Why are the dances approved by the elders of the tribes? [originaltext]W: Today’

W: Today’s arts report betrays Dan Parker of the American Indian Dance Theater. I understand your troupe performs traditional music and dance from many different Native American cultures. Can you give us an idea of some of the dances you’ll be doing in your performance tonight?
M: Certainly. We’ll be doing won-ns-award dance. Originally it was a story telling device to recount battles. Another is the grass dance, performed by the plains Indians, where they actually flatten tall field grass to prepare it for a ceremony.
W: Since your dancers are from many different tribes, how can you be sure the dances are done correctly?
M: Everything we do has been approved by the elders of our tribes. That’s partly because we do not necessarily know each other’s style or dances. But it’s also because it’s hard to get complete agreement even within the same tribe exactly how the dance should be done.
W: Anyone who attends one of your performances will notice that your company goes to a lot of trouble to provide detailed explanations of the origin of the dances, the music, the costumes and so forth. Could you explain to our listeners, why you do these?
M: Good questions. There are always concerns that traditional dances performed are nothing more than a spectacle. Our explanations show that in our cultures, dance is ritual rather than entertainment. We also want to make it clear to our audience that we are not performing any dances used for sacred ceremonies.