Hanpa Luta (Red Moccasin) Dance Group to perform at Crazy Horse Memorial on June 4th
The Hanpa Luta (Red Moccasin) Dance Group will be providing a song and dance performance on Thursday, June 4th at 6 p.m. during the opening of the free Thursday Night Summer Performance & Lecture Series at Crazy Horse Memorial.
The performance will mark the start of the 2009 Summer Performance & Lecture Series and is the 13th year for the popular Performance & Lecture Series which began in 1996.
The Director of the Hanpa Luta (Red Moccasin) Dance Group is Belinda Joe, a Dakota Hunkpati and South Dakota Humanities Scholar. Belinda works at Rapid City Central High School with the performers who comprise the dance group. They also comprise the Native American Dance Club and demonstrate traditional Lakota/Dakota/Nakota hand games. The students consist of Dakota-Lakota students from Central High School and dancers from General Beadle Elementary School and Horace Mann Elementary Schools, all in Rapid City.
Belinda Joe and the students will recite a buffalo story that originates from Crow Creek Dakota Hunkpati homeland. In honor of the drum, they will also engage the audience in dance and energy movement within a circle. The group will conclude their performance with a song entitled Ol’ Great Eagle, which will also be interpreted through a sign language dance.
Belinda Joe is a traditional dancer and first generation Miss Crow Creek and her daughter Faylita Joe is a second generation Miss Crow Creek. Singer, Wayne Center is Oglala Lakota from Red Shirt, S.D. and was raised with song, drum, and the Lakota language. Wayne sings every Wednesday night at Woyantan Church, while teaching young people to sing and honor the drum. Harriett Jennesse, Dakota-Lakota, is grandmother to Cameron and Andria Johnson, Lakota. All three are dancers: Harriet is a traditional dancer; Cameron is a fancy shawl dancer who attends Horace Mann School and Andria is a jingle dress dancer. Corina Red Feather is a Lakota from Central High School and is a champion fancy shawl dancer. Two months ago she won the championship in Washington State. Corina is also a hat-n-boot dancer and recently took fourth place during the Crow Creek Wacipi. She is an excellent hand games player and co-captain of Hanpa Luta Hand Games Team at Central High School.
Three male dancers represent the Dakota-Dine’ tribal nations. J’von (Hepana’) Shields is the groups fancy bustle dancer. Jeremiah (Hepi’) Shields is the groups grass dancer. JoReese Shields is the groups youngest grass dancer.
There will be free admission to Crazy Horse Memorial for those attending the *free program; (*suggested donation of 3 cans of food per person for the KOTA Care & Share Food Drive). After the program please take the time to tour the complex and stay for the spectacular laser light show at dark.
On June 11th, the 2009 Summer Performance & Lecture Series will feature Melvin Miner who will provide a presentation entitled “Dakota/Lakota/Nakota Winter Counts in History”.