Life

This Native Hoop Dancer Got Skills!

When it comes to honoring Native American traditional dance and Hip Hop, Patrick Willie does it all beautifully! Hoop dancing is a form of expression that takes practice from a very young age. The colors and skill to weave hoops together using all body parts is usually one of the most anticipated things to watch at Pow Wows.

Many forms of multiple hoop interlocks depict animal transformations like the eagle and horse. The dancer moves in and out of shapes all while keeping the beat of the drum through out his or her body.

Patrick Willie is apart the Navajo tribe and currently resides in Orem, Utah. He is currently 26 years of age and a senior at Utah Valley University studying Mathematics.

Mr Willie said, “I learned how to Hoop Dance when I was 8 years old from Carl Moore, I only danced for about a year or two then stopped. Later on in life I saw Eric Hernandez dance in Salt Lake City (about 4 years ago) and that was the spark to reignite my love for the dance, he amazed me.” He also noted, “After that I reached out to a family friend to make me a set of hoops and I took off from there.”

Patrick Willie performs around the country and recently created this video displaying his source of expression. BIG UPS BROTHER!

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