News & Events 2002-2003

Kevin Locke, Lakota Dancer and Musician Performs at Blair

Blair Academy’s Bartow Series presented Kevin Locke, Lakota dancer and musician, on Thursday, January 16th. Kevin Locke (Tokeya Inajin is his Lakota name, meaning “The First to Arise”) is known throughout the world as the pre-eminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, as well as an inspiring hoop dancer, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador and educator.

For his Blair audience he spoke, sang and danced, allowing at one point for students to try out the hoops for themselves. For Kevin, the Hoop Dance reflects the unity of humankind and is a physical metaphor for the process of regeneration which we undergo as one species within a planetary field of Life. The hoops represent Unity, while their four colors — black, red, yellow and white — represent the four human races, the four directions, four seasons, four winds and more. At the dance’s conclusion, all 28 hoops are interlocked in a spherical union illustrating the interdependence we all share and cannot truly live without.

Touring for two decades, Kevin has performed in more nearly 80 countries, sharing his high vision of balance, joy and diversity. Since 1980, he has served as a cultural ambassador for the United States Information Service. Deeply committed to the conservation of Earth’s resources for future generations, Kevin was a delegate to the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil and a featured performer and speaker at the 1996 United Nations Habitat II Conference in Turkey. “All of the people have the same impulses, spirit and goals,” reflects Kevin. “Through my music and dance, I want to create a positive awareness of the Oneness of humanity.”

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