For Navajo dancer Kenneth Shirley, everything began with a sound — the steady pulse of a drum. That rhythm shaped his earliest memories and, eventually, his journey around the globe.
“I’ve been dancing since I could walk,” he said. “Even before I could speak or express myself, I was already dancing.”
In college, Shirley noticed something missing. There was no Native performance for Indigenous Heritage Month. So he created one. What began as a small community performance in Phoenix became Indigenous Enterprise, a powwow dance troupe now performing on some of the world’s biggest stages.
“One of the most beautiful things was to see that Indigenous Enterprise isn’t just national… It’s international,” Shirley said.
Ten years later, he and the dozens of powwow dancers from across the U.S., representing different tribes, have performed on massive stages such as the Joyce Theatre in New York City, the Sydney Opera House, and even the 2023 Super Bowl.
Even as the stages get larger, he keeps his focus on the people watching — especially the young ones.
“These young kids are watching us,” he said. “Let’s make sure that when we’re doing this, they can be proud of it.”
Shirley hopes audiences take away one thing.
“I want people to respect our culture and know that we’re alive.”
Watch the video above to see how Indigenous Enterprise is sharing Native culture worldwide.
