Polequaptewa Dance Group fueled by tradition

Teaching the young strong traditional values from an early start has its benefits and that alone can go a long way.

Especially when it involves a language and a deep rich culture behind it. Such as the case with 27-year-old Alrye Polequaptewa, who was born and raised on the Hopi Reservation.

Polequaptewa has been involved with his culture from an early age. The Hopi Tribe sits atop three mesas in northern Arizona, with each one consisting of different villages.

Polequaptewa is from the Second Mesa and from the village of Shungopovi. Despite facing some life struggles, Polequaptewa has not let him stop doing what he loves, and that is sharing his Hopi life through ceremonial dances across the United States.

Recently his group “Polequaptewa Dance Group” performed at the Summer Nightly Indian Dances in downtown Gallup. His group consists of 19-year-old Shawuana Polequaptewa; 26-year-old Nicole Mariano; 17-year-old Chelsea Kewanyama; and 17-year-old Brennon Silas.

Polequaptewa Dance Group has performed in Albuquerque at the state fair, various casinos and even performed in New York.

Having worked with “Emergence Productions group” and with “Native Roots,” Alrye Polequaptewa gained more recognition and experience prior forming his own group in 2012. The group’s first performance was at the Hopi Heritage Square Art Show. From there, his group took off.

Part of the joy of storytelling through dancing is teaching the younger Hopi generation about the culture.

“I want to tell people about what it means to be a Hopi, and each of our dances symbolize very important aspects of our life,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since I was in high school. I started out early in another dance group.”

Polequaptewa says that these dances encourage other young Hopi’s to follow in their traditional ways and to keep the Hopi strong.

“I do this to help out the kids at home who are sitting at home doing nothing and help teach them about their culture. I grew up with most of them and they are well-behaved,” he said, laughing.

STYLES OF DANCES

His group performs three dances, which include:

HOPI DEER DANCE: The Hopi deer dance is a blessing ceremony for a successful hunting season. Hopi people believe the deer is a strong healer that provides strength, endurance, and life longevity.

-HOPI EAGLE DANCE: The Hopi eagle dance is a prayer ceremony for purification, healing, and balancing the life of the Hopi people along with the world. Kwaahu (Kwa-huu) is a messenger of the Hopi people in hopes of moisture and balancing the order of humanity and humbleness.

-HOPI WATER MAIDENS DANCE: The Palhikmana (Pahl-heek-mana) dance is a ceremony that allows the young females girls that are unmarried with no children, to perform this special dance. To help teach the young ladies faith, respect, and gracefulness. The dance is performed for the monsoon season to help give moisture to the crops of the Hopi. The headdresses also signify the different seasons of storms such as the winter, spring, and summer clouds spirits.

Polequaptewa says each of these dances are very sacred to the Hopi people and it’s important to know that they honor everything that Mother Earth gives them as well as Father Sky.

“When performing these dances such as the Hopi Water Maiden dance, they hold deep traditional value,” he said, “This is primarily a summer time dance, done in August, September for the fresh harvest that they grow on the reservation.

“Our regalia tells also about the weather, too. The headdress symbolizes all that is when a rain storm occurs. The plumes that are on the head represent the cumulous nimbus clouds, the textiles on the outfit represent vegetation on the Hopi Reservation. Mt. Taylor and the San Francisco Peaks are sacred to the Hopi People, and displayed in the dancers regalia to represent a harvest and clouds for a good season.”

Dancer Shawuana Polequaptewa says she knew it was a matter of time before she would join the dance ensemble.

“I wanted to partake of and to be a part of it. They asked me a couple of times to do this, then I got into it,” she said.

Shawuana Polequaptewa says that she wants to pursue nursing and work her way up to becoming a pediatrician.

About to become seniors at Hopi Jr./High School in Polacca, Ariz., Chelsea Kewanyama and Brennon Silas, say being a part of this group is fun, in addition to sharing their culture.

“Well, I started dancing when I was a little girl and they asked me if I wanted to dance in this group. I said yes and I want to continue doing this,” Kewanyama said.

As for Silas, thoroughly knowing his culture is just important just as it is telling others about it.

“It pretty much started at our ceremonials, and I wanted to know more about our culture through the dances, and doing it for our people and showing others about our culture,” he said.

For more information on Polequaptewa Dance Group visit Facebook page Alrye Polequaptewa

By Dee Velasco
For the Sun

CELEBRATING its 35^th year

The Summer Nightly Indian Dances kicked off its 35^th year of bringing Native American tribes to the area to share their rich traditional dances, songs, and colorful regalia. The season launched on Memorial Day and ends Labor Day, with dances beginning at 7 pm each night.

