practice

[acgal]

how often do you practice dancing?

[luvstraightdancrs]

My family does not practice, it's built in!! Have a young man from Canada staying with us and he practices almost daily - trying to build up to our intertribals and the heat!

[Choctawgirl]

not enough

I don't practice like I should. Primarily due to work, but I have been recently inspired, so I hope to be practicing 3-5 times week:) I also have too practice the other forms of dance that I do. May be with all the pratice it will help me lose some weight

[Okwataga]

maybe once in a blue moon i'll practice, but mostly my sons practice

but i walk alot to be able to dance all weekend
have bum knee sometimes it swells and hurts unless i've been walking before that weekend

[NancyJo]

I used to walk alot during the week to be ready for weekend pow wows also.....but this past year I had a really bad flair up of osteoarthritis in one knee. Couldn't hardly walk for a few weeks. But it has slowly gotten better.
I've been a little nervous to get back into dancing this summer. I've been to a few pow wows locally where I just took my shawl and danced a couple of dances to see how my knee would hold up.
I've started swimming, and walking back and forth across the pool using the bouancy and the resistance of the water to help my knee strengthen.
I don't really practice....but sometimes around the house I'll be listening to some music and will start dancing for a little bit!!

[STATE]

I practice quite a bit. There are several different drums that you will have to dance to in competition. I have almost everybody's tapes or cd's and I listen to them every chance I get to get a feel of their style of beating the drum and their singing. The old school drums sing a bit faster, choppier, and the newer drums have a slower, drawn out rhythymn (?). I practice to keep my legs strong to be able to dance more than one song, especially round dance songs. I listen to alot of northern drums too for the same reason. This way, wherever I am dancing, I am familiar with the drums and their style of singing so I can keep time and know their songs. It has paid off when you get a northern drum even though you are southern or you get White Tail, whose songs have a shorter ending. I know alot of dancers practice all winter to be prepared for the summer. You have to practice and use your muscles to be able to dance to the best of your ability. I also get alot of practice during intertribals at the pow wow.

[Tigerlily]

I am fancy dancer and I have a friend that dances southern. She would come back after her contest and be all tired out - needing water. I used to tease her and say" you get tired from that- walking? You wouldn't last as a fancy dancer." AND THEN I DID ALL AROUND, and l finally knew what she was talking about. Each style of dance requires you to use different muscles that you wouldn't use otherwise. She was teasing me afterwards like " why do you need water, I thought it was easy."

I always respect my traditional dancers, but now I have even more reason to!

[NancyJo]

I've heard people say that before...."Gee, all your doing is walking...how come you get tired and thirsty?"
I usually ask them to come out and dance an intertribal with me, and have a shawl handy......then they kind of hush up after that.
hahaha!!!
I will say this, when I go to dance.....I dance every dance until the drum goes home. So, I do get tired.....my knees get tired.
But, you know, when I'm dancing I don't feel that......just later or the next day. I love to dance!!!
But I think dancing does take 'some' preperation or practice.......especially when your going to compete. You want to be really confident and relaxed as you dance......and have good endurance so that you CAN dance every dance.

[White Powwow Dancer]

Hi
I've been practicing every week here. Load powwow music from mp3 player and go at it here.
Chi Migwetch, WPD

[Kakeeya]

Originally posted by White Powwow Dancer
Hi
I've been practicing every week here. Load powwow music from mp3 player and go at it here.
Chi Migwetch, WPD

In your cloth dress?
:Chatter

:D