A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing Kevin Locke perform at the local Arts Center. Kevin Locke is a Native American from the Lakota Nation and an amazing performer. Native American hoop dance is much different from the type of dance in which I participate. The hoops are much smaller, generally made of reed or wood, and Kevin uses 28 hoops; each one representing a day in the lunar cycle. The symbolism in the dance is continuous with each new hoop and movement. He brings the hoops to life as he dances into forms, appearing as a butterfly, the earth, the moon, an eagle soaring, all with fluidity and grace. When he speaks, he speaks of peace, of diversity and of all of us being in unity with one another. His speech and dance reflect each other. One can see the unity of all creation in his dance...how each hoop is interlinked with the other and each form he creates is dependent on each different hoop...similarly we, each human, each living being, is reliant on one another even if we do not see the connection.
Hooping in its many forms has been around for thousands of years. In fact, according to Wikapedia, hooping's first origins date back to ancient Egypt as early as 1000 BC. Through many cultures, in many forms it has been a form of play, expression, dance, communication and so much more. Kevin Locke's performance gave me one more beautiful way to engage with this sacred circle. His message was clear and perfect. WE ARE ONE, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED, BE PEACE.
His words, his dance were a gift to me. I offer great thanks to him and others like him.
Click the link below to watch a video of Kevin Locke performing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_gtJDvU0QY
No comments:
Post a Comment