Local emcees introduce the various indigenous groups to the audience and discuss interesting facts about the performance group whomever they may be.

Each indigenous group performs ceremonial dances along with songs from their tribe. The audience then gets the opportunity to meet with the group after the show to take pictures and ask any questions they may have for the group.

This year, an assortment of Native American groups are prepared to showcase their own unique culture to the crowd. From the Pueblo of Zuni, several groups come to dance and sing, such as Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers, Zuni Olla Maidens, and the Kallestewa Dance Group.

Other groups to performing this year are: The Roach Family, Shelly Morningsong and Fabian Fontenelle, Taos Flying Eagle Dancers, Hopi Dance group, Ohkay Owinge dance group, Pollen Trail Dancers, and Apache White Mountain Dancers.

Theresa Fraizer, director of Summer Nightly Indian Dances, says the event is getting bigger and better.

“We’ve had over 25k plus visitors in 2017 and this year will be even better,” she said.

On debut night, visitors came from as far as Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, and even Wales, United Kingdom.

With eight people on staff, the event wouldn’t function well without the help of others including the Chamber of Commerce, City of Gallup, Jennifer Lazarz, and Lodgers Tax Committee, Fraizer said.

Local Native artisans display their work in the forms of beaded jewelry, necklaces, silver and turquoise earrings, fetishes, paintings, and rings. One positive aspect of this setup is that the customer gets to meet the artisan first hand, and buys directly from the artisan knowing that they are buying truly authentic Native American crafts and jewelry.

Part of the nightly dances is not only to showcase the performers, but also to educate the audience on misconceptions of Native American Indians through emcees who themselves are Native Americans from different tribes.

Ambassadors for the nightly dances are also on hand to give out free information regarding the area as well as information about the state of New Mexico.

Returning ambassador Dawn Lovato, in her fourth year, says it’s always a pleasure to be a part of the dances.

“I think we had a great turnout and people really seem to enjoy it,” she said. “Lots of new faces, a lot of returning faces, but it looks like a really great turnout and it’s going to be a great year.”

Debut night drew in a crowd of more than 200 people to take in the traditional dances of the Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers, a group who is world renowned, and an integral part of the nightly dances for some years.

A unique setting in its own, the nightly dances also offers the audience a chance to try authentic and traditional Native American food on site.

Frankie Jim, of Jim’s Concessions, said the nightly dances is always a welcoming sight to downtown Gallup. In his second year, Jim sells sno-cones, soda, traditional fry bread, and Piccadilly’s to his line of snacks.

“It went pretty good,” he said of opening night. “And I like serving the community here at the dances with these munchies, and we get to meet new people.”

Frankie Jim’s wife, Loretta Jim, says their regular customers even text the couple to find out whether they will be selling Piccadilly’s  at the nightly dances.

“They say they like ours better than anyone else here in Gallup,” she said.

With the beautiful New Mexico sun starting to set and throwing its rays across the sky, the stage was set for an enchanting evening for the debut of the Summer Nightly Indian Dances.

By Dee Velasco
For the Sun

Rating: ««« out of ««««

Running Time: 105 minutes

If you were setting out to make a children’s film, director Eli Roth likely wouldn’t be the first name you’d think of to helm the feature. Known for horror films like Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Green Inferno, his approach to genre material has always emphasized the most graphic and disturbing elements.

However, parents can breathe a sigh of relief about his latest endeavor. The children’s terror tale The House with a Clock in Its Walls is relatively reserved in comparison with previous efforts.

Based on the popular 1973 kid’s horror novel by John Bellairs, the tale follows the orphaned outcast Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro). After the tragic death of his parents, the boy is sent to live with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (Jack Black), who lives in a massive, quirky and somewhat (make that, very) creepy home.

Despite his new guardian’s penchant for feeding the boy chocolate chip cookies for dinner, the youngster struggles with the new arrangement as well as fitting in at his new school. As events progress, Lewis finds some distraction in investigating the strange noises occurring within the house during the late-night hours and enjoying the argumentative yet affectionate banter between Jonathan and neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett).

It isn’t long before Lewis becomes convinced something supernatural is happening in the estate and that his uncle may, in fact, be a warlock.

Oddly enough, things progress at a relatively slow pace early on, emphasizing the mystery of what might be happening in the house.

Ultimately, the villain isn’t introduced until the second half of the feature. Some of the jokes are hit and miss. A series of gags involving bodily functions don’t really hit the target. However, Uncle Jonathan is an amusing character and appears as confused by the youngster as the stiff and regimented boy is by the adult (who enjoys warbling on the saxophone in the middle of the night).

Much of the interplay and bickering between the uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman is also entertaining.

Perhaps the film’s strongest aspect is the production design and photography. The movie looks phenomenal; so much so that it almost doesn’t seem to matter if things are moving at a slightly more subdued pace.

Impressive Halloween colors are everywhere inside the house along with the busy set décor. There are so many clocks and strange curios sitting around in the background that there is always something intriguing and fascinating to look at.

And toward the close, as the film really introduces its creepier fantasy elements, it begins to excel.

Obviously, this is where the director’s talents are truly visible, and the results are eerie… but not so disturbing as to cause little ones any sleepless nights. Impressive sequences include a series of carved pumpkins coming to life and going on the warpath, as well as a roomful of creepy mechanical apparatuses attempting to do very bad things to the heroes. These bits are all so well handled that one wishes there were more even exaggerated monsters.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls has its issues and appears a little too subdued for its own good at times. However, it features a couple of very likable adult stars and has a nice message about accepting your own weird habits. And the film is so wonderful to look at, it makes up for its faults, ultimately establishing an effective sense of mood and foreboding.

Parents won’t be bored, and ultimately the movie works well enough to recommend to younger members of the audience. In fact, it may serve kids well as an appropriate introduction to horror films and literature.

Visit: www.CinemaStance.com

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

Running Time: 96 minutes

Rating: «« out of ««««

While it’s only been five years since the release of the supernatural horror hit The Conjuring, the film’s heroic paranormal investigators have already inspired all kinds of sequels and spin-offs.

The fifth and most recent entry is The Nun. While the titular demonic character certainly made an impression when it was introduced in The Conjuring 2, this prequel detailing the history of the sinister lifeform is easily the weakest and most unnecessary chapter in the horror franchise.

Set in 1952, the plot involves the strange suicide of a nun at a remote abbey in Romania. The Vatican assigns Father Burke (Demian Bichir) to investigate the death and suggests he also procure the services of a young woman named Irene (Taissa Farmiga), who has experienced strange visions that may be connected to the event. Irene, a Novitiate in the Catholic Church, is waiting to take her vows and become a full-fledged nun.

Upon arriving in Romania, the pair encounters Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), a deliveryman who first discovered the body of the nun. He takes them to the dilapidated abbey, where they investigate the occurrence and begin experiencing strange phenomena.

The majority of events takes place in the old, run-down castle-turned-monastery as the trio tries to find any members of the order who might still be living at the site. They do encounter a few figures, but find them to be incredibly secretive and unwilling to talk. Not that there’s a whole lot to glean from the screenplay in general.

Ultimately, this being is a malevolent force of evil, raised by a duke who used to live on the property. After opening a gateway to Hell, the supernatural being has set out to possess a human target and takes on the appearance of a nun to move unnoticed.

That’s about all the back story on the antagonist that viewers will receive, with the plot simply providing an excuse to have nun figures appear in the background of the camera or hurry past the foreground, occasionally brushing and tapping the leads. These and other overly similar situations are repeated ad nauseam; honestly, there are only so many times one can see a cross turn upside down before it all becomes tiring and meaningless.

As mentioned, the movie follows just about every horror movie trope in the book, with the characters separating in the darkened hallways to investigate strange noises and threatening shapes, only to find themselves targeted. After escaping, their reactions are equally inexplicable, warning that something evil must be in the area... and then putting themselves right back in the middle of danger.

One particularly preposterous moment comes after a character is buried alive and physically attacked. After freeing himself, he finds a book and suddenly becomes fascinated in fact-finding, almost forgetting what had previously occurred. It’s an incredible under-reaction given what has transpired.

Finally, it may have been the faulty projector bulb during the preview, but the movie itself appeared too dark as well. Often, one can’t even see the faces of the actors and there’s little to engage or relate to as they go about their hackneyed business.

The film is a real step down in quality from all of the others in this series, doing little more than placing its characters in an old castle and relying on less-than-effective jump scares for the better part of the running time. Ultimately, most of them don’t work.

There’s nothing here that’s nearly as frightening as what was featured in the previous Conjuring feature. The Nun doesn’t offer much that’s new or interesting and one should vow to stay away.

Visit: www.CinemaStance.com

By Glenn Kay

For the Sun