Compare And Contrast European American And Native Dances

Comparing and contrasting the dances of European American and Native, it becomes obvious that culture is the biggest factor involved. Being that both dance styles incorporate their own cultures, they start to show the difference in beliefs and structures in each of their societies. Each lifestyle comes from totally different backgrounds and use dance for different purposes. European Americans define dance roles based on gender and a structure of technique, while the Natives use their own type of structure to become closer to nature. The first thing people will notice about someone is what they’re wearing and from that point an opinion starts to be made. Both cultures being examined here bring out their finest attire. While they share a similarity

At first glance they do a lot of hopping and jumping around but it all has a purpose and pattern. While looking quickly at the European American style, it seems it is very elegant and precise, which it is; but it is so precise that one mix up can ruin the whole dance. Everyone has to be on top of their skills to dance. Back to the Sioux, every moment they have might not look perfect but it has a purpose. They portray unity throughout their whole dance. When the group is dancing together, they all depend on each other to make sure the dance is full of energy to get the most out of it. This brings everything to voice within the

The European American style bases their dances off social strata and status. Back during the times of the early settlers, it was to show how wealthy or how powerful a person was, in essence. But the Indians had a much different outlook. Their outlook uses dance as a message for all different types of occasions. According to Lakota Powwow Dance Styles, they used dance to tell their stories. They used four main dances and each had a different purpose, they were Traditional, Fancy, Grass, and Jingle Dress. The Traditional Dance uses Regalia, which is known as a natural material that takes years to make. This dance is most commonly known for its story telling characteristics. The Fancy Dancers were known for their stamina, as the dance took much effort to keep up with. The Grass dance evolved from a Ohama Warrior Society. This dance replicated the swaying of grass in nature, but as simple as it might seem, it took much effort to be able to keep up with proper movement. Lastly, the Jingle Dress Dance has much meaning as it was normally used for a sick or hurt individual (Lakota Powwow Dance