Hoop Dancing: Storytelling and Healing

Today was the final day of the annual World Hoop Dance Championship at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Performers from all over America came to Arizona to compete. I thought I would take the chance to describe the history of this story telling dance and show you some photos I took at the event. The video footage I took should prove useful in my short video presentation of my research in May. As I attempt to master editing skills, I will show you clips!

A performer creating an animal with hoops

A rare window into the ceremonies and traditions of Native Americans, the origins of hoop dancing is unknown, but thought to have been created by the Taos Pueblo people of northern New Mexico by scholars.

One story (according to Basil H. Johnston) says that Pukawiss of the Manitou created the hoop dance. Unlike other boys who enjoyed hunting, Pukawiss preferred to watch the movements of animals, believing that animals could teach humans many lessons about life. Using the dance, he taught his village the ways and values of animals like loyalty and kindness.

A performer's head dress made of deer hairs, porcupines spines, and  three eagle  feathers

Regardless who the true inventor was, for all Native Americans, the hoop represents the circle of life, day and night, winter and summer, male and female. There are two types of dancing, the intertribal competitive dances and the private healing dances to return balance and harmony in the world.

Performers dance to the beat of chanting and drums while manipulating from four to up to fifty hoops around their bodies to tell a story and create images of eagles, butterflies, coyotes and other animals in 

the process.

A performer juggling an impressive number of hoops

I have to say it is incredibly beautiful to watch and clearly takes true dexterity and strength. The dancers in the World Championship had four minutes to perform their unique interpretation and were judged on precision, rhythm, showmanship, creativeness and speed.

Me trying to capture the moment
    

CG