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Christopher Lomahquahu
ICT
PHOENIX — Indigenous performers showcased their talent at the 33rd annual World Hoop Dance contest held at the Heard Museum in Phoenix on Feb. 17-18. The springtime event has a tradition of drawing large crowds to watch hoop dance competitors demonstrate their talents from all over Indian Country.
Josiah Enriquez, Pueblo of Pojoaque, Navajo, Isleta Pueblo, came away with the top prize in the adult category, after two-days of performances. Overall, the event hosted 115 competitors ranging from 1-year-old to 68 years of age, from as far as 2,903 miles away.
“Hoop dance contests are basically a big family reunion — it’s the way I like to see it because everybody knows each other,” said Enriquez, reflecting on this year’s hoop dance competition.
He said, “The vibe of being there and seeing my family and the people that supported me through all of it — even to this day right now. It still feels really surreal.” Enriquez, who has been hoop dancing for 13 years said a lot of preparation went into the competition, which took place in front of a record crowd of 7,500 visitors.
Around the arena, the host southern drum group represented by the Cozad Singers, Kiowa and Comanche, provided their voices along with the northern drum group Thunder Boy Singers, Hopi. The drum groups have been a cornerstone of the event, lending their voices of both southern and northern style signing throughout the event.
The event is also a chance for local businesses to get in on the action, with food and beverage vendors on hand like Sko-Den Coffee and Emerson Fry Bread, serving up their own brand of Indigenou food and beverages.
“I performed in front of big crowds and you know, kind of used to it because I’ve been doing it for you know, I’ve been competing at the Heard for a pretty long time, but you have to be mentally prepared and stay calm while you’re under pressure,” said Enriquez.
Adding to the intensity of the competition, it was also the first time that the adult category would come down to a tie breaker. Enriquez was surprised by the turn of events, because it was his final dance of the competition, but after the scores were tallied between him and another competitor, Talon Duncan, the title would be decided in one more final round.
“I’ve trained consistently for a very long time for this exact, you know, moment because you have to be prepared for everything. We were the only ones to dance four times throughout the weekend,” said Enriquez.
A hoop dance history
The history of hoop dancing goes back more than 30 years, which has built a large number of participants that take part each year. For dancers like Enriquez, this hoop dancing embodies their way of life and the lives of those who have passed on.
“When I first got introduced to hoop dancing, I didn’t want to do it, believe it or not,” said Enriquez who was first introduced to the form of dance by well-known hoop dancer Nakotah LaRance, who put on a workshop at the nearby Boys & Girls Club.
LaRance set a reputation for himself within the hoop dancing community and taught his passion to the youth in New Mexico. Enriquez’s first encounter with hoop dancing took his interest beyond the workshop and would form a kinship with LaRance.
Another participant, ShanDien Sonwai LaRance, Hopi, Assiniboine, Tewa of Ohkay Owingeh and Navajo, took part in the competition and talked about her start in hoop dancing “I started hoop dancing. When I was about eight years old. I was taught by my older brother Nakotah LaRance, who was a nine time world champion hoop dancer,” said Sonwai.
She said her entry into hoop dancing was a family activity, learning how to dance along with her younger brother Cree LaRance.. What grew from a childhood fascination with hoop dancing has provided Sonwai with an opportunity to teach the youth how to hoop dance.
The Lightning Boy Foundation was formed in memory of Valentino ‘Tzigiwhaeno’ Rivera, a cousin of Enriquez who passed away at eight years old in a car accident in 2016, by his mother Felicia Rosacker-Rivera, including artisans and performers Steve LaRance, Hopi, Assiniboine, with Nakotah LaRance.
Enriquez said the foundation is indicative of Rivera’s natural talent to dance both in hoop dance and traditional pueblo dances and the name Lightning is a translation of “Tzigiwhaeno.”
“I did it to hang out with my brothers, but also to be a part of the community and the culture. But I, you know, right now I’m an instructor,” said Sonwai, who also is part of the Lightning Boy Foundation along with Enriquez. “It’s awesome to see the young kids go through their experiences, you know, learning from live performance and all that because I went through all that as a young person.”
The regalia Enriquez wore during the hoop dance competition was also created by Sonwai, who incorporated colors from the medicine wheel. She said it was fun being creative with the design of Enriquez’s regalia.
The preparation
The level of intensity hoop dancers go through requires plenty of physical preparation before each competition. For Enriquez, his regime involves putting down plenty of miles running in order to build the stamina to carry him through each performance.
Sonwai said her physical training has carried over from the time that she was with Cirque du Soleil with her brother Nakotah. “Being in Cirque Du Soleil, I was constantly training my body, constantly training my skills, you know, I was doing 10 shows a week, six days a week and it was just really so hardcore on the body — It’s just constant drilling, drilling, drilling,” said Sonwaii.
She said that hoop dancing is a form of healing ceremony and that as you grow over time a person can feel the body and mind start to come into balance. Sonwai added that hoop dancing and running, which has been a staple among Indigenous people, is like medicine that connects with her cultural identity.
The hoop dance competition has been a hallmark of the Heard Museum.
“When I would perform at Cirque du Soleil, people would come to me, and they’d be like, ‘wow, you know, native people and native culture, we didn’t know that it still existed anymore.’ I feel like it has opened a lot of doors to be a native Ambassador out there in the world,” said Sonwai.
Looking back on the world hoop dance competition in February, Enriquez said it was an amazing experience to dance alongside the other contestants, because they all put their heart into the competition, including Duncan, who put everything into the last round to determine the winner.
He said everyone looks to each other for support, which sets hoop dance apart from other events that maintain a competitive mindset. “We haven’t seen each other in a very long time, so we’re all trying to touch base to see how everybody’s been doing. I find that really cool, it’s honestly a really friendly community and a very loving community,” said Enriquez.
“I see that every year, they’re a little bit stronger, or they’re a little bit faster or they’re a little bit more fierce,” said Sonwai, who only sees the hoop dance community growing as youth get involved in the activity. “I’m really happy because I have about eight to nine female youth hoops, hoop dance students that I teach.”
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