Lane Neaman
“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I started dancing before I could walk. Then I started singing when I learned to talk. My cousins and I would get spoons, forks and whatever we could find and use them as drum sticks. When I was older, my grandma gave me a small drum and I used to make my own drum sticks out of clothes hangers or sticks. Now I am a member of a drum group named Southern War Pony and we travel throughout Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah. The dancing and singing that I do is part of my Native American culture. I am from the Santa Clara Pueblo, Ute and Northwestern Shoshone tribes as well as African American. We sing and dance at pow- wows which are gatherings of many Native American tribes. At pow-wows they have contests for the singers and dancers.
The contests are fun, but I was always taught to dance for the people that can’t dance such as the sick people and the elders. I learned to dance from watching other that do a current move. The dance I do is called the Fancy Feather dance. The Fancy Feather dance is a fast dance which you have to be really athletic to dance this at a pow wow. When I dance, I dance my heart out. When that drum starts I don’t think about my movements, I just let the music move me. When I am spinning I start doing my foot work in there. Then at the finish, I end up in the splits. When I am done dancing, people come up to me and tell me how good I did and how good it made them feel.
I travel around Utah doing performances almost every week. I don’t ask for anything in return, I just do it because I love to. I danced to help raise money for breast cancer awareness. I danced for the Adopt a Native Elder Program in Deer Valley when they have their annual rug show. I went to schools and danced for the students. I also danced at a retirement home, danced and sang for refugees, performed at a day care In Kearns, danced in Antelope Island for teachers from out of the U.S., and many more. I have done a lot of these things because I love doing it and it puts a smile on a lot of people’s faces: that’s what makes it all worth it. I have seen people cry because the way I danced or a song that we sang that made them happy and feel good. Hearing these complements put a smile on my face. I do this because of my Grandpa and Grandma. They made my regalia, which are traditional outfits, so I can dance for the people. I mostly dance for my grandpa because he can’t dance anymore. Dancing for the people makes me happy and almost every place we go, we get invited to more places by people, which means I get to dance more for that need help, can’t walk, and never danced before. This is the way I build bridges among cultures and communities by traveling around Utah doing these performances.
I brought a positive change by being a role model to everybody that watches me and to the people that know my struggles in life. I have had many positive role models in my life and because of this; I hope I am being a positive role model for others. I have also had to deal with some pretty hard times in my life and hope that other kids can see that things do get better and you can achieve your goals if you work at them. I would like to go to college and work with animals. I am working towards my goal by working hard at school, and I use my dancing and singing to bring balance to my life. I would also like others to see that they can choose their own path. My mother and my father both chose the wrong path and I have learned that their path is not mine. I want to be a good example for my brother and sisters, so they can follow their dreams. I am still going through hard times, but my dancing and singing helps not only me to be happy, but others as well. I am so grateful that I found something I love to do that also helps others.
I started dancing before I could walk. Then I started singing when I learned to talk. My cousins and I would get spoons, forks and whatever we could find and use them as drum sticks. When I was older, my grandma gave me a small drum and I used to make my own drum sticks out of clothes hangers or sticks. Now I am a member of a drum group named Southern War Pony and we travel throughout Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah. The dancing and singing that I do is part of my Native American culture. I am from the Santa Clara Pueblo, Ute and Northwestern Shoshone tribes as well as African American. We sing and dance at pow- wows which are gatherings of many Native American tribes. At pow-wows they have contests for the singers and dancers.
The contests are fun, but I was always taught to dance for the people that can’t dance such as the sick people and the elders. I learned to dance from watching other that do a current move. The dance I do is called the Fancy Feather dance. The Fancy Feather dance is a fast dance which you have to be really athletic to dance this at a pow wow. When I dance, I dance my heart out. When that drum starts I don’t think about my movements, I just let the music move me. When I am spinning I start doing my foot work in there. Then at the finish, I end up in the splits. When I am done dancing, people come up to me and tell me how good I did and how good it made them feel.
I travel around Utah doing performances almost every week. I don’t ask for anything in return, I just do it because I love to. I danced to help raise money for breast cancer awareness. I danced for the Adopt a Native Elder Program in Deer Valley when they have their annual rug show. I went to schools and danced for the students. I also danced at a retirement home, danced and sang for refugees, performed at a day care In Kearns, danced in Antelope Island for teachers from out of the U.S., and many more. I have done a lot of these things because I love doing it and it puts a smile on a lot of people’s faces: that’s what makes it all worth it. I have seen people cry because the way I danced or a song that we sang that made them happy and feel good. Hearing these complements put a smile on my face. I do this because of my Grandpa and Grandma. They made my regalia, which are traditional outfits, so I can dance for the people. I mostly dance for my grandpa because he can’t dance anymore. Dancing for the people makes me happy and almost every place we go, we get invited to more places by people, which means I get to dance more for that need help, can’t walk, and never danced before. This is the way I build bridges among cultures and communities by traveling around Utah doing these performances.
I brought a positive change by being a role model to everybody that watches me and to the people that know my struggles in life. I have had many positive role models in my life and because of this; I hope I am being a positive role model for others. I have also had to deal with some pretty hard times in my life and hope that other kids can see that things do get better and you can achieve your goals if you work at them. I would like to go to college and work with animals. I am working towards my goal by working hard at school, and I use my dancing and singing to bring balance to my life. I would also like others to see that they can choose their own path. My mother and my father both chose the wrong path and I have learned that their path is not mine. I want to be a good example for my brother and sisters, so they can follow their dreams. I am still going through hard times, but my dancing and singing helps not only me to be happy, but others as well. I am so grateful that I found something I love to do that also helps others.