Review: American Indian Dance Theatre- "Dances from a Tribal Life"

I always believed that the beauty of Native American dance would translate well to a theatrical venue as opposed to being limited to only powwows. After witnessing the latest performance of the American Indian Dance Theatre, "Dances from a Tribal Life," my belief was confirmed. This two hour performance brought together the best of traditional Native American dance mixed with modern interpretations resulting in a very mesmerizing show.

The program featured a newly staged Honoring Ceremony, in which the company pays tribute to the elders who have passed on the traditional dances to the younger generations; an Eastern Woodlands Suite of social dances common to many tribes on the east coast of North America; an Eagle Dance suite from the Hopi and Zuni pueblos; as well as dances paying tribute to some of the animals and birds revered by many tribes, including the deer and the buffalo.

Principal dancers of the company also performed solo renditions of many powwow favorites including Grass Dances, Men's and Women's Traditional Dances, Men's Fancy Dances, Women's Fancy Shawl Dance and the Hoop Dance.

It was great to see these young dancers dressed in the finest regalia performing traditional dances but I think the highlight of the show was when they came on stage dressed in "street clothes" and performed more modern dances. It was a great way to highlight the fact that Native Americans are not simply relics in a museum or history book but are part of the present and continue to evolve and grow culturally.

My only complaint is that the drummers and singers were all off stage. Luckily I sat in one of the first few rows and was able to see the musicians backstage while they performed. But most of the attendees sitting further back didn't have this same opportunity. The drummers and singers are as important a part of the performance as the dancers thus relegating them to an off stage location missed an opportunity to make the show even better for the audience. I've seen other cultural dance performances ranging from Cambodian to South African and they always had the musicians on stage and it added greatly to the overall experience.

Overall this was a very enjoyable performance and highly recommened to all. For tour dates and other info visit:

http://www.americanindiandancetheatre.com/