The Southern Straight class for men aged 18 to 39 at a competition powwow, scored individually; “So.” stands for Southern, and it sits beside Northern Traditional as one of five men’s lists in that age band.
So. Straight is the Southern Straight class for men in a competition powwow. On the template behind this page it has one class: male dancers in the Adult band, aged 18 to 39, each entering as an individual under a single number issued by the registrar. “So.” is short for Southern, which is how the source tells this list apart from the Northern men’s class that appears next to it in the same programme.
The listing is taken from the published dance categories and rules of one competition powwow in the United States. Its men’s list for ages 18 to 39 runs Grass, Fancy, Northern Traditional, Southern Straight and Chicken. For an organiser that means five parallel entrant lists in the band, with each man placed on exactly one of them. Southern Straight is not a spelling of Northern Traditional, and the two keep separate lists, separate placings and separate places in the schedule.
Younger and older men are handled elsewhere. Junior and Teen boys dance in a plain Traditional item, and from the Senior band upward the source folds the Northern and Southern men’s classes into one merged Northern and Southern Traditional class, carried as its own item. A man who is 40 or over, or a boy under 18, should therefore be sent to the item that matches his age; this one is for the 18 to 39 band only.
There is no single judged round. The rules the template follows describe a point system built up across the weekend, starting at the Friday grand entry, with each contestant’s number recorded at every grand entry. Dancers register ahead of time, enter one category only, cannot switch once registered and dance in full regalia. The contest committee may combine any category that has fewer than five registered dancers, so a quiet Southern Straight list can be merged with another on the day.
This page covers how the class is organised for the people who run it. It does not describe the steps, the dress or the regalia, which belong to the communities who practise them. The organiser’s job is smaller and practical: make sure each dancer knows which list he is on, that the registrar has recorded it correctly, and that his number is logged at every grand entry.
Where So. Straight is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the competition powwow template, assigned to male dancers in the Adult band. Competition powwows are held across the United States and Canada, normally over a weekend, and every organiser publishes its own style names, age bands and merges. The Southern Straight class appears here because that powwow lists it as a separate men’s adult style; another event may call it something different, fold it into a wider traditional class, or not run it at all, so read that organiser’s own notice before assuming the same class exists.
- 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
- One template class, male only: Adult (18 to 39)
- “So.” means Southern; the Northern men’s class beside it is called No. Traditional and is a separate item with its own list
- Boys under 18 enter the plain Traditional item; from the Senior band upward the men’s Northern and Southern lists merge into one item
- Placings come from points accumulated over several sessions starting with the Friday grand entry, not from one round
- One category per contestant, no switching after registration, and a class with fewer than five dancers may be combined
- The template uses a 100-mark working scale and no time limit because the source prints neither
On eTalenter, So. Straight 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, So. Straight is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Male, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in So. Straight
What a So. Straight 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
- Listing and class integrity: before anything else, check that the dancer is entered on the Southern Straight list and is being marked against that style, not against the Northern class or the Fancy and Grass lists beside it
- Timing against the drum: whether the dancer picks up each change in the singing on the beat and ends exactly when the song ends
- Steadiness across the weekend: points accumulate over several grand entries, so a consistent run through every session generally counts for more than one standout song followed by tired ones
- Presentation that lasts the whole song: regalia that stays in place, so that nothing slips or has to be adjusted mid-song and the judges’ attention stays on the dancing
- Arena conduct: following the arena director’s calls, keeping to the dancing area and showing respect to the head judges, the drum and the other dancers
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for So. Straight under Scoring Setup, or start from judge scoring and tabulation software.
How to prepare for So. Straight
How entrants and their teachers usually get So. Straight right on the day:
- Confirm the list with the dancer before registration: Southern Straight, not Northern Traditional, and explain that the registrar’s record is final once he has registered
- Check his age at the desk: 18 to 39 belongs here, a young man under 18 belongs in the Junior or Teen Traditional item, and a man of 40 or over belongs in the Senior, Golden Age or Living Treasure classes
- Register before the online closing date and diarise the Saturday onsite cut-off, because a late entry can mean missing the first points of the weekend
- Plan the weekend as an endurance event: practise several full songs back to back, then schedule water, food and rest between sessions
- Rehearse to songs he has not heard before so that following the drum and finishing on the last beat is a habit rather than a memorised routine
- Sort every fastening and attachment on the regalia a week ahead and pack a small repair kit, so a loose piece never costs him a grand entry
- Ask the registrar to confirm that his number was logged at every grand entry before the final totals are read out
Ready-made event templates that include So. Straight
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 | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Is So. Straight judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Male, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What does “So.” stand for in So. Straight?
Southern. The source lists Southern Straight beside Northern Traditional in the men’s programme for ages 18 to 39, and the template keeps them as two separate items.
Is So. Straight the same as No. Traditional?
No. They are two different men’s lists in the same 18 to 39 band, each with its own entrants and placings. A man enters one or the other, never both, because the rules allow one category per contestant.
Where do younger and older men dance?
Not in this item. Boys under 18 enter the plain Traditional item, and from the Senior band upward the source merges the Northern and Southern classes into one, which the template carries as a separate item.
Can a dancer change class after he has registered?
Not at the powwow the template follows. Contestants enter one category only and cannot switch once registered, so the list should be settled 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.
Try So. Straight in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs So. Straight, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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