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Daniel dancing the Fancy dance at St. Joseph's annual powwow. Quick movements and fancy footwork make the Fancy Dance intricate and challenging.
This contemporary dance style is fast, exciting and full of color. The Fancy Dance was introduced during the reservation era when tribes from the southern plains conducted large gatherings for spectators who wanted to witness a war dance.

After prizes and maza ska - money - were introduced to the dance circle, the popularity of the gatherings increased.

Dancers made their outfits as colorful and brilliant as possible for entertainment purposes. The young dancers wear a head roach with two rocker feathers, two bustles on their back and bands on their arms. The dancers carry twirling spinners as they hop, jump, skip and perform acrobatic movements throughout the dance.

Today, fancy dancers continue to offer spectators a showcase of fancy footsteps to fast-paced songs. The best dancers are able to keep in time to the extremely fast drum beat and stop on the final beat of the drum.