dancing jingle

[fancystar_147]

Normaly I dance fancyshawl ,but i was thinking dancing jingle. Is it hard ? Because when i was watching some them jingle dancers,they were doing the side step and that look like it hurts your legs and to very complcated.
fancystar_147

[MayChe]

for me, the only hard part of it is doing the side step. but I"ve realized that everyone does their side step differently. the regular straight song is not that hard, I guess you can say its like fancy shawl, but just with your feet closer to the ground. its just a matter of not tripping over your own feet :p

[Riverwoman]

You can find it hard, if you do not have good cardiovascular... let me tell you!:o

The side step is done many different ways, I guess each person does it their own way, the same with the straight song. I prefer the straight, as you can "freestyle" a bit more.

Good luck with it, dance hard, with pride, and carry yourself well!

[luvlumbee]

The best thing to do is to condition your calves. I use to do fancy shawl but found jingle to be a whole lot easier because your movements are smooth and your feet are closer to the ground. The best thing to do is to have good posture when you are dancing and start off light when you are dancing, then it becomes very easy once your body gets used to it.

[Ceapha_0919]

I was thinking of switching from Fancy Shawl to Jingle too. I've only been jingling for about 5 years but I grew up fancy so it would be a hard 'adaptation to fully switch over. The sidestep takes practice and there are multiple ways to do the side step. Personally, I just take tiny hops to the side (cause my calfs can take the abuse;) ) but I see most girls thrust their heels out like when youre doing Northern Tradish but whatever floats your boat. If youre thinking of taking up jingle, just practice the sidestep everyday, and try to do a couple of songs (sidestep) straight without stopping. Hope I was of some help!

*Ceapha

[that jingle chick]

heellooo
well i made the switch from fancy to jingle like 6 years ago....i was easier i think...the sidestep did give me a lil trouble but i practiced...and i got it...the main thing is gettin ur calves in shape cuz they take the most out of u while ur dancing. i do my side step on my toes and i find it a lot easier on my calves doin it that way. you can make the switch and do well if you really put ur mind to it. while i miss dancing fancy i really prefer dancing jingle cuz itz more smooth and a lot of fun!
good luck in what u choose to do...but most importantly have fun dancing!
PEACE N LOVE N POWWOWZ:D

[eap7]

I dance fancy mainly but also jingle. I do the sidestep the traditional way, w/ my feet flat on the floor. I hear girls say all the time that it hurts their calves, but it doesn't hurt mine at all. To be honest, going up on my tip toes kills my calves. I just put my feet together and kind of scoot. Its really easy for me. Just try kind of little hops and use ur ankles, not ur calves. That's my suggestion.

[millsdrumming]

ok now i am confused. lol I know about the zig zag and the shuffle, but don't remember a side step, but then again I have only just started going to Pow wows. I am not the jingle dancer for I think it would look real funny on me since I am the dad. lol Next summer We will be going to more Pow Wows so my daughter can watch and talk with others, and I hope to get help closer to home. I have a video that shows some jingle danceing, but don't remember the side step there neither. Awe man this means i need to look at it again. Wado, Wally

[Czechy]

There is a videotape in production right now solely devoted to jingle dress dancing. It should come out sometime in August. Written Heritage will carry it as will Noc Bay and Crazy Crow. The web addresses for these suppliers can be found on the menu bar at the top of this page under LINKS. The title will be something like Jingle Dress and is produced by Full Circle Videos. The video covers dress/dance history, dress construction (sort of), dancing, the basics. Good luck!

[n8tivechick]

wow remember when the time came that for some reason fancy shawl dancers switched to jingle????????

well i have to say this.... i have tried to do fancy shawl steps and i find them harder then jingle! i was like tripping myself and well it wasn't a pretty fight.... so what i say is that jingle isn't as hard as fancy but........ the side step... lemme just tell you it tones your calf muscles!!! and if you side step (some songs are REALLY LONG) your legs will be hurtin for about a week... Guaranteed for a new jingler.

-Kelli

[millsdrumming]

yes thank you, I go to Crazy crow for my beads among other places. I will look out for the video.

Miigwech, Wally