“Summer Dance!” Program Presents Cultural Expression Through Movement

Visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian can soon experience traditional Hoop Dancing by Ty Defoe (Oneida/Ojibwe), a talented performer who incorporates Native stories, flute demonstrations and vocal songs in his cultural presentations. During the month of July, the museum’s “Summer Dance!” program hosts Defoe each week of the month Tuesday through Thursday in the Diker Pavilion for Native Arts and Cultures. Performance dates are July 7–9, 14–16, 21–23 and 28–30 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. Admission is free.

“Ty is a very accomplished dancer who has performed at the museum on many occasions,” said Shawn Termin, museum cultural arts manager. “One reason that we really enjoy bringing him here is that he involves the audience during the presentation, and it becomes a very special educational moment.”

Against the backdrop of the exhibition, “Circle of Dance,” a celebrated collection of dance regalia from across the Americas, Defoe engages audiences in discussions of Native American cultures and leads them through performances of indigenous instruments. His Hoop Dance is in the tradition of the Anishinaabe and Six Nations. The dance brings with it a message of beauty, and the Hoops serve as symbols of interdependence and unity.

“We each have gifts to share with the world around us,” said Defoe. “Our individual gifts help to shape the world as well as to sustain it, and through our individuality, together we strengthen each others’ lives. The gifts meld our individuality into a strengthened whole.”

Defoe, whose spirit name is Giizhig, sang on the Grammy Award winning album, Come to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs. He is a cultural pioneer, writer and musician and holds degrees from California Institute of the Arts, Goddard College and New York University’s Musical Theatre Writing Program at Tisch School of the Arts.

For additional information about the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, visit www.AmericanIndian.si.edu. Follow the museum via social media on Facebook, Twitter (@AmerIndianNYC) and Instagram (@Smithsonian_NMAINY) and join the conversation using the hashtags #SummerDance and #TyDefoe.

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SI-320-2015