Dancing to the Native beat

It was a full house at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination when a Native American dance troupe gave a free performance there recently.
Native Nations Dance Theater (NNDT), an award-winning dance troupe with representatives from many of the Native American nations of the United States including Blackfeet, Cherokee, Delaware, Lakota and Seminole, was hosted by the US Embassy to commemorate Native American Heritage Month which is celebrated in November in the United States.The group shared their culture through word, music, dance and craft.
Troupe founder Vaughnda Hilton preceded each dance with a detailed explanation of its meaning.  Many of the intricate dances, such as the Crow Dance and the Prairie Chicken Dance, reflected the close relationship which America’s first people have always had with nature.
The elaborate feathered, beaded, fringed and belled costumes worn by the four performers added to the impact and drama of the performance. The audience was told before this dance that performers of the jingle dance sometimes wear costumes weighing as much as 30 pounds!The performance came to a lively conclusion as the dancers invited the audience to participate in the Round Dance, and dozens of adults and children joined in.