The Sun Dance is a sacred ceremony still performed by some Canadian and US Native American communities. The ritual lasts for several days, all under the supervision of the tribe’s shaman. Typically, it begins with the participants going to a “sweat lodge”, which is much like a sauna but involves spiritual practices. Then, the dancers get their bodies painted before circling the Sun Dance pole to the music of chants and drums. Anthropologists and neuroscientists have shown that such monotonous rhythms can induce trances, which highlights the other-worldly nature of the practice. The Sun Dance doesn’t only serve to celebrate our star, it’s also the occasion on which young warriors are “tested” before being sent to battle. This explains why in some communities, the ceremony involves the laceration of skin. After the three or four day long dance (and fasting), the warriors get bathed, fed and invited to smoke a sacred pipe in honour of the Sun, which is understood as a manifestation of the Great Spirit.

 

 

 

The Moonwalk is a modern street dance move, popularized notably by Michael Jackson in his performance of “Billie Jean”. It’s named like that because it looks like someone effortlessly walking on the Moon, where gravity is 6 times weaker than it is on Earth.