CHOREOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS 

 PERFORMANCE 



The Setting: 



A democratic attitude pervades Iroquois ceremonialism and dancing. 

 A few esoteric rites are held in private in a small living room, perhaps 

 even in secret. But the great majority of festivals take place in the 

 communal sanctuary, the longhouse. Thus the great Midwinter 

 Festival of dream renewal and the summer series of agricultural 

 festivals are organized by spokesmen and women of the community 

 and are actively performed by the community. Again, a few dances — 

 False Face, Eagle — are enacted by special virtuoso male dancers. 

 Certain dances belong to one sex. But the great dances to the 

 Creator, and the Stomp and Fish Dances are open to all. In fact. 

 Feather Dance involves participation by every believer as a statement 

 of faith. 



The ceremonies and the separate dances testify to centuries of 

 tradition in their careful organization. Every duty falls to the share 

 of especially appointed officers. Moieties and sexes interact in well- 

 established patterns. Thus leading singers and dancers should be of 

 opposite moieties. The role of women is distinct from that of the 

 male officers. The women manage food festivals and the otherwise 

 male False Face rites. In the separate dances the placement of the 

 sexes forms part of the traditional pattern. 



Participation : 



As performance is usually open to all, the quality of execution 

 varies, as does the number of participants. The best dancers start 

 each dance and exhibit the most elaborate steps. Particularly in 

 Feather Dance the dancing may vary from spirited gyrations by the 

 virtuosos to a simple two-step by the old men, and the women's step 

 may deteriorate to an unrhythmical walk-around. As natural 

 choreographic ability is not equally distributed, the most complicated 

 formations fall to the lot of experts. These may be youngsters, 

 particularly when it comes to the Fish Dance. But some of the 

 grannies, such as Fannie Stevens, excel in ritual and social dances 

 alike. Needless to say, it would be futile to look for professional 

 precision when one and all are enacting a prayer or else just having a 

 good time. 



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