Lighting Strikes Twice at Soaring Eagles Dance Class

By Roy Cook

The Indian Education Soaring Eagles Dance Class is plugged in! You can feel the excitement in the Adams Avenue Business Association Community Center, 4649 Hawley Blvd. San Diego CA. This class is sponsored by Southern California American Indian Resource Center, Inc. (SCAIR) in collaboration with: the San Diego Unified School District Title VII, the Indian Human Resource Center and the San Diego Indian Center is electric. The American Indian parents, children, instructors, visitors, Inter-Tribal Singers and food were there at 6 pm or early this Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

Wonderful instructors: Eileen, Tiffany, Jeanette and Michael with the boyz.

Dance instructors are all experienced Championship Pow wow dancers: Michael Cadotte, Jeanette Van Dyke, Edward "Chuck" Cadotte, Eileen George and Tiffany are all in street clothes, eager and encouraging for this nights adventure into American Indian dance and music. Forty-five or more bright little faces are all are encouraged to dance and be part of the Soaring Eagles Dance Class traditional circle of life.

The San Diego Inter-Tribal Singers: Richard Decrane, Terry Hinsly, Tyler, Ben Nance and Roy Cook are honored to be invited to sing for our Indian Children and are blessed to have been doing so for the last 25 years. This group is just one of the many community volunteers that come together when called upon to help out at American Indian events in San Diego. Our Indian children are our brightest future.

Grass dance, shawl dance, round dance, crow hop, more shawl dance, women traditional, more round dance and fun specialty songs are sung for the entertainment and instruction of the Soaring Eagles Dance Class dancers. Some are shy and reluctant but by the ending of the song, many parents and children are dancing! The true measure of success for the parent committee, instructors and community volunteers is participation in the dance class instruction.

Parents and children are having fun. Eileen George shared the shawl tradition and how she had been brought into the Pow wow arena.

The Soaring Eagles Dance Class next week is at the same location: Adams Avenue Business Association Community Center, 4649 Hawley Blvd. San Diego CA. Also, in addition to the American Indian Dance and regalia instruction there is a tutoring and summer reading program. Books are provided by the program to be checked out and reviews or stories to be submitted during the summer. Prizes will be awarded for reading accomplishments at the end of the summer.

Maybe we will see you and your younger relatives at these Soaring Eagles Dance Class free classes: Adams Avenue Business Association Community Center, 4649 Hawley Blvd. San Diego CA. They are coordinated by San Diego City School Indian Education Program (858) 627-7362 and the Indian Human Resource Center (619) 281-5964.

Finally I am thankful for the extra assistance by Karin Decrane who took these images and our own Gary Ballard SCAIR/CALIE Webmaster for coming by and being part of the evening. Thank you, Aho, Mehan.