- 303 Haggar College Center
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579 - Director of Media Relations
Gwen O'Brien
gobrien@saintmarys.edu
Saint Mary’s Brings Native American Dance to Area
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Mary’s Brings Native American Dance to Area
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579
October 14, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary's College is pleased to bring Native American dance to the South Bend area this fall with a performance by The Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble. The event will take place at O’Laughlin Auditorium on Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m.
The program, which celebrates American Indian traditions, both educates and entertains through dance, instrumentals, song, storytelling, sign language and audience interaction. The ensemble is made up of award winning performers whose dance and heritage represents the Plains nations of Lakota, Anishinabe, and Comanche, the Southeastern tribe Choctaw, and the Woodlands Nations of Ojibwe and Oneida. The Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble has been performing together for more than five years. Locke himself has toured for over two decades, performing and lecturing in more than eighty countries.
Kevin Locke (Tokeya Inajin is his Lakota name, meaning “The First to Arise”) is known throughout the world as the pre-eminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, as well as an inspiring hoop dancer, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador and educator. Locke, who lives in Wakpala, South Dakota, is Lakota and Anishinabe. His special joy is working with children on the reservations to ensure the survival and growth of indigenous culture. Locke says it is his goal “to raise awareness of the oneness we share as human beings.” His belief in the unity of human kind is expressed dramatically in the traditional hoop dance, which illustrates “the roles and responsibilities that all human beings have within the hoops (or circles) of life.”
In 1990, Locke was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which recognized him as a “Master Traditional Artist who has contributed to the shaping of our artistic traditions and to preserving the cultural diversity of the United States.” On October 3, Locke won Record of the Year in the 11th Annual Native American Music Awards (NAMA) for his album Earth Gift. Earlier this year he received the Bush Foundation's prestigious $100,000 Enduring Visions Award. The Enduring Vision Award is awarded annually to up to three artists with at least 25 years experience in their craft to give recipients the opportunity to experiment and expound on their current works.
Admission prices are as follows: Adult-$12, Senior Citizen-$10, SMC/ND/HCC Faculty/Staff-$8, SMC/ND/HCC Student-$5. To order tickets online, click here.
For more information on The Kevin Locke Ensemble, click here.
For more information on the Bush Foundation’s 2009 Enduring Vision Award, click here.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
