Fancy Dance Research Paper

429 Words2 Pages

Have you ever hummed a song without thinking? I often find myself humming Christmas songs during the summer, or a song from childhood that I thought I had forgotten. It’s usually a song I know so well, I barely realize I’m singing it. When it comes to cultures that are different from my own, I have a sort of “song” I sing. That is, I have all kinds of thoughts and feelings that I have without knowing I have them. Some are harmless, but some can hurt my relationships with other people. For example, when I heard that Native American cultural educator, Mike Pahsetopah, was coming to the library, my first thought was something like, “huh, I guess that’s cool, but kind of weird too.” And then I moved on. Then, I was asked to write a post about …show more content…

I have no idea what fancy dancing is. A quick internet search revealed that the fancy dance appears to have originated about a hundred years ago after the U.S. government banned religious dances for Native Americans...but let’s be honest, I still don’t really know what it is. This is why I’m excited that Mike is coming to our library. He’s providing our community with an opportunity to learn. We have a lot to learn and a lot to gain from every culture. Mike is coming specifically to teach us about Native American culture—what a gift! Oh, and did I mention he is super entertaining and highly talented?? His resume includes appearances in Last of the Mohicans and Walker Texas Ranger. He is also the first Native American in history to dance on the Eiffel Tower (il a dansé à Paris! Speaking of other cultures). He works to show kids and adults what true Native American culture means instead of the stereotypes represented on TV or Disney movies (Peter Pan, anyone?). I’d like to invite you to be a learner with me. And not just on Saturday when Mike gives us a great show, but as a way of life. Let’s learn about each other together. Let’s ask questions. Questions open the door for relationships. And if we had more relationships with people who are different from us—well, wouldn’t that change the world? See you Saturday!