Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest

Artistry, sheer athleticism, cultural traditions

On February 8 & 9, 2020, top American Indian and Canadian First Nations hoop dancers will compete at the Heard Museum for the prestigious World Champion title and cash prizes. At the two-day competition, men and women compete on an equal field.

The art of hoop dance honors the cultural traditions from multiple Indigenous communities that first employed hoop dance as a healing ceremony. Today, hoop dance is shared as an artistic expression to celebrate, share and honor Indigenous traditions throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Over the years, the art of hoop dance has grown, incorporating new and creative designs and intricate footwork while still respecting the fundamentals of hoop dance, a form of tribal dance that sets itself apart. Each dancer presents his or her own variation of the intertribal hoop dance, weaving in aspects of tradition and culture. Individual routines use as few as four to as many as 50 hoops, which are manipulated to create a variety of designs including animals, insects, and globes.

Dancers are judged on a slate of five skills: precision, timing/rhythm, showmanship, creativity and speed. Contestants compete in one of five divisions: Tiny Tots (age 5 and younger), Youth (6-12), Teen (13-17), Adult (18-39) and Senior (40 and older).

Through the stunning performances of both men and women who are vying to call themselves the World Champion Hoop Dancer, the event combines artistry, athleticism, tradition and suspense to present a memorable competition.

NOTE: Lawn seating only. Please bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on. This is an outdoor event, so please plan accordingly for the weather. Bottled water is the only beverage that may be brought into this event.

Contestant Information

Registration

Early registration has ended.

On-site registration will be available for $5.00 per dancer starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, Feb. 10 in Steele Auditorium. Blessing and rules review will follow at 9 a.m.

If you have not registered for previous Hoop Dance Championship Contests you will need to supply your tribal ID the day of the event or on your registration form.

For information on signing up to compete, please contact Dan Hagerty at dhagerty@heard.org.

Prizes

Youth	Teen	Adult	Senior
1st $350	1st $750	1st $3500	1st $2500
2nd $200	2nd $500	2nd $2500	2nd $2000
3rd $150	3rd $350	3rd $2000	3rd $1500
		4th $1500
		5th $1000
		6th $750

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2019 Winners

Adult (18-39)

World Adult Champion: Cody Boettner, #403 (Creek) – total points = 2, #403 (Creek) – total points = 234
2nd Place: Tyrese Jensen, #411 (Diné / Pima-Maricopa) – total points = 225
3rd Place: Sampson Sixkiller Sinquah, #409 (Hopi / Pima / Cherokee) – total points = 217
4th Place: Scott Sinquah, #408 (Hopi / Pima / Cherokee) – total points = 209
5th Place: Patrick Willie, #422 (Diné) – total points = 223
6th Place: Tony Duncan, #416 (San Carlos Apache / Arikara / Hidasta) – total points = 213

World Senior Champion: Lane Jensen, #502 (Diné / Maricopa) – total points = 214
Second Place: Terry Goedel, #501 (Yakama / Tulalip) – total points = 207
Third Place: Moontee Sinquah, #503 (Hopi / Tewa / Choctaw) – total points = 197

Teens (13-17)

World Teen Champion: Nanabah Kadenehii, #310 (Diné) – total points = 212
Second Place: Josiah Enriquez, #308 (Pueblo of Pojoaque) – total points = 209
Third Place: Nedallas Hammill, #322 (Diné / HoChunk) – total points = 190

Youth (6-12)

World Youth Champion: Kailayne Jensen, #217, (Diné / Maricopa) 229
Second Place: Rito “RJ” Lopez, #228, (Pima / Apache / Arikara / Hidasta) 201
Third Place: JaiP’o Harvier, #202 (Pueblo of Pojoaque / Santa Clara Pueblo) – total points = 176

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2019 Hoop Scoring Sheets – Adult Division – Final Scores
2019 Hoop Scoring Sheets – Senior Division – Final Scores
2019 Hoop Scoring Sheets – Teen Division – Final Scores
2019 Hoop Scoring Sheets – Youth Division – Final Scores

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