JINGLE DRESS
The Women's Jingle Dress dance or Healing Dance was
a gift from the Creator. It was given as a tool for healing.
Although there are variations to the story, it is a common
feature of all that the dance and the dress were revealed
through a dream.
Jingle Dress dancers are called upon at times to dance for
the ill or injured, or to help those who are grieving. A Jingle
Dress dancer carries this sacred responsibility and obliges
when asked.
As the dancer moves throughout the dance, the jingles hit
one another and create the special sounds which give the
dress its spiritual power; sounds which are said to sing to
the spirits. There are two types of Jingle Dress dance: the
side step, and the higher stepping straight step, which is
faster. These dancers exhibit poise, endurance and grace as
they perform their intricate, controlled footwork.
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POW WOW 2020