Meskwaki Nation tribal member and world champion fancy dancer Larry Yazzie will be on hand at the Wieting Theatre on March 12 with the Native Pride Dancers for a performance and art show. – Photo provided

Colorful regalia, resounding drumming, and fancy footwork are part of the rich array of experiences at a Native American powwow. The Native Pride Dancers bring this excitement and artistry to audiences across the world, sharing their stories and teaching about the innovative blend of modern and traditional Native American dance styles featured in their performances.

The group will perform a special exhibition in Toledo on March 12 at the Wieting Theatre.

The event is free and open to the public. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. with an art show to take place ahead of time at the Wieting Theatre event center from 6-7 p.m.

Based in St. Paul Minnesota, the Native Pride Dancers are made up of cultural educators, musicians, dancers, and singers who are members of numerous tribal nations including Meskwaki, Navajo, Dakota, Lakota, Ojibwe, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Pueblo.

The group’s founder and artistic director is Larry Yazzie. A member of the Meskwaki Nation and a South Tama County alum, Yazzie is a world champion fancy dancer and will present fancy, men’s traditional and eagle dances during the performance.

The fancy dance originated in the 1950s, from the Ponca Nation in Oklahoma. Dancers make their outfits as colorful and brilliant as possible, and the dance requires fancy footsteps, quick acrobatics, and stamina. The best dancers are able to keep time to the extremely fast drumbeat and stop on the last beat of the drum.

The men’s northern traditional dance is credited to the Lakota, though many tribes have adapted some form of the Lakota version. Slower than the fancy dance, it depicts warriors preparing for battle, with the drummer using heavy strokes. The dancer carries an eagle feather fan and a staff and wears bells on his ankles.

Dedicated to veterans, the eagle dance simulates an eagle in flight. Each step represents a prayer, which eagles are believed to carry to the Creator, as well as the movement of an eagle’s majestic, powerful wings.

Father and son duo Sean Soukkala and Jason Soukkala of the Mille lacs Band of Ojibwe and descendants of the Fond du lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe will exhibit the Grass Dance.

The Grass Dance is said to be a blessing ceremony for new ground. The dancers trampled the ground to prepare for a village or ceremonial meeting, and grass was tied to the dancer. The fringe attached to the dancer’s regalia sways with the movement as if to inspire the natural movement of tall prairie grass.

This dance represents the balance of life; thus, the dancer performs the same movement on either the right or left. The regalia worn by the dancer is covered with yarn and ribbons that sway, and he wears a variety of colors.

To learn more visit www.nativeprideproductions.com