PHOENIX, Ariz. – A chorus of voices and the echo of drums engulfed the sunbathed amphitheater at the Heard Museum this month as dancers from American Indian and Canadian First Nations gathered for the 28th Annual World Championship Hoop Dancing Contest.
The dances emerged from tribal healing ceremonies. Now, hoop dancing has grown from its traditional roots into a broader and more public celebration. Individual dancers manipulate colorful hoops with their bodies – often transforming as few as four to as many as 50 hoops into designs coordinated with intricate footwork set to the rhythm of drums and voices. Judges calculate scores based on precision, timing, showmanship, creativity and speed.
Participants in every division – Tiny-Tot, Youth, Teen, Adult and Senior – participate in the Grand Entry to commence the 28th Annual World Championship Hoop Dancing Contest at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Competitors from 36 American Indian and Canadian First Nations gathered for this year’s contest. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Competitors in the Tiny-Tot division all danced together. The youngest participant was 1 years old. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Members of the Southern Drum provide the rhythm, singing and accompaniment for the dancers at this year’s contest. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Apaolo Benally, of the Diné (Navajo) Tribe, takes some time on the grassy knoll to prepare for his hoop dancing routine. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Some 5,000 people attended the two-day competition on Feb. 9 and 10. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Kwan Jemu Lopez, of the Pojoaque Pueblo Tribe, mingles with Ella Bearsheart, of the Sioux Tribe, on the contest sidelines. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Reigning Youth Division champion, Kailayne Jensen of the Navajo and Maricopa Tribes, dances her routine. Kailayne successfully defended her title in this year’s competition. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Apaolo Benally executes his routine before a crowded field of spectators. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Rito Lopez Jr., of the Pima, Apache, Mandan, Arikara and Hidatsa tribes works numerous hoops into his routine. Hoop Dancers use as few as four to as many as 50 hoops for their dances. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Rito Lopez Jr. walks out of the competition ring following his routine. He earned second place in the Youth Division. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Jolene Vigio, director of the Pojoaque Pueblo dancers, brought 10 tribal youth to compete in this year’s competition. They first began competing in 2013 and their members start dancing at five or six years old. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Mersais Sanchez, one of the 10 dancers from the Pojoaque Pueblo Tribe, races the clock as she executes her routine. Judges calculate their scores based on precision, timing, showpersonship, creativity and speed. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Aubrianna Talachy of the Pojoaque Pueblo tribe leaps into a backflip during her hoop dance routine. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
Loud applause greets the finale of Talachy’s routine. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
This year’s competition drew dancers from 36 nations and 5,000 spectators over the course of two days. Dancers from age one to 62 competed in five categories – Tiny-Tot, Youth, Teen, Adult and Senior.
“The best part about the annual competition is the reunion with the contestants each year,” Shaliyah Ben, Director of Public Programing at the Heard Museum said. “We’ve all sort of formed an extended family, a hoop family. It’s so nice to see the youth contestants grow up and advance to the teen and adult divisions.”
Reigning Youth Division champion, Kailayne Jensen of the Navajo and Maricopa Tribes, successfully defended her title in this year’s competition. Her brother Tyrese Jensen earned third place in the Adult Division while her father, Lane Jensen, took first in the Senior Division. Other champions include Nakota LaRance of the Hopi-Tewa and Assiniboine tribes in the Adult Division and Ascension Harjo of the Mohawk, Kickapoo and Seminole tribes in the Teen Division.
“The interest [for the Championship] has always been there,” Ben said. “What has been interesting has been to watch the growth in interest and respect for the tradition of hoop dancing. I think that people like seeing that this is an intergenerational and family event.”
Photo at top: Reigning Youth Division champion, Kailayne Jensen of the Navajo and Maricopa Tribes, dances her routine. Kailayne successfully defended her title in this year’s competition. (Nathan Ouellette/MEDILL)
