Dance Judging

[jumpingbuffalo]

Do you think powwows should 'try' to incorporate a rating system for judging/scoring, like any other official event in the world?

Popularity can't hold on forever. I think the degree of difficulty, beauty...what else uhh choreagraphy? Style? Appearance, aggression? lol, & of course bonus points for stopping on time...could all be ideas for the future and mainly to help stop the hating.

For instance, there was a thread about naming dance moves and I didn't reply but thought bout it and how we used to name the moves and bust'em out. They could be judged by execution then scored.

Y'all know like, Rodeo, Ice Skating, snowboarding, diving, the Olympic events etc etc. It's prob take like a national powwow council of some sore but again who wants to do all that? Anyway just a thought.

[WhoMe]

Do you think powwows should 'try' to incorporate a rating system for judging/scoring, like any other official event in the world?

Popularity can't hold on forever. I think the degree of difficulty, beauty...what else uhh choreagraphy? Style? Appearance, aggression? lol, & of course bonus points for stopping on time...could all be ideas for the future and mainly to help stop the hating.

For instance, there was a thread about naming dance moves and I didn't reply but thought bout it and how we used to name the moves and bust'em out. They could be judged by execution then scored.

Y'all know like, Rodeo, Ice Skating, snowboarding, diving, the Olympic events etc etc. It's prob take like a national powwow council of some sore but again who wants to do all that? Anyway just a thought.

JumpingB,

I see what you are getting at. I have thought about this too.

In 1991, I incorporated the Olympic Likert System into the Worlds Championship Hoop Dance Contest.

In this adopted system I incorporated 5 criteria for judging. Each individual criteria would be rated from 1-10 with 10 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest.

This system would not work in powwows because during hoop dancing competition, they dance one at a time . . . which is not the case for powwow dancing. Rodeo, (ice) skating, snowboarding are for the most part, individual events.

Until there is a more efficient method invented for judging powwow dance contest...


"The hatin' will continue."

__


A national powwow council has already been tried. It was initiated by Boye Ladd 5-6 years ago.

It eventually fizzled out.

[WhoMe]

Sumthin, new in the powwow world.....

We are hiring a computer software consultant who also traditional dances, to prepare and staff our tabulations for our dance contests electronically! This involves special software that he has created.

Appearantly Schmitzun used his services to electronically tabulate their very first powwow! We have a meeting with him coming up.

[Coyot_In_The_House]

I Know!

Lets have the Dancers judge the Judges....(well that happens anyway...)

[eap7]

Sumthin, new in the powwow world.....

We are hiring a computer software consultant who also traditional dances, to prepare and staff our tabulations for our dance contests electronically! This involves special software that he has created.

Appearantly Schmitzun used his services to electronically tabulate their very first powwow! We have a meeting with him coming up.

I'm glad to hear this has finally come about! In college I was on the ballroom dance team (yes, like Dancing With The Stars, only without the stars :P) have a friend who programmed the software used by most ballroom dance competitions in the country, and about 5 years ago I was working to try and modify the software to use at powwows. It would have been relatively easy but we never finished it because my college decided to not have a competition powwow...but...I'm really happy that someone else has gone through with doing the judging with a program! I know some committees were already using Excel spreadsheets but I think a program interface would be easier. Kudos to the guy who did this.

[WhoMe]

I'm glad to hear this has finally come about! ...I think a program interface would be easier. Kudos to the guy who did this.

eap,

I have seen his initial presentation and it is a program interface like you described.

I believe if it is successful, his services will help improve the quality of tabulation accuracy for other powwows.

I am happy NDNqt will be apart of his staff!

[jumpingbuffalo]

I was thinking that electronic push pads would be ideal, even to get so technical as the strength of the drum & song type - kinda like how they judge the Bull too in bullriding. Also like if we knew the dancers, are they dancing their own tribes style then contemp, og or mid.

But then we can't have the crowd waiting for judges to judge sooo that'd be a major factor huh? & lotsa tribes or powwows can't afford all the laptops & such like the Majors. So I was thinking a standard template would suffice, but then would the judges know what to do or would they need to be briefed by the AD prior.

[Aapaywasay]

What about posting all ballots at the end of powwow.

I have judged many competitions, and I certainly judged my enemies in the fairest and most honest way possible. I may not like a dancer or he may not like me, but I respect style and originality and if he or she deserves to place then i pick them.
Last year I had picked a dancer who is not my friend over my good friend. My friend had messed up in one song, so i based my decision on that. My good friend was left wondering what happened. So after the powwow I called him and told him of my decision, needless to say he was very quiet on the other end of the phone. He finally did say he respected my decision, but he and I are no longer in contact.
I would have no problem having my ballots posted at the end of the powwow. How many other can say that, and how many others would refuse to judge, knowing everyone would see their picks.
I think this is how you stop political judging. How many times have you heard " I picked you" and there is nothing but dishonesty behind that statement.

[injunboy]

last years gatherings kinda solved the popularity issue by having UNM students judge in addition to.. *ya know* haha, alot of nice dancers sat down early some didnt get paid.. hmm soo i dont know if i liked it that way.. i guess it was more fair but i still need to see a show. if i say anymore im gonna dig a hole.. lol

[jumpingbuffalo]

last years gatherings kinda solved the popularity issue by having UNM students judge in addition to.. *ya know* haha, alot of nice dancers sat down early some didnt get paid.. hmm soo i dont know if i liked it that way.. i guess it was more fair but i still need to see a show. if i say anymore im gonna dig a hole.. lol

Yeah thats's another issue...how do they know what to judge? Who's looks pretty snazzy? Or "hey they're dancing longer than anyone else, even after the drum stopped, I'm gonna pick them for first place."

I know we welcome any & all to our powwows but when we pick'em to judge it's just kinda wrong, but i heard the AD's saying that's why he picked up so there are no favorites, but again...how do they know what to look for? Cause then the old style grassers are thought to be like not as snazzy as the contemps and don't get picked, eventhough they're just slaying'em all.

I guess it's extreme judging, and if we had such experts at every powwow we'd have to pay'em like the rest of the staff.

The powwow trail is constantly evolving, like dancers being so versatile as to changing up the style by who's singing and which song their singing and which powwow their at and which style is winning.

Newbie tribes are lucky cause they can dance anyhow anyway without regard to tradition & they tend to win more cause they put a new flare on it, while the old style traditionalists "ARE STILL DOING THE SAME MOVES." We older folk were told we can only dance/sing with the medicine we were given and what we were taught (i know we can go acquire these rights but but) *laughs* anyway, just thinking here. There are just so many fine blurry lines but it's still better than 'THE WORLD POWWOW ORGANIZATION.'