. Some of these folks have come from out west and are here to stay. Lots of good info.

There is also something that I've seen called "Eastern Straight" or "Eastern Traditional" but that is a whole other animal.

[rodond]

how much diference is there in eastern straight and southern straight. alway trying to learn something new

[FluteMaker]

who is going to teach you the proper ways and how why they are done that way? are there many straight dancers where you live

at this point ive done nothing more than research.so far ive read everything i can find, watched most of the straight dance video clips here on pw.com and made some phone calls asking whom best to learn from with no good answers yet.
my personal motto is 'go big or go home' in short if i cant do this the right way, im not going to do it.

my biggest worry is if im even going to be allowed to dance straight style at all.there are straight dancers here on the coast but noboy that i know to be a member of any dance societies.it wasnt untill i started researching the style and its history that i even knew there were any societies.
ive seen the dancers and have admired the dignity and the graciousness that goes with the dance style. but admiration doesnt entitle me to take on the dance style as mine.
i seriously dont want to irk anyone in this and it wasnt my people who created,preserved and nurtured the style over the years. so i have no real right to take part.

[rodond]

there is no reason you can't straight if that is what you want to do i straight and nothern traditional even if i am not from a northern area i know it can be interesting when you're the only straight dancer at a pow wow the only thing is find someone to teach you the right way and why

[FluteMaker]

there is no reason you can't straight if that is what you want to do i straight and nothern traditional even if i am not from a northern area i know it can be interesting when you're the only straight dancer at a pow wow the only thing is find someone to teach you the right way and why

finding someone is the key,someone who actually knows the real deal and is willing to teach me.
ive got some time before i get to dance at all,my dr just signed me up for six more weeks of physical therapy for my back injury, after which we'll be talking some more about injecting steroids straight into the spinal cord. not something i really want, but the oral steroids and physical therapy have only done so much.
another reason i was interested in the straight dancing, it seems much less aggressive than other styles. i think it pretty safe to say that fancy dancing ,with my back, is out of the question

[rodond]

straight was harder on me than fancy dancing was i fancy for almost 20 year before i went to straight the way you carry your body , bent over with bent knees put more strace on my knees and back .

[FluteMaker]

In NC there are a few good straight dancers that I've seen. NCSSM Powwow in February will ahave a few out there. Some of these folks have come from out west and are here to stay. Lots of good info.

There is also something that I've seen called "Eastern Straight" or "Eastern Traditional" but that is a whole other animal.

im up in the DC area of northern virginia and unless my wife wanted to take me, i wouldnt be able to get down there for this years event(assuming i havent already missed it)

tell us more about this eastern straight/traditional dance though. it does sound interesting. i know with the flutes im always interested in hearing about new ideas in crafting and playing