(Past) Native Spirit

Native Spirit, a Native American entertainment company based in Benton WI, will provide an evening of cultural dance performance. This event is scheduled for Thursday, May 4 at the Brodbeck Concert Hall on the UW-Platteville campus. The performance begins at 7 PM and will last about an hour. Admission is free. The public is invited. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Among the highlights will be a performance of a Hoop Dance by Nedallas Hammill. Nedallas is the 2020 Teen World Champion Hoop Dancer. More recently he finished in the Top 10 at the World Champion Hoop Dance Competition 2023, in the Adult Division. He also performed in Arizona during this year’s Super Bowl Weekend. Nedallas is a member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation. He has been performing since he was 3-years old. He is a Business major at UW-Platteville.

The free event is made possible through a grant from the Menard’s Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (MCSII). Dr. Robert Snyder, Professor of Communication, is the grant recipient. According to the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Dr. Snyder’s grant is the first gifted grant in the history of the university. The grant is reflective of Dr. Snyder’s career-long commitment to civil liberties as both an educator and as a scholar.

According to the Native Spirt web site, Native Spirit specializes in musical, cultural dance performances, and artisans. Native Spirit was formed by Brian Hammill in 1997 as a way to share native culture and dance with various people from all across the United States as well as overseas. Through their unique style of education and humor, Native Spirit is able to enrich the lives of those people that they encounter.