Nakotah LaRance

Nakotah Lomasohu Raymond LaRance (August 23, 1989 - July 12, 2020) was a Native American hoop dancer and actor.[1][2][3] He was a citizen of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona.[4]

Nakotah Lomasohu Raymond LaRance
Born(1989-08-23)August 23, 1989
Utqiagvik, Alaska, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2020(2020-07-12) (aged 30)
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, U.S.
OccupationDancer

Early life

LaRance was born on August 23, 1989, in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiagvik).[1] His parents were Marian Denipah, of Navajo and Tewa ancestry, and Steve LaRance, of Hopi and Assiniboine ancestry. He received the name “Lomasohu” by his paternal grandmother, which means "handsome star" in the Hopi language.

His parents were both jewelers and artists. He grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona,[1] and spent summers in Moencopi, Arizona, before moving to New Mexico.

Dancing career

At four years old, LaRance began dancing as a fancy dancer[5] and competed in the youth division of the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest in Phoenix, Arizona.[6] He performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2004.[1]

LaRance won three championships in the youth division and three in the teenage division of the World Championship Hoop Dance competition.[1]

In 2009, LaRance joined the Cirque du Soleil troupe as a principal dancer. He worked as a traveling performer with the troupe for over three years. In 2015, he danced at the opening of the Pan American Games in Toronto with Cirque du Soleil.[1][7]

He won the title of World Champion at the Hoop Dance Contest three times, as part of the adult division in 2015, 2016 and 2018.[1]

LaRance taught hoop dancing to students at the Lightning Boy Foundation in New Mexico.[8]

Death

LaRance died at age 30 on July 12, 2020, after a fall from climbing a bridge in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico.[1]

References
  1. Carmel, Julia (19 July 2020). "Nakotah LaRance, Acclaimed Native American Hoop Dancer, Dies at 30". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  2. "Florida Hoop Dancer Wins Title of World Champion at 29th-Annual Hoop Dance Contest". Red Lake Nation News. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. "Painting". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  4. Will Wilson. "Nakotah LaRance, Citizen of the Hopi Nation, 6-Time World Champion Hoop Dancer, Member, Dancing Earth, Indigenous Contemporary Dance Creations". Art Bridges. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  5. "Nakotah LaRance: Native American Hoop Dancing". Library of Congress. 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  6. "Dancing through hoops". The Baltimore Sun. 4 December 1994. p. 2A. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. Estus, Joaqlin (13 July 2020). "Nakotah LaRance: 'Fearless' performer, caring coach". Indian Country Today. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  8. Walker, Dalton (7 February 2021). "Celebrated hoop dance contest in Arizona will go virtual". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
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