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Iroquois Social Dances: The Life of Dance in the Dance of Life

In traditional communities of the Iroquois, more properly the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), introduction to dance comes at an early age. Expectant mothers participating in dance introduce the developing infant to the rhythmic movements and melodies. As newborns and infants, children are passed among proud, dancing relatives, accustoming them to the feeling of dance and the lifelong socialization process one embraces through it.

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