This week, the PS-6th grades have the opportunity to work with South Dakota Arts Council Artist in Residence, Dallas Chief Eagle II. Dallas Chief Eagle II is a K-12 art teacher with a master’s degree in guidance counseling and personnel services. A recognized master of the Lakota hoop dance, Chief Eagle has worked as an artist-in-residence and mentor to other dancers through his Hoop Dance Society on the Pine Ridge Reservation. A member of the Rosebud Lakota nation, Chief Eagle shares and teaches the traditional hoop dance in a manner that the students enjoy while learning about the development of their own characters.
Over 300 hoops are used in a residency, which focuses on self-balance, rhythm and movement. The residency will conclude with a school assembly on Friday, April 16 during which the students will demonstrate the skills they have acquired throughout the week.