Cycles of Nature
DANCE MAGAZINE —
July 2003
NEW YORK NOTEBOOK
Cycles of Nature: Thunderbird Indian Dancers at Theater for the New City
At the twenty-fourth annual powwow of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers at Theater for the New City, percussive footwork, colorful regalia, and wailing drum beats reigned. This year's gathering included two spokenword events, at which Matoaka Little Eagle expressed her sense of transformation from sharing the traditional dances. She spoke soulfully about the cycles of nature reflected in the dances. Whether it's the Thunder Dance of the Santo Domino/Pueblo people or the Corn Dance of the Iroquois, she said, Native dancers understand that "when they are at the end, they are also at the beginning." — TOM PEARSON