Denver March Powwow 2024 - Fancy Friday Evening

Denver March 2024
Denver Coliseum
4600 Humboldt
Denver, Colorado 80216
(720)865-2475
March 15, 16, & 17, 2024

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THE GRAND ENTRY Each session of the Denver March Pow Wow begins with a Grand Entry. The processional begins with the Heart Beat drum group carrying their drum and singing the Committee's song, "A Living Hoop". Following them is an Eagle Staff, the American flags, Indian Nation flags, and any other flags that are being displayed (e.g., the Pow-MIA flag, a state flag, the Pow Wow's own flag, etc) lead the way in the dance arena, followed in order by: the Denver March Pow Wow Princess, other visiting royalty, Living Treasures (70+), Golden Age Men, Senior Men, Men's Northern Traditional, Southern Straight, Men's Fancy, and Men's Grass, Men’s Chicken followed by the Women, Teens, Juniors, and Tiny Tots. The Masters of Ceremonies announce each category as they enter the arena. Once everyone is in the dance arena and with the spectators still standing, the flags are raised to the accompaniment of a flag song. This is followed by a veterans' honoring song - the Victory Dance. There two Grand Entries on Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday. There is often a scheduled meal break between the end of one session and the next Grand Entry. INTERTRIBAL DANCES Intertribal dancing means: "Everybody dance!" During these dances, you may see all the different styles of Pow Wow dancers and all different age groups dancing together. You do not need to be in a dance outfit to participate. You will also be able to observe the essential nature of Indian dancing, which is simply that it is an individual activity, pursued in a group. Each dancer moves independently to the beat of the drum, creating a highly individual style. The one exception to this is the Two-Step, a "Ladies' Choice" dance, which is one of the few times that men and women have physical contact while dancing. CONTEST DANCING Contest Dancing is divided into many categories, depending on style, regional differences, and age. There are six basic categories of contest dances broken down into age categories. For the men, there are, TraditionalDancing, Fancy Dancing, Chicken Dancing, and Grass Dancing. And, for the women: Traditional Dancing, Fancy Shawl Dancing, Jingle Dress Dancing, and Woodlands Applique. The following descriptions are the most common dance styles seen at the Denver March Pow Wow.. MEN'S POW WOW DANCE STYLES Men's Traditional: The Men's Northern Traditional style of dance is the oldest form of dancing. Years ago, only the warriors were allowed to dance in the circle. The dance was a form of storytelling where each warrior acted out deeds committed during a battle or hunt. The Oklahoma men's traditional style of dance is referred to as the Men's Southern Straight. Men's Northern Traditional dancers wear headdresses, referred to as a roach, on their heads. The roaches are made with porcupine and deer hair intricately woven together. Eagle feathers are worn on top of the roaches. A stick with eagle plumes attached at the end fasten the roach to the top of the head and a string around the neck fastens the roach midway down the back. Northern Traditional dancers wear bone breastplates, which were originally used for protection during battle or hunting. The rest of the outfit is comprised of an eagle feather bustle, matching bead work (cuffs, arm bands, belt with side drops, leg bands, moccasins), apron (front and back), the back of the apron has decorative "trailers", and chokers made of animal bones. The dancers wear angora fur and large bells around their ankles. Years ago, deer toes were worn around the ankles. Some dancers carry eagle wing fans, shields, or coup sticks decorated with eagle plumes and horsehair in their hands. The Southern Straight dancers dress the same with two exceptions, they do not wear eagle feather bustles and they may wear otter fur caps with an otter trailer instead of a roach. They move around the dance arena in a rhythmic, elongated stride. They sometimes appear to be tracking-perhaps an enemy or game. It is sometimes referred to as the "Gentlemen's" dance.