campus news & events

Colby-Sawyer College to Host American Indian World Champion Fancy Dancer, Singer and International Educator Larry Yazzie

NEW LONDON, N.H., Nov. 2, 2007 – Colby-Sawyer College will host a performance by American Indian world champion Fancy Dancer, singer and educator Larry Yazzie.

The presentation takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. in Wheeler Hall at the Ware Campus Center. Community members are invited to attend and admission is free.

Yazzie belongs to the Meskwaki tribe of central Iowa, where he learned the traditional flamboyant and energetic style of fancy dance and singing of the northern Plains. He began dancing at the age of seven and was dancing competitively by his early teens. He consistently takes top honors at American Indian powwows throughout the United States and Canada, and in 1995 won the world championship for the Northern Style Fancy Dance.

As a dancer and singer, Yazzie has performed throughout North America as well as South America and Europe. His current solo show, “Native Pride Dancer,” balances entertainment with education and features the high-energy Fancy Dance. He performs for a variety of audiences from K-12 to colleges and universities, to corporate gatherings and community festivals. Some of his most notable performances include the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, the 1999 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, where he performed with his seven-year-old son, Jessup.

“Through my dancing and singing, I experience a zone of free spirit, where everyday problems and worries are left behind,” says Yazzie. “As a performer, it makes me feel good to share this positive energy with other people. As I glide across the floor, I will be representing the manitus, the spirits of the animals present in my outfit, and most importantly, human beings, those who have come before and those who can no longer dance. I dance for them, and with them.”

For more information about Yazzie, visit his Web site at http://appserv.mnstate.edu/gooding/LarryYazzie/

To learn about other Colby-Sawyer College events visit: www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.

-Marc LeBourdais


Marc LeBourdais is an English major and currently works as an intern in College Communications at Colby-Sawyer College.

Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students from 25 states and five foreign countries learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.colby-sawyer.edu.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000