The merged women’s class at a competition powwow in which Senior and Golden Age dancers, aged 40 to 69, compete on one list instead of separate Fancy and Jingle lists.
Fancy Shawl/Jingle is the women’s class a competition powwow offers once its dancers pass the adult band. In the younger lists, Jingle and Fancy are separate items, each with its own entrants and placings. For older women the source folds the two styles into one combined list, so a field that is smaller at those ages is not split into lists too thin to place fairly. The slash in the name marks the merge: it is one class, not two.
On the template behind this page the item is assigned to two groups, both for women: Senior (aged 40 to 59) and Golden Age (aged 60 to 69). Every dancer enters as an individual, wears a number issued by the registrar, and is placed within her own age band. Because the item is split by age as well as by style, a woman of 55 and a woman of 65 are never ranked against each other.
For an older woman this is one of two choices in her age band. The other is No./So. Traditional, the merged Northern and Southern Traditional class. The rules allow one category per contestant and no switching once registered, so choosing between the two is the real decision, and it is made at the registration desk rather than in the arena. The men’s equivalent of this choice is between No./So. Traditional and Grass/Fancy/Chicken, which is a separate item with its own list.
Younger women are handled elsewhere. Junior and Teen girls use the plain Jingle and Fancy items or Traditional, adult women aged 18 to 39 choose between Jingle, Fancy, No. Buckskin/Cloth and So. Buckskin/Cloth, and women aged 70 and over are in the combined Living Treasure division, which the template keeps as an all-styles item rather than a style-by-style list.
There is no single judged round for the class. The rules the template follows describe a point system built up over the weekend, starting with the Friday grand entry, with each contestant’s number recorded at every grand entry. Dancers register in advance, cannot change category once registered and dance in full regalia, and the committee may combine any category with fewer than five registered dancers. This page covers how the class is organised for the people who run it; the dance steps, the dress and the regalia belong to the communities that practise them and are deliberately not described.
Where Fancy Shawl/Jingle is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the competition powwow template, assigned to Senior and Golden Age women. Competition powwows are held across the United States and Canada, usually over a weekend, and each organiser publishes its own style names, age bands and merges. A combined women’s list for older dancers is how the powwow behind the template does it; another event may keep Fancy and Jingle apart at every age, use different age cut-offs, or call the class something else, so always read that organiser’s own notice before assuming the same split.
- United States (the competition powwow the template is built from)
- Canada and other competition powwows in North America, each with its own published rules
Key facts
- An Individual item: one dancer, one registrar-issued number, one entry
- Two template classes, both women only: Senior (40 to 59) and Golden Age (60 to 69)
- One merged list: Fancy and Jingle are separate items for younger women but share this one for older women
- Older women choose between this item and No./So. Traditional; one category only, with no switching after registering
- Women aged 70 and over use the combined Living Treasure division; adult women aged 18 to 39 use the individual style items
- Placings come from points accumulated over several sessions, starting with the Friday grand entry, not from one round
- The template uses a 100-mark working scale and no time limit because the source prints neither
On eTalenter, Fancy Shawl/Jingle is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Fancy Shawl/Jingle is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Female, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Fancy Shawl/Jingle
What a Fancy Shawl/Jingle panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The source prints no scoresheet for this class, so the points below are organiser guidance for agreeing yardsticks with the head judges, not rules from the source
- Right band, right style choice: check that each dancer is in the correct age band, Senior or Golden Age, and is being marked in the combined Fancy Shawl/Jingle field rather than against the No./So. Traditional dancers in the same band
- Fair comparison between two styles: because Fancy and Jingle dancers share this list, judges should agree beforehand to mark each dancer by the conventions of her own style, so neither style is rewarded for looking like the other
- Staying with the drum: whether the dancer follows the singing, handles the changes on the beat and finishes with the last beat of the song
- Consistency over the weekend: points accumulate across grand entries, so steady performance in every session generally counts for more than one strong song followed by tired ones
- Arena conduct and tidy regalia: respecting the arena director’s calls, keeping to the dancing area, and regalia that stays secure so nothing has to be fixed during a song
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Fancy Shawl/Jingle under Scoring Setup, or start from judge scoring and tabulation software.
How to prepare for Fancy Shawl/Jingle
How entrants and their teachers usually get Fancy Shawl/Jingle right on the day:
- Settle the choice early: a dancer aged 40 to 69 should decide between this item and No./So. Traditional well before registration closes, because the registrar’s record is final once she is entered
- Confirm the age band on the day of the event: 40 to 59 is Senior, 60 to 69 is Golden Age, and 70 or over belongs in the Living Treasure division
- Register online before the closing date and note the Saturday onsite cut-off, since a late entry can mean missing the first points of the weekend
- Treat the weekend as an endurance event: practise several full songs back to back, then plan water, food, rest and shade between sessions
- Practise to songs not heard before, so that following the drum and ending on the last beat is a habit rather than a rehearsed routine
- Check every fastening on the regalia a week ahead and pack a small repair kit, so a loose piece never costs a grand entry
- Ask the registrar early whether a small list may be merged with another under the fewer-than-five rule, and what the dancer could be combined with
Ready-made event templates that include Fancy Shawl/Jingle
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powwow Dance & Drum Competition (Denver March Powwow) | On Stage | Marks | 2 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Fancy Shawl/Jingle judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Female, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Why is it called Fancy Shawl/Jingle with a slash?
It is one combined class. For younger women the source keeps Fancy and Jingle as separate lists; for Senior and Golden Age women it joins them so the older field is not split too thin.
Which age groups and genders use this item?
On the template, women in the Senior (40 to 59) and Golden Age (60 to 69) bands. Men in those bands use Grass/Fancy/Chicken or No./So. Traditional, and women aged 70 and over are in the combined Living Treasure division.
Is it the same as the plain Jingle or Fancy item?
No. The plain Jingle and Fancy items are separate lists for younger dancers. This merged item is a different class with its own entrants and placings, and a dancer enters only one category.
Can a dancer switch between this and No./So. Traditional after registering?
Not at the powwow the template follows. Contestants enter one category only and cannot change once registered, so decide before the registration desk closes.
How are winners decided, and is there a time limit?
Winners come from points accumulated across sessions, beginning with the Friday grand entry, with each number recorded at every grand entry. The source gives no mark scale or time limit; the template uses a working scale of 100 marks and no limit, and an organiser who wants either should set it in their own event and publish it with their rules.
Want the full judging picture? Read judge scoring and tabulation software, or browse every on stage competition item.
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See every ready-made template that runs Fancy Shawl/Jingle, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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