Though Powwow is still a week and a half away, Dartmouth’s Native Dancing Society will offer a sneak preview this weekend when members perform various traditional dances in a Saturday morning show at the Hopkins Center’s Alumni Hall. Dances will include the Fancy Shawl, Southern Clotch, Jingle and the Round Dance, a traditional Powwow dance.
The dance program will begin at 11 a.m., put on as part of the Hop’s monthly Hop Stop series that aims to introduce school-aged children and their families to the arts. Though originally planned to take place outdoors at the Hop’s outdoor plaza, the event has been moved inside due to forecasted rainy weather.
The dancers said they hope the performance will build hype for their longer Powwow show, which will take place on May 10. Christina Goodson ’14, the dance group’s leader, said the show is geared toward young audience members and will include audience participation. Dancers will perform both solo and group dances in the show.
Attendance at Hop Stop events ranges from 150 to 400 people, program organizer Mary Gaetz said. The program aims to create an informal environment where families can come and leave as they please as well as participate in the performance.
The dancers, Goodson said, will talk about the dances’ origins and teach the children about some aspects of Native culture relevant to their dances. Goodson said she looks forward to working with children who attend the show, describing education as an important part to the dance experience.
“We want people to learn more about different Native cultures and how those cultures interact with each other,” Goodson said. “In light of the cultural bias incidents at Dartmouth, I think that this is a really good thing for people to understand.”
Group member Maggie Seawright ’17, who has danced in Powwows since she was 5 years old, said she is excited to dance the Fancy Shawl, a contemporary women’s Native dance.
Goodson will dance a more traditional Southern dance, the Southern Clotch, Seawright said.
“People tend to stick within their own specific category in Powwows because each dance requires specific regalia, which are very elaborate,” Seawright said. “For some people, it also just runs in their family to dance a certain way.”
Gaetz said she found the Native Dancing Society while researching the College’s student arts groups. Through the Hop’s programming, she aims to promote the dance group beyond campus, she said.
The event allows group to share Native American culture with a young audience that may not have had much exposure to the dances, Seawright said.
“I think that there’s this idea that Native American culture is a thing of the past,” she said. “But we do these events to show our presence now to a younger generation.”
