Native Pride Productions, December 4 through 9

Monday, December 4, through Saturday, December 9

Various Area Locales

Inviting audiences to feel the beat of the drum, experience the hypnotizing power of dance, and enjoy the rhythm of music, the gifted dancers and committed educators of Native Pride Productions enjoy a December 3 through 9 tenure as guests in Quad City Arts' Visiting Artists Series, the group's four public performances demonstrating and sharing the cultural history, traditions, ways, beliefs, and spiritual importance of indigenous peoples.

Larry Yazzie is the founder and artistic director of Native Pride Productions, which is based in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a two-time World Champion Fancy Dancer, Men’s Northern Traditional dancer, and Eagle Dancer. and grew up on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama, Iowa, where he learned the traditional ways of his ancestors. Yazzie founded Native Pride Productions to give back to his community and to the world, with the group's credits including performances at the Olympics, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Institute.

As an international lecturer, dancer, and educator, Yazzie also plays the flute and hand drum, and he sings as part of his repertoire. He has earned the reputation for being one of the nation’s leading experts on Native American dance and has received many accolades and awards that celebrate his work. As a solo singer, eagle dancer, and men’s fancy dancer, the artist has performed around the world, including in Japan, Australia, France, Ireland, Brazil, Guatemala, Republic of Moldova, and the Kingdom of Jordan. While sharing their captivating energy and enthusiasm, Native Pride Productions’ goal is to share cultural traditions through artist-in-residency workshops, performances, lectures, classroom instruction, and theatrical performances, enhancing access to diverse, multicultural artists for people of all ages and backgrounds. Yazzie's warm, enthusiastic spirit truly reflects the beauty of Indigenous people, and following the tradition of his elders, he is giving back, and enriching the lives of all audiences for generations to come.

During their area tenure as Quad City Arts Visiting Artists, the talents of Native Pride Productions will perform examples of numerous indigenous styles, among them the Men's Fancy Dance, the Women's Fancy Shawl Dance, the Hoop Dance, the Chicken Dance, the Grass Dance, and the Women's Jingle Dance. The company will deliver four public performances in Iowa between December 4 and 9: at the DeWitt Community Library (917 Fifth Avenue) on December 4 at 6 p.m.; at the Bettendorf Public Library (2950 Learning Campus Drive) on December 5 at 1 p.m.; in the Clinton Community College Library (1000 Lincoln Boulevard) on December 6 at 6 p.m.; and at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street) on December 9 at 7 p.m.

For more information on Native Pride Productions' area appearances and the Visiting Artists 2023-24 season, call (309)793-1213 and visit QuadCityArts.com.