Fancy dance

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Fancy dance or pan-Indian dancing is a style of dance originally created by members of the Lakota peoples around the turn of the 20th Century in an attempt to preserve their culture and religion at a time when practicing it was largely illegal. It is loosely based on the sacred Sun dance and War dance. Fancy dance was considered appropriate to be performed for visitors to reservations and at "Wild West" shows.

The popularity of fancy dance - sometimes as a competitive sport - has spread, and is now practiced by many Native American tribes (hence the name, "pan-Indian dancing").

Fancy dancers typically wear brightly-colored uniforms. 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 accoutrements. Scalp feathers and headdresses are relatively uncommon.

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