Owl Dance
The owl dance is for a fun time for all ages. In this dance, people had the opportunity to relax, sing, dance, visit family and friends or tell stories. The Owl dance was also the perfect opportunity for boys or young men to dance with the girls they like in front of parental supervision. The partners would dance side by side and use shuffling steps, in unison with the beat perfectly while dancing around in a circle. Girls and boys could choose their own dancing parters. If a man ref refused a request of a women, he is required to offer her a gift.
Grass Dance
The moments from the grass dance were reflected from the moves of the warriors. For example, stalking the game or fighting the enemy. In that, one warrior pretends being hurt and unable to move. The grass dance is said to reflect the need for balance in life,each movement on one side must be danced again on the other side. People say that the grass dance is a gift form the creator to celebrate joy. The ornaments of decoration in this dance are long strands of yarn, ribbon or fabric attached to a base outfit to represent grass or in some theories the scalps of enemies. A header is called a roach. The roach has two feathers on it in a way that the feathers twirl as the dancers dances. Along the whole song, the dancer moves to the beat landing on both feet on the final beat.
Sun Dance
The Sun Dance is an event where a vow is made to the Sun for the well being of a relative, who may be gravely ill. A vow is an oral contact between an individual and the Sky Beings. The Buffalo is the major symbol of the Sun Dance. The purpose of the Sun Dance is to renew personal spiritually, as well as the renewal of the living Earth, and by doing so social harmony and prosperity would continue for another year. Men rarely participated in the Sun Dance, these men strove to enhance their personal power through sacrifice in order to become a more meaningful member of their society. The sacrifice required the participants to dance for three or four days while fasting. The Sun Dance was an important part in reconciliation of killing the buffalo, which violates the kinship(blood relationship) between animal and man. After the conclusion of the ceremony the lodge, in which the Sun Dance is held, is abandoned and all animal objects are left inside so they could return to the earth.
Prairie Chicken Dance
The Chicken Dance is a very old dance in the Blackfoot society. It started out as a religious society known as the "Kiitokii Society". During earlier times there were not many dances practiced by the Blackfoot with the exception of ,‘ Parted hair dance,’ and the ‘ Owl Dance,’ danced by men and women together. The Prairie Chicken Dance is originated from the prairie chicken's mating dance in the spring time. Old Style Chicken Dancers danced in one area displaying intricate body movements and dance steps. Their regalia included a head roach, breech cloth, round bells, and a small feather bustle. A regalia is the costume they wore when they danced. The dance is done in mimicking the mating dance of the Prairie Chicken that is in the prairies. This dance is seen in the early morning. How this dance came about was when a young man (Blackfoot) went out hunting. He came across these birds dancing in the tall grass. Being hungry as he was, he shot and killed one of these birds with his bow and arrow.
He brought the bird back home and his family ate it. Later on, as this man went to sleep he had this dream. In his dream the spirit of this prairie chicken that he killed came to him and asked why he killed him. The man replied "I needed to feed my family".
The prairie chicken told this man that he was going to teach him this dance. He was to go out there and teach all the people this dance. If he did not do as he was told, this prairie chicken was going to come back and take this man's life. This was the deal this prairie chicken made with this man for taking his life (prairie chicken). It is a very sacred dance.
He brought the bird back home and his family ate it. Later on, as this man went to sleep he had this dream. In his dream the spirit of this prairie chicken that he killed came to him and asked why he killed him. The man replied "I needed to feed my family".
The prairie chicken told this man that he was going to teach him this dance. He was to go out there and teach all the people this dance. If he did not do as he was told, this prairie chicken was going to come back and take this man's life. This was the deal this prairie chicken made with this man for taking his life (prairie chicken). It is a very sacred dance.