How to Do a Native American Grass Dance

Brightly colored ribbons or yarn fringes drape the Native American Grass Dancer. The Grass Dance originated as a ceremonial dance by the men of northern Plains tribes. Over the years, different tribes adopted a style of the Grass Dance to perform at Native American pow wows. When a Grass Dancer moves, his colorful fringe sways like prairie grass. Follow these steps to do a Native American Grass Dance.

Things You'll Need

• Grass Dance regalia

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with pow wows in general and the Grass Dance style specifically. During a break, bring a drink to a thirsty Grass Dancer and seek advice on doing the Grass Dance. Generally, two styles of Grass Dance styles are found at pow wows: old style and free style. Old style dancing uses more upper body movements.

2. Create your regalia. Native American Grass Dancers all wear a specific type of regalia that takes time to make. The main part is a fringed cape made of multicolored pieces of yarn or ribbons. An apron of fringe is tied around the waist as well, so that the "grass" of the costume starts at the shoulders and hangs to the knees. Dancers wear a headdress called a roach in their hair and bells around the ankles.

3. Enter the circle when the Grass Dance is announced. All dancing at pow wows is performed in a circle, an important symbol in Native American culture.

4. Keep your body very fluid. Bend in different ways in order to move as much of the fringe as possible. Think of your body as moving like tall grass on a windy day.

5. Nod your head up and down or side to side with the beat of the drum. The two feathers attached to the roach should rock or twirl with the movements.

6. Move body parts--head, hips, legs, arms, shoulders--in a harmonious way. Some Grass Dance styles mimic a Native American warrior's movements in hunting or fighting.

7. Balance movements so that each move is repeated on the other side of the body. The Grass Dance should be balanced. Both feet should land on the ground with the final beat of the drum.

Tips & Warnings

• When making your Grass Dance regalia, never copy another dancer's outfit. Regalia can hold personal or spiritual meaning. All regalia is individual.