CANCELLED: Thunderbird Music Workshop at AICH March 21st due to community transmission of COVID-19

The Thunderbird Americaan Indian Dancers, Inc., in light of sustained community transmission of COVID-19 in the New York City area and responsibility to our loyal community are cancelling the upcoming Dance Workshop originally scheduled at American Indian Community House 39 Eldridge St. There is no rescheduled date for this event, however future cultural events like our Annual Pow Wow at Queens County Farm Museum on July 24-26, 2020 are still in place.

It is our hope that you will do what you need to do to remain safe and nurtured. In our house, we are keeping ourselves informed regarding COVID-19 and health and well-being practices and lifestyle adjustments that will improve our lives going forward. Below are links to valuable information and we also encourage you to click our Indigenous Links page to find free access to Native language, music, films and culture, while you may be home bound in the coming weeks:

• LiveScience: Coronavirus Outbreak: Live Updates: https://www.livescience.com/topics/live/coronavirus-live-updates
• Indian Country Today News: https://indiancountrytoday.com/
• DemocracyNow News: Coronavirus   https://www.democracynow.org/topics/coronavirus
• Efficient and Effective Treatment of a Wide Range of Common Diseases and Disorders based on Dr Vasquez’s “Functional Inflammology Protocol”

• Found My Fitness: healthspan strategies: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/
• NYFA: Emergency Grants Listings
• Harlem Emergency Network: http://www.tuneyourimmune.com
• Alex Vasquez: https://www.inflammationmastery.com/functional-medicine-inflammology

Corona Virus: What You Can Do:

1. If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold.
2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.
3. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by temperatures of just 26/27 degrees.  It hates the sun.
4. If someone sneezes it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.
5. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours-so if you come into contact with any metal surface wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.
6. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours, normal laundry detergent will kill it.
7. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses.  Try not to drink liquids with ice.
8. Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes but a lot can happen during that time.  You can rub your eyes, pick your nose and so on.
9. You should also gargle as a prevention.  A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.
10. Can’t emphasize enough….drink plenty of water!

Symptoms

1. It will first infect the throat so you’ll have a sore throat lasting 3-4 days
2. The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs causing pneumonia.  This takes about 5/6 days.
3. With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.
4. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind.  You feel like you’re drowning.  It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.

Prevention

1. The new Coronavirus may not show sign of infection for many days.  How can one know if he/she is infected?  By the time they have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital the lung is usually 50% Fibrosis and it’s too late.
2. Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning:  Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds.  If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc. it proves there is no Fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicates no infection.
3. In critical time, please self-check every morning in an environment with clean air.  Serious excellent by Japanese doctors treating COVID-19 cases;

Everyone should ensure your mouth and throat are most…never dry.Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Lime or lemon add Vitamin C. Why?Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach.Once there your stomach acid will kill all the virus.  If you don’t drink enough water more regularly the virus can enter your windpipe and into the lungs.  That’s very dangerous.

•  NativeNews.com: Coronavirus   https://www.nativenews.net/
• CERN Excelerating Science:  https://hse.cern/news-article/coronavirus-information-measures-and-recommendations
• National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response: Preparedness for Arts Sector
• Americans for the Arts: How the Arts and Culture Sector Can Prepare for the Coronavirus in the United States
• CERF+ Responds to Coronavirus
• Freelancers Union: What Freelancers Need to Know About Coronavirus
• ArtsReady: Preparing for the Potential Impact of the Coronavirus
• New York State Council on the Arts: Resources for New York State Arts and Cultural Organizations re: Novel Coronavirus

How The Gut Microbiota Affects Our Health with Dr. Erica & Dr. Justin Sonnenburg

• https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/the-sonnenburgs

Rich Roll on Self-Transformation

• https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/rich-roll

Washington Post article : I ran the White House pandemic office. Trump closed it. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/i-ran-the-white-house-pandemic-office-trump-closed-it/ar-BB1192Xy

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Inc. Native Music, Films, Language Sites http://www.thunderbirdamericanindiandancers.org/indigenouslinks

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers holding Music Workshop at AICH

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Louis Mofsie and Thunderbird Lead Dance Parade, Carlos Ponce, Rick, Matoaka Eagle, Alan “Shooting Star” Brown, Ciaran Tufford, Michael A Taylor

The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers are holding our annual spring Music Workshop on Saturday, March 21, 2020, from 7 to 9 PM.
The workshop is being held at American Indian Community House, 39 Eldridge Street, 4th floor, Manhattan (just north of Canal Street).  Please note the change in location from last year.
The Workshop will include lessons in several Native American songs and practice on musical instruments, for all who want to participate.   This is a unique educational opportunity for people of all ages (including children) and backgrounds (both Native and non-Native) to learn about Native American music and dance. 
There will also be tables set up with American Indian jewelry and other handmade items, available for purchase at very reasonable prices.
All are welcome to attend.  Admission is free.  

THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS’ IN CONCERT

Thunderbird schedule 2019-20 (1)10 24

Thunderbirds at Theater for the New City 2020

Theater for the New City presents:

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers’ in Concert!

JANUARY 25 – FEBRUARY 3

Fri & Sat 8PM, Sat & Sun 3PM

BUYTICKETS

THEATER  FOR THE NEW CITY

Crystal Field, Executive Director, Presents:

THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS’ IN CONCERT

All proceeds benefit Native American scholarship fund.

NEW YORK, October 22 — Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, will present its 44th annual Thunderbird American Dancers Dance Concert and Pow Wow from January 25 to February 3, 2019. There will be dances, stories and traditional music from Native Peoples of the Northeast, Southwest and Great Plains regions. The event has become a treasured New York tradition for celebrating our diversity by honoring the culture of our first Americans.

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. Traditionally a gathering and sharing of events, Pow-Wows have come to include spectacular dance competitions, exhibitions, and enjoyment of traditional foods.

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers’ Dance Concert and Pow-Wow, presented by Theater for the New City January 31 to February 9, 2014. Photo by Lee Wexler/Images for Innovation.

Highlights will include storytelling by Matoaka Eagle (Santo Domingo Pueblo/ Chickahominy), Special tribute to veterans featuring Alan Shooting Star Brown and Michael Taylor, Hoop Dances by Michael Taylor – Dancing Wolf (Choctaw/French) Matt Cross (Kiowa) and Marie Ponce (Lucayan Taino/Cherokee), a Deer Dance (from the Yaqui Tribes of Southern Arizona) with Ciaran Tufford (Mayan) and Carlos Ponce (Mayan), and various ensemble dances: a Grass Dance and Jingle…more  and get tickets

Discounts available for Matinees  $1 for kids for matinees

About Production

 

 

Thunderbird Holiday Party Dec 21th

Print out schedule by clicking:

Thunderbird schedule 2019-20

The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers are holding our annual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 21, 2019, from 7 PM until about 9 PM, at The American Indian Community House, 39 Eldridge Street (4th floor), in Manhattan (just north of Canal Street).   Please note the change in location and time from last year.

This is a potluck dinner – so please bring a dish to share. 

 

In addition to the dinner, there will be music, dance, games and, of course, socializing.   A selection of Native American jewelry and craft items will also be on sale.

Everyone is welcome to attend.  Admission is free.  (Donations are appreciated, but no one is turned away).

Note:

Mark your calendars for Thunderbird American Indian Dancers in Concert at Theater for the New City Fridays Through Sundays January 25-27 & February 1-3. Matinees are discounted ($1 for kids).

Get TNC Show Tickets click here

Louis Mofsie’s Bessie Award to air on PBS

The Bessie Awards, at which Louis Mofsie received an award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance on October 14, will be broadcast on PBS All-Arts channel on Sunday, November 17.

For those who can get channel 21.4 in Long Island, the show will be broadcast, and rebroadcast, at 9 PM, 11 PM and 2 AM (11/18).  It may also be available from the All-Arts website at https://allarts.org.  Once it’s been broadcast, if I can find an internet version, I will send out the exact web address.

Thunderbird Native American Auction at AICH

Saturday

November 16, 2019
8 – 10 PM

Native American Auction
Auction 8– 10 PM
at The American Indian Community House
39 Eldridge St, 4th floor, New York City
Native American jewelry, pottery, regalia, collectibles, etc, at great prices.

Print flyers by clicking:

Thunderbird Auction Nov 2019

Thunderbird schedule 2019-20

TONITE!! LOUIS MOFSIE TO RECEIVE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE FIELD OF DANCE

TONITE!! LOUIS MOFSIE AND JOAN MYERS BROWN TO RECEIVE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE FIELD OF DANCE

Joan Myers Brown PHOTO by Deborah Boardman

Louis Mofsie – Hopi/Winnebago. Photo by Jonathan Slaff

 

SEE PRESS RELEASE below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release 

JOAN MYERS BROWN TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND LOUIS MOFSIE TO RECEIVE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE FIELD OF DANCE 

New York, NY, August 13, 2019 – The NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, New York City’s premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, announced today the recipients of two special awards. The 2019 Bessie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance will go to Joan Myers Brown, Founder and Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO), in recognition of decades of choreographic influence on and support of the work of black American dance artists. The 2019 Bessie Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance will be presented to Louis Mofsie, Director of Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, whose work has kept Native American dance forms alive for generations of young people. 

