No Dakota Pipeline, Idle No More, and The Ghost Dance of 1890: Acts of Native Resistance

Many narratives of the 1890’s Ghost Dance tell stories of loss and destruction. But contemporary acts of Native resistance show that the Ghost Dance continues – in the occupation of Alcatraz, the Wounded Knee occupation, Idle No More and No Dakota Pipeline protests. Contemporary protests show the resurgence and revitalization of Native American cultures and the engaged resistance that points toward Indigenous regeneration and renewal. Thus, each protest is not an endpoint but rather an event in a circular chain of time that signals the endurance and survivance of Native Americans.

Robin Raven Prichard is a scholar/artist working between the worlds of contemporary Western dance and Indigenous dance. In her First Act, she danced throughout the U.S and Australia for award-winning choreographers, Opera Australia, and created her own award-winning choreography. In her Second Act, she was a professor of dance for two decades at universities in the U.S. and Australia. She has won two Fulbright Fellowships (2002 and 2023) to research Indigenous dance in Australia and New Zealand. She publishes regularly on dance education and history; in 2023, three books in which she contributed book chapters won national book awards. She is considered the wittiest choreographer of her generation by at least 3 or 4 people.

The event is hybrid. This is an RSVP event - please RSVP, whether you are planning to attend in-person or virtually. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.