Re-establishing an OA Dance Team

[jtrumbly]

Our Order of the Arrow lodge has been without a dance team for several years now. I was asked to be the adviser, for two reasons, I was not active when the old dance team separated from the lodge, and also I am a Native American.

We still have the Drums and some of the regalia, but it is in need of repair / replacement. We do not have any dancers (although there has been interest expressed). Has anyone established or re-established a dance team before. Any advise would be really helpful. Thanks in advance. Jim

[Eagle92]

Been talked abotu before. here are some links.

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=198747

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=104122

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=324698

 

PM me with your email and I will start emailing you info. LOTS OF FILES to help get you started.

[MikeS]

I just recently did this with my chapter - we are NOT doing the usual powwow style stuff but rather adhereing strictly to the traditional dances of the extreme northeast where I'm from (Abenaki, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy-Malacite, and Mi'kmaq). Most of the songs we do would not be known outside of ME, NH, VT and the Maritimes - a few might be known in southern New England. So, for example, we don't do the Crow Hop - not native to our area (brought to the area with the powwow's in the 1920's-1930's). Our regalia is strictly very northern New England (i.e. virtually no head roaches, no Iroquois "gestowahs" and certainly no Plains "war bonnets"). We use rattles and not ankle bells (again, more associated with the powwows) and we do not use ribbon shirts (way too generic). If you have a local Nation or Nations, learn from them, see what they traditionally wear (outside of powwows), and learn some of the LOCAL dances.

[MikeS]

It's mainly watch, learn and practice (practice, practice and more practice!).

 

If your local Nation ahs a website, contact the current chief or educational director and ask - many times, people are only too happy to oblige in answering any questions you may have (at least that's been my experience). BTW - I am of Penobscot descent, and perhaps that's why I'm sort of a die hard traditionalist (i.e. trying to steeer clear of the powwow scene and go completely local), but I think it makes mor eof an impression when you can say to a group you're demontrating to that what they are seeing has been done in this very area for thousands of years!