“We are thrilled to honor Joan and Louis, two legends in our field,” said Lucy Sexton, Executive Director, NY Dance and Performance Awards. “Their work has inspired dancers and educated audiences in ways that have enriched and strengthened dance in our country and we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments.” 

The two awards will be presented at the 35th annual Bessie Awards ceremony on Monday, October 14, at 7:30pm, at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012). Tickets for the event are available online at https://tickets.nyu.edu/10398. 

Joan Myers Brown is an artist, a visionary, and an entrepreneur, listed in Who’s Who in America as a powerhouse “Philadelphia Leader.” She is the executive artistic director of the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO), which she founded in 1970, and the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts, which she created in 1960. She also serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance, an organization she established in 1991, which received a Bessie Award in 2000. Brown is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts, which bestowed upon her an honorary doctorate of fine arts. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Ursinus College, and is a member of the dance faculty at Howard University. She also received an honorary doctorate of arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Brown has served a broad range of regional and national organizations, including NEFA’s National Dance Project, the United States Information Agency, Arts America, the National Endowment for the Arts, National Forum for Female Leaders, Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council, and many others. Among Brown’s many honors is the “Dance Women: Living Legends Award,” a tribute to five African-American women, who founded distinguished modern dance companies with deep roots in black communities around the country. She has also received Dance USA’s Honor Award. She is a recipient of a 2012 National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest civic honor for excellence in the arts. President Barack Obama cited her for carving out “an artistic haven for African American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create, and share their unique visions with the national 

and global dance communities.” Her legacy has been documented in the 2011 book Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Bio-history of American Performance. 

Louis Mofsie, a lifelong champion and custodian of the Native American culture, is the director of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, the oldest resident Native American dance company in New York City. The troupe was founded in 1963 by a group of ten Indigenous men and women, all New Yorkers, who were descended from Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago, and San Blas tribes. Within a few years, the company was traveling throughout the continental U.S., expanding and sharing their repertoire and learning new dances on the reservations. Over the years, Thunderbird works, activities, and events have assisted more than 400 students. The company has toured all over the United States, Japan, and Israel. Mofsie, who was born in Brooklyn and is of Hopi and Winnebago heritage, is also a founding member of the American Indian Community House, where he has served as the chairman of the board for over 15 years. His New York City choreographic credits include Operation Sidewinders with the Lincoln Center Repertory Company, among others. As an artist, he has illustrated the children’s books The Hopi Way, Coyote Tales, and Folktales of the American Indian, written by Dee Brown. He has also recorded two albums, Louis Mofsie Traditional American Indian Songs & Music and Dances and Songs of the American Indians. Mofsie is the recipient of many accolades, including a 1991 N.Y.C. Leadership Award from Law Department and Mayor’s Office. In 2017, Mofsie was honored (along with Garth Fagan and Martha Myers) with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Guild. 

Link to download photos here. 

ABOUT THE BESSIES The NY Dance and Performance Awards have saluted outstanding and groundbreaking creative work in the dance field in New York City for 35 years. Known as “The Bessies” in honor of revered dance teacher Bessie Schönberg, the awards were established in 1984 by David R. White at Dance Theater Workshop. They recognize outstanding work in choreography, performance, music composition, and visual design. Nominees are chosen by a selection committee comprised of artists, presenters, producers, and writers. All those working in the dance field are invited to join the NY Dance and Performance League as members and participate in annual discussions on the direction of the awards and nominate members to serve on the selection committee. For more information about The Bessies, visit http://www.bessies.org. 

The 2019 Bessie Awards Steering Committee, responsible for setting policy and providing oversight for the Bessie Awards throughout the year, is comprised of Cora Cahan, Beverly D’Anne, Jeanne Linnes, Stanford Makishi, Nicky Paraiso, Carla Peterson, Gus Solomons jr, Paz Tanjuaquio, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Laurie Uprichard, and Martin Wechsler. 

The 2018–2019 Bessie Awards Selection Committee: Ronald Alexander, Elise Bernhardt, Charles Vincent Burwell, Diana Byer, Tymberly Canale, Alexis Convento, Parijat Desai, Maura Donohue, Boo Froebel, Angela Fatou Gittens, Diane Grumet, Brinda Guha, Joseph Hall, Mai Lê Hô, Iréne Hultman, Celia Ipiotis, Koosil-ja, Fernando Maneca, Lydia Mokdessi, Harold Norris, Craig Peterson, Doug Post, Rajika Puri, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Susan Reiter, Walter Rutledge, George Emