Скачать или смотреть World Championship Hoop Dance 2026 | The Best Dancers at Heard Museum

Experience the 36th Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest 2026 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona — featuring over 100 Indigenous hoop dancers competing at the highest level.

From Youth to Senior divisions, witness precision, speed, creativity, and powerful storytelling through hoop dance at one of the most prestigious Native American competitions in the world.
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Ya’at’éeh! Aaron Tsosie here — the person behind the camera!

Welcome to Day Two of the 36th Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona! This is one of the events I look forward to all year. Every February, more than 100 hoop dancers from tribal nations across North America gather here to compete, represent their people, and push the art of hoop dance forward

If you watched Day One, you already know the energy. Sunday is when everything tightens up. The dancers know what’s at stake. The crowd leans in. And the drum hits just a little harder.

We had the Cozad Singers and Mandaree Singers hosting the drum this weekend, and our Grandfather Dennis Bowen (Seneca) back on the mic keeping the dancers moving and the crowd laughing in between rounds. His humor always balances out the intensity of competition.

Over 100 dancers competed across divisions:
• Youth (6–12)
• Teen (13–17)
• Adult (18–39)
• Senior (40+)

Each dancer gets about five minutes to tell a story through movement. They’re judged on precision, timing and rhythm, creativity, showmanship, speed — and they must stay on beat with the drum. Their regalia can’t fall apart, they must control every hoop, and when they’re ready to finish, they signal the drum to bring it home. One small mistake can cost everything.

That’s what makes this contest so powerful. It’s not just fast footwork — it’s discipline, storytelling, and generations of knowledge moving in real time.

The Heard Museum has been hosting this championship for decades, and since 1929 the museum itself has been dedicated to uplifting Indigenous art and expression. Being able to document this event year after year means a lot to me. So many dancers and families come up to say hi, and it feels like a reunion every time.

Every year the routines get more creative. The younger dancers are leveling up. And honestly? I hope my work on YouTube helps inspire the next generation to step into that circle and compete one day.

I already can’t wait for August and the Youth Hoop Dance Contest in Santa Fe. But for now — enjoy Day Two.

Ahe’hee’ 🪶
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