The 2026 Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert features dances, stories, and traditional music from native peoples of the Northeast, Southwest, and Great Plains regions.

A pow-wow is more than just a spectator event: it is a joyous reunion for native peoples nationwide and an opportunity for the non-Indian community to voyage into the philosophy and beauty of Native culture.

Highlights include storytelling by Muriel Miguel (San Blas Kuna/Rappahannock), founder of Spiderwoman Theater; the Hoop Dance set to guitar and flute music performed on alternating dates by Marie Ponce (Cherokee and Taino) and Michael Taylor (Choctaw); a Deer Dance (from the Yaqui Tribes of Southern Arizona) with Gabriel Perez (Mayan) and Carlos Ponce (Mayan), and various ensemble dances: a Grass Dance and Jingle Dress Dance (from the Northern Plains people), a Shawl Dance (from the Oklahoma tribes), a Rabbit Dance (from the Great Plains people) and a Smoke Dance (from the Iroquois). As the audience enters the theater, they are serenaded by the Heyna Second Son Singers (various tribes).

Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 3 and 8pm
Sundays at 3pm
 

Photo of Marie Ponce, Cherokee/Taino. By Jonathan Slaff