swing away......

[dad]

why do jingle dancer swing there arms??? and don't say that it old style. maggy never did this....i think it looks cheesy......and please dance on beat!!!!!!!!

[luvlumbee]

dang!

[Ceapha_0919]

He's true *L* Some jinglers like to swing but it looks so much neater when they have their hands by their hips. Dancing on beat... I think for some jinglers, you have to dance off beat in order to have the jingles be on beat... ah?

[MayChe]

makes sense Ceapha. i think its kinda neat the way they seing there arms, like Yvette does. it might have to do with style preference.everyone has there own style. if everyone danced the same, how can you judge them?

[fafafancy]

I think the thing that people have to KNOW and UNDERSTAND is that just because a Champion dancer does something that could be seen as being traditional or Old-style doesn't make it so. I have to agree with Dad when he says Maggie never danced like that. People see Yvette or others dance a certain way and they mistake it for being traditional when it isn't. Personally, I think that a little arm swinging is ok, if you are into the song and into the beat, but I think Yvette looks like she is digging a hole/grave when she dances her side step the way she has been lately. It's a personal preference and style issue. I never saw Jingle dress dancers raise just their hands on the honor beats until probably 1994 yet now people act like it is old-style. When Ojibwe, not just Jingle Dress Dancers, dance to a giveaway song, they raise the gifts that they received and often yell appreciatively, maybe that is where it came from. Kudos to Yvette for having the courage to try something new, whether it looks good or not.

[sweet_plume_2000]

swing jingle ling

Well,
I remember when the first girl to swing the arms in this style(not yvette) was a woman who's rep was getting her into trouble. Then because competition became high and then the style (is hard to look away from) was known far and wide. The two girls danced in competion for years in the same category. They were always competing.
Reputation vs. Competition. I choose to dance with heart and an occassional smile.

[creejingledress]

Fafafancy you read my mind. I don't really care for the arm swinging thing myself. The thing is most dancers...even Jingledress dancers, don't know much about the origins or even the Woman who started it all...Maggie White. So when someone else starts swinging their arms they think it must be oldstyle. I think if your gonna dance Jingle you should at let TRY to UNDERSTAND the origins and beginnings of it. Its dance meant for healing. But some Jinglers know nothing of who began it or where it came from. And since the arm swinging move came around , now I've heard they swing their arms because its a medicine dress and long time ago the women ued to dance with medicine in their hands. Or that its the winnebago style or something like that. I don't believe either. Or the hand raising. Just my opinion...I prefer the real oldstyle Maggie White started, not what some dances make up as they go along.

[smartyquay]

??

Who the hell is this Maggie White...... just wondering, because everyone's pretty set on saying that "she really knows what's she's doing."

[Singing Otter]

Re: ??

Originally posted by smartyquay
Who the hell is this Maggie White...... just wondering, because everyone's pretty set on saying that "she really knows what's she's doing."

:Chatter :Chatter :Chatter :Chatter :Chatter

[luvlumbee]

Singing otter, yeah really! I dont know about using the curse word while using someones name. It sounds bad:( . Maggie White is the one who started the jingle dress dance. Here you go

http://whitefishbay_singers.tripod.c...group/id9.html

[eagleclan22]

The Late-Maggie White was from Whitefish Bay Ontario in the Lake of the Woods area. And yes of course she knew what she was doing, it is her Odihiziwin, her gift that she got from the spirit world. It was her father who had the vision of the dress and when she was sick he gave the dress to her.

[fafafancy]

FYI, go buy WFB's latest CD. It has interviews with Maggie and Frank White about the jingle dress, as well as a lot of good songs. The CD is called Anishinaabe Meenigoziwin. The CD is produced by Sunshine Records.

[WapitiWinyan]

I think dancers today just pick something cool and dance it.... girls-- before you dance jingle, you should understand it, and then, it will be given to you if it is meant to be yours......

[zhonaagiz]

Maggie had her own style too!!....this style that she wanted to dance......she also like how everybody else danced(their own styles)........The swinging of the arms came from all the ogitchitaakweg when the fast round dance songs were sang....ont he honour beats the ogitchitaakweg would scream and have fun which sometimes meant swinging their arms!...I see it as a jingler having fun and not caring what people think!!!!
I know for me as a jingler I could care less what people think and the ones who like to judge stay at the competition powwows!!!

[sweetkwe69]

:Thumbs yep thats what its about at the ceremonial dances and its about havinga good time enjoying urself and Zhoongiz (sp) said it right, but like i said some of the stories of the dress is so far fetched now i heard some funny stories that make me say :34: but everytime its told it gets a added version from some one else, and then i say :34: but thats what happens and sometimes some people think they know more about then the original tribe that original dance it and shared it. but people r always gonna say its this way or that why but never really know why but then no crying over spilled milk when i know where the source huh been WFB thinks alot of peeps need to visit there as well and other res. the hold on too what they know is really not the watered down version or the version they want to think is the only way but all in all that my thought for now.