Thematic Photographic 81: "Feet" v.4.0 - So You Think You Can Dance (Part I)

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"American Indian Heritage Celebration 2008"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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These feet are a bit more "conventional". Meaning they belong to a person. And they're anything but inanimate. This is a "Fancy Dancer" at the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration that took place in November of 2008 in downtown Raleigh. Unlike some other dances, this one has no specific traditional or spiritual significance, it's strictly for fun. And for show.

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Shutterday #41: Theme 133 - "Dance"

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"Fancy Dancer"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Next week's theme: "Clean"

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Thematic Photographic 49: "Human" v.7.0

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"I Just Want To Bang On The Drum All Day"
Raleigh, NC - November, 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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When you think of "tribal drumming" do you think of 8 or 10 people beating the same drum? Maybe you do if you've been hanging around here since late November of 2008. Because that was the first time I featured this group from the American Indian Heritage Celebration (By the way, that's the name they gave it, not me so the PC police can get offa my cloud, okay?) By the time this stage of the proceedings rolled around, there were two drums and two inter-tribal groups pounding them -- and in rhythm not just within the group (hard enough) but with the other group as well. Most impressive!

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Blue Monday #27: Once More With Feeling

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"Chilly Dancers"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Smiling Sally

"Fancy Dancer"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Smiling Sally

In case you missed it: Check out my entry in Nicole B's Scavenger Hunt!

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These dancers were a different variety of Indian from the ones I showed you last week. These are members of one of North Carolina's eight recognized tribes (though I couldn't tell you which ones) and were participants in the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration in downtown Raleigh last November. I didn't get there early enough to see the two young women perform, but the flashing feet in the second photo belong to one of the two men performing "Fancy Dance", a non-traditional dance whose purpose is just what the name implies. To be fancy. And it is!

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Ruby Tuesday #26: Indian Dancer

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"Indian Dancer"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted at Work of the Poet

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This is another event I've featured in these pages before, but I have a host of colorful photographs from it that I can draw on when the theme is suitable. This young lady was one of the dancers at the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration held in downtown Raleigh in November of 2008. My only regret about that event is that I didn't get there earlier, and missed a majority of the performances -- including hers. But at the end, they brought all the dancers out for a curtain call and I was able to get off a few shots of people I'd missed.

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That's My World Tuesday #13: Drums Along Bicentennial Mall

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"Tribal Drum"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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North Carolina is home to eight state-recognized Native American tribes: The Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of Saponi, Sappony, and Waccamaw-Siouan. Last November, members of these tribes came together in downtown Raleigh for the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. And even though I was (terribly) late in arriving (and missed a great deal of the program as a consequence), I still managed to learn a few things. And see some interesting displays of dance and music.

One such fascinating (to me at least) display was the tribal drums. Though in this case, "tribal" isn't really the correct word since the drummers were actually members of two interitribal groups. These (very) large drums are played by an entire group of mallet wielding drummers all playing simultaneously on the same drum. The co-ordination this must take seems a bit daunting to me. (Imagine a handbell choir all trying to play the same bell.) It's not so hard to imagine a dozen people wailing away on the same drum if it's large enough, but to keep any kind of rhythm this way is quite an accomplishment.

The dances themselves seem to be a fairly free interpretation rather than a tightly defined set of prescribed steps, and the few dancers I did manage to see took full advantage of the latitude such styles offer. I really must make the effort to get there earlier next year.

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Thematic Photographic 28: "Bright" v.2.0 Lords of the Dance

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"Fancy Dancer I"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

"Fancy Dancer II"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

"Traditional Dancer I"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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No trifecta today, but I would be remiss if I let this week's "Bright" prompt pass by without the display of bright colors from the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration that took place just before Thanksgiving in Raleigh. The first two dancers were performing what was simply called "Fancy Dance", which the MC says is not actually a traditional dance. The purpose is simply to move with as much vigor as possible while maintaining the rhythm. The dress for these dances is somewhat more involved as well. Typically, traditional dancers wear only one or two bustles (again, according to the MC -- I'm not an expert on the subject at all!) while fancy dancers typically wear four (or more).

The third dancer in this set is actually performing a traditional dance, but I couldn't hear well enough to catch the name of it. I think at this point my ears were pretty well frozen, so maybe that's why. But if I was cold in my ski jacket and boots, I can only imagine what these guys felt like in what they were wearing. So I offer my props to these dancers and the others who performed that day, freezing their tail feathers off to give the rest of us a glimpse of their heritage. Thanks guys!

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Lensday #3: "Thankful"

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"13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration"
Raleigh, NC - October 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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