Faculty, students, and local Indigenous community come together for performances and conversation

Members of the Seneca Nation’s Allegany River Indian Dancers (L-R) Jacob Dowdy, Liam Dowdy, and Dylan Harris perform in the May Room of Wilson Commons as part of UR Remnants, a multiday event held in April. The performances included the Iroquois Smoke Dance, a very fast contest dance, and the Hoop dance, which uses hoops to make various designs and shapes to represent birds, animals, and themes from nature. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Program of dance, music, and film brings Native American stories to campus.

Over four days in April, the University of Rochester hosted “UR Remnants,” an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty members and members of the local Indigenous and arts communities to tell Native American stories through performance and conversation.

With support from the Center for Community Engagement, the project was led by Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, associate professor of the Program of Dance and Movement, Stella Wang, associate professor of Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program, and community members Trish Corcoran (Seneca) a Native specialist and storyteller; Andrea Gluckman, photographer, and visual artist; and Greg Woodsbie, a musician.

A dancer in traditional Native American dress stands in the center of a circle of people, playing a drum. We view him through the legs of the people standing around him in a circle. — Bill Crouse of the Seneca Nation’s Allegheny Indian River Dancers leads faculty and staff in a participatory performance as part of the multiday event UR Remnants, held on the River Campus in April. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

The program included dance, storytelling, music, visual art, and a screening of a documentary film. On the final day of the program, the Allegany River Indian Dancers—founded in 1979, one of North America’s most widely known Native dance groups—showcased traditional songs and dances of the Iroquois. The performance included opportunities for participation by faculty and staff.

Rainy weather necessitated some modifications to the events. For complete information on the program and its germination, the participants, the documentary film The Good Mind, and video excerpts, visit the UR Remnants website.

Program of dance, music, and film brings Native American stories to campus.

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