Heart Butte, Montana - August 12, 2006 - A fancy dancer at the Heart Butte Indian Days Celebration in Heart Butte, Montana. This annual four day celebration takes place the second week in August and is 26 miles south of Browning in the community of Heart Butte on the Blackfeet Reservation.
Men's Fancy dance is flashy and colorful, but also highly energetic. It requires strength and stamina and is usually performed by younger men and boys. Male Fancy dancers typically wear brightly-colored regalia. Twin feather bustles are one of the hallmarks of modern fancy dance regalia, along with a beaded bodice, leggings, bells just below the knees, moccasins, and other feathered or beaded accouterments. The regalia often has a fringe of many colors, said to represent the Rainbow Spirit.
A modern pow-wow is an event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.
