Larry Yazzie and Native Pride Dancers
Native American Fancy Dancer - Solo and Group
Native Pride Dancers Perform at the Jerash Festival, Jordan (July, 2012)
Bronitsky and Associates worked with the United States Embassy in Amman, Jordan, to bring Minnesota’s own Native Pride Dancers to Jordan perform as part of the annual Jerash Festival held on July 4-14, 2012. The Native Pride Dancers also spent part of their time performing in Madaba, the cultural capital for 2012, and in Aqaba at Revolutionary Yard, including an audience from Southern Jordan.
The Jerash Festival, Jordan's premier arts and cultural showcase, was held in July amongst the ancient ruins of Gerasa, one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East. The festival is the largest summer event and attracts audiences from all over Jordan and from many other countries.
Two-time World Champion Fancy Dancer and member of The Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa/Meskwaki. Larry Yazzie is the founder and Artistic Director for Native Pride Arts. His repertoire includes performances at the Olympics, The Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Institute. Larry has performed all over the world and won many awards for his dancing. As an international lecturer, dancer, and educator, he has earned the reputation for being one of the nation’s leading experts on Native American dance. In May, 2010 he and his son Jessup were the sole U.S. performers invited for performances and workshops throughout northern France.
He founded Native Pride Arts to give back to his community and to the world. By sharing life stories through music, dance and storytelling, we nurture meaningful communication among all people. Larry’s goal is to share cultural traditions through artist-in-residency performances, workshops, lectures, classroom instruction and performances enhancing access to diverse, multicultural artists for people of all ages and backgrounds. His warm, enthusiastic spirit truly reflects the beauty of Indigenous people. Following the tradition of his elders, he is giving back enriching the lives of First Nations for generations to come.
Click here to see a clip of their performance from the US embassy in Amman.
Larry
Yazzie (Meskwaki/Dine) is an International Lecturer, Educator,
Performer, and a World Champion Fancy Dancer. Raised on the Meskwaki
Indian Settlement in Central Iowa, he began dancing at the age of 7.
Throughout his childhood Larry was instructed on the traditions of
the Meskwaki People, including the flamboyant and energetic fancy
dance and the northern Plains style of singing.
As a dancer and singer, Larry has performed throughout North America as well as South America and Europe. His current solo show, “Native Pride Dancer,” balances entertainment with education and features the high-energy Fancy Dance. Larry performs this show for a variety of audiences from K-12 to colleges and universities, to corporate gatherings and community festivals. Notable performances include at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, the 1999 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and most recently in 2005 at the Belo Horizante International Cultural Festival in Belo Horizante, Brazil. Larry and his seven year-old son Jessup were also seen performing in the 2005 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Since the 1980s Larry has performed with several notable performance companies, including the Woodland Singers and Dancers, the Discover Native American Dance Troupe, Lakota Dance Troupe, Foxwoods Dance Troupe, and the Kevin Locke Trio. Recently, while still continuing his successful solo show and duo show with his Jessup, he formed his own company, the Native Pride Dancers. Also, Larry is a member of the American Indian Committee on the Ordway Theater's Cultural Advisory Council.
Formed in 2003 and directed by Larry Yazzie, the NATIVE PRIDE DANCERS strive to educate and entertain audiences of all ages throughout the world on the beauty, skill, and majesty of American Indian music and dance. The NATIVE PRIDE DANCERS offer a variety of performance types, from solo to large ensemble productions designed for classrooms as well as theaters.
Larry performs with his son Jessup as well as with the Native Pride Dancers - they offer school, festival and concert performances both indoors and outdoors. Larry also offers lectures, workshops and demonstrations - for more information please click here.
