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The Cherokee Heritage Center presents the "Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre" Saturday May 25th at 8:00 p.m. at the Tsa La Gi Amphitheater. General Admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. Guests are invited to attend a pre-concert lecture before the show starting at 7:00 p.m.

Sit under the stars in the beautiful and peaceful setting of the Tsa La Gi Amphitheater and enjoy this dynamic performance. The group will perform Cocata Up! "Come to the Center," a three part evening length work which celebrates the culture of the Lakota people. Set against a backdrop of spectacular video imagery, the dancers will tell their story accompanied by live traditional, sacred and courting songs. The performance is imbued with a sense of unity, conveying the message that people, earth and spirit are one.

The Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre was founded on the Rosebud Reservation is South Dakota in 1978. Henry Smith, the Artistic Director, worked closely with Sioux leaders who helped him decide what dances to perform and how to present them to both Indian and non-tribal audiences. He developed the dance group with the support of traditional Lakota Indian educators, healers, community leaders, championship pow-wow dancers, singers and storytellers. The company's work creates the opportunity for people of all ages to experience the holistic worldview of the Lakota Sioux through their performance.

Part of the texture of Smith's approach to dance and movement derives from the circular motion of aikido, in which he holds a fifth degree black belt. This experience brings to the show an intensity of movement that is refreshing and unique. His is a dance of awesome muscularity that leaves you amazed.

This presentation communicates not only the powerful resonance of Dance in every aspect of the Plains Indian Society, but also conveys the importance of song as living history and oral tradition. Dance and song, together with storytelling and original videos that highlight special events in contemporary Indian history serve to reinterpret Lakota legend, myth and spirituality - to create a rich appreciation of the Lakota Sioux culture.

If you enjoy cultural diversity and are willing to be taken from your daily routine to a different, more beautiful place, come experience these singers and dancers. Challenge yourself to use art as a means to view your world - to filter through voices of fear and ignorance and arrive at simplicity. The music will overwhelm you, the clothing will intoxicate you, and the dancing will inspire you.

This performance is sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on this, or our other performances at the Tsa La Gi Amphitheater, please contact us, phone: 918-456-6007 and visit Cherokee Heritage Center on the web.

* Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theater was founded in 1978 on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with the support of traditional Lakota Indian educators, healers, community leaders, championship powwow dancers, singers and storytellers. The company's work creates the opportunity for people of all ages to experience the holistic worldview of the Lakota Sioux through performance, educational outreach, an original broadcast television programs. Artistic director Henry Smith's collaborations on the Lakota Sioux project include the late Ben Black Bear, Sr. and Lloyd One Star, as well as some of the most highly acclaimed performers of the Sioux Nation, who also serve as cultural and spiritual leaders in their communities.