snake dance

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noun

a ceremonial dance of the American Indian in which snakes or representations of snakes are handled or imitated by the dancers.

a parade or procession, especially in celebration of a sports victory, in which the participants weave in single file in a serpentine course.

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Origin of snake dance

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

Words nearby snake dance

snakebit, snakebite, snakebite remedy, snakeblenny, snake charmer, snake dance, snake doctor, snake eyes, snake feeder, snake fence, snakefish

Other definitions for snake dance (2 of 2)

snake-dance

[ sneyk-dans, -dahns ]

/ ˈsneɪkˌdæns, -ˌdɑns /

verb (used without object), snake-danced, snake-danc·ing.

to perform a snake dance.

Origin of snake-dance

First recorded in 1880–85

How to use snake dance in a sentence

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is a different sound for you.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Twelve-year-old dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler has suffered the wrath of Dance Moms tyrant Abby Lee Miller.
See Burly Shia LaBeouf Interpretive Cage Fight Lil Sia in the Singer’s Fantastic New Music Video|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And with the dance sequence, we wanted something very physical.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“My dance instructor always says she earns most of her income from private teaching,” says Monir.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Even for Arabic dance no one wears a long dress, just a scarf around the hips.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The moon seemed to smile on him; the aurora appeared to dance with unwonted vigour, as if in glee; the very stars winked at him!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Dance-giving mammas were anxious to secure the success of their entertainments by obtaining the presence of "lovely Mrs. Haggard."
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He heard Mohammedans alluding to a Brahmin as a leader—so might a wolf and a snake make common alliance against a watch dog.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Aristide picked it up and began to dance and shake his fist at the invisible police.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The first curtsey I remember receiving, except of course in the stately ceremonies of the dance.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for snake dance

snake dance

noun

a ceremonial dance, performed by the priests of the American Hopi Indians, in which live snakes are held in the mouth

the swaying movements of snakes responding to a snake charmer
a Hindu dance in which performers imitate such snake movements

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012