DALLAS ARCAND RECAPTURES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT 22nd ANNUAL HEARD MUSEUM HOOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
PHOENIX, Ariz. — In a stunning comeback, 2006/2007 World Hoop Dance Champion Dallas Arcand (Cree) of Calgary, Alb., Canada reclaimed his title at the 22nd Annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest. An estimated audience of 7,000 came to cheer on one or more of their favorites from a roster of 56 hoop dancers from the U.S. and Canada. The Jay Kahn Memorial Fund sponsors the teen competition prizes and the Arizona Commission on the Arts is a supporter of the contest.
Arcand had been absent from the competition for a few years, so his return was welcomed by many. He triumphed over the 2011 champion, Tony Duncan of Mesa, Ariz. (San Carlos Apache/Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara), who took third place as well as another former champion, Alex Wells (Salish/Lil’ Wat Nation) of Mount Currie, B. C., Canada. (Wells did not place in the finals this year) Longtime hoop dance favorite Lane Jensen (Navajo/Pima/Maricopa) of Dilkon, Ariz., scored second; former teen champion Jasmine Rae Pickner-Bell (Crow Creek Dakota) of Riverton, Wyo., too fourth place; another crowd favorite, Navajo dancer Lowery Begay of Jonesborough, Tenn., won fifth place; and rounding out the adult division was Michael Goedel (Lumbee/Yakima/Tulalip) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Three-time youth champion Tyrese Jensen, son of Lane Jensen, won his first teen division world championship over Talon Ree Duncan, Tony Duncan’s younger brother, and Vanessa Schocko (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa) of Peshawbestown, Mich.
Brian Hammill (Ho Chunk) of New River, Ariz., held onto his senior division title, with Moontee Sinquah (Hopi/Tewa) of Glendale, Ariz., taking second place and longtime hoop dancer Terry Goedel (Yakima/Tulalip), father of Michael Goedel winning third place.
In the youth division, Tiana Schocko, the younger sister of Vanessa Schocko, won the world title, while Nedallas Hammill (Navajo/Ho Chunk), the son of Brian Hammill, won second place and Jacob Cabarrubia (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians) from Manistee, Mich., took home a third place showing.
Hoop dancing incorporates speed and agility as dancers maneuver their bodies through one to more than 50 hoops. Dancers also integrate creative designs and difficult manipulations of the hoops to present a unique variation of the dance.
This year’s competition saw the introduction of new moves and no less than three tiebreaker dance-offs, in the adult, teen and senior categories. In recent years, as hoop dancers continue to refine and grow their routines, the points scored have climbed, and the point spreads for the adult division continue to grow smaller. Also, the Sixkiller family of Gila River Indian Community has pledged an extra $200 for the Tiny Tots division for the 2013 Hoop Dance in honor of their 57th anniversary.
The judges included: Jocy Bird (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara/Dakota), of Brookings, South Dakota; Victor Bob (Navajo), from Gallup, New Mexico; Kevin Connywerdy, Comanche, Norman, Oklahoma; Bruce LeClaire (Rosebud Sioux) from Durango, Colorado; and James Pheasant (Eastern Band of Cherokee) from Cherokee, North Carolina.
The 23rd Annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest will be held on Saturday & Sunday, February 9 & 10, 2013.
Complete Results:
Adult Division (18-39 years)
First Place: Dallas Arcand (Cree) Calgary, Alb., Canada
237 points $3,500
Second Place: Lane Jensen (Navajo/Pima/Maricopa) Dilkon, Ariz. 226 points $2,500
Third Place: Tony Duncan (San Carlos Apache/Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara)
Mesa, Ariz. 219 points $2,000
Fourth Place: Jasmine Rae Pickner-Bell (Crow Creek Dakota)
Riverton, Wyo. 213 points $1,500
Fifth Place: Lowery Begay (Navajo), Jonesborough, Tenn. 211 points $1,000
Sixth Place: Michael Goedel (Lumbee/Yakima/Tulalip) Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
203 points $750
Senior Division (40 years and older)
First Place: Brian Hammill (Ho Chunk) New River, Ariz. 224 points $2,000
Second Place: Moontee Sinquah (Hopi/Tewa) Glendale, Ariz. 225 points* $1,500
Third Place: Terry Goedel (Yakima/Tulalip) Rancho Cucamonga, CA 222 points* $1,000
Teen Division (13-17 years) Sponsored by the Jay Kahn Memorial Fund
First Place: Tyrese Jensen (Navajo/Pima/Maricopa) Dilkon, Ariz. 223 points $500
Second Place: Talon Ree Duncan (San Carlos Apache/Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara)
Mesa, Ariz. 220 points $250
Third Place: Vanessa Schocko (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa)
Peshawbestown, Mich. 201 points $100
Youth Division (6-12 years)
First Place: Tiana Schocko (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa)
Peshawbestown, Mich. 214 points $300
Nedallas Hammill (Navajo/Ho Chunk) New River, Ariz. 201 points $150
Jacob Cabarrubia (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians) Manistee, Mich. 177 points $75
Tiny Tots (5 years and under)
$200 cash prize to split among all contestants
*point total from dance-off to resolve tiebreaker
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WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, February 11 & 12, 2012
9:30 a.m. Grand Entry – Saturday and Sunday
Competition will end at approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Adult Division final round will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
WHERE: Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, Ariz.
COST: $15 general admission, $13.50 seniors (65+), $10 American Indians and Heard Museum members, $7.50 children 4-12, free for children under 4. Cost is per day and includes the event and museum admission.
INFO: Call 602.252.8848 or visit heard.org/hoop.
Registration: This contest is open to Native dancers only. Tribal enrollment card or CIB required.
Download the registration form here.
Download the official rules here.
For more information call 602.251.0212 or email Darian Begay.