Spirals of the Dancing Sparrow

The Spirals of the Dancing Sparrow is a traditional dance of working folk and peasants on the Blessed Isle, danced at various festivals and celebratory occasions including weddings and completion of major building projects. The dance is carried out using two fans, moving in flapping motions as the dancers jump and spin. It is named for the Tree Sparrow which is a common sight in the fields and villages of the Isle. Percussion instruments and pipes accompany the dance.

The Spirals of the Dancing Sparrow is occasionally choreographed for presentation to Dynastic or Patrician audiences, though it becomes a far different thing. Commoner Sparrow Dancing is done mostly by amateurs… people who must work, and who practice in rare time off and perform at village occasions. The fans they use are either simple or treasured heirlooms, worn by the passing of generations. Dynastic performances, though commissioned to celebrate or ‘honour’ the common folk, are more precise affairs, using professional dancers who train to coordinate movements with each other and practice to perfection, costumed in bright silks and cosmetics with gilded fans, incorporating acrobatic movements no peasant farmer could hope to manage. Some peasants appreciate the spectacle… but others feel some resentment at ‘their’ dance being stolen from its humble context by the Princes who already claim the highest arts for themselves.