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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Heritage Center will host the Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre Saturday, May 25th at 8:00. The Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre is a Native American traditional dance group that will perform ''Come To The Center'', a story of culture of the Lakota people told through traditional dance against a backdrop of video imagery.

"This performance is imbued with a sense of unity, conveying the message that people, earth, and spirit are one", said Marilyn Craig, marketing director for the Cherokee Heritage Center.

Henry Smith founded the Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota in 1978. Smith, the artistic director, worked closely with Sioux leaders to decide which dances to perform and how to present them to both Indian and non-Indian audiences.

"The company’s work creates the opportunity for people of all ages to experience the holistic worldview of the Lakota Sioux through their performance", added Craig.

This presentation demonstrates the use of dance in every aspect of the Plains Indian society, and conveys the importance of song as living history and oral tradition to the Indian people. Song and dance, along with storytelling and original videos highlight special events in contemporary Indian history and serve to reinterpret Lakota legends, myths, and spirituality.

The Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts sponsor this performance at the Cherokee Heritage Center. For more information, contact the Cherokee Heritage Center, phone: 918-456-6007 and visit the Cherokee Heritage Center's web site.

* 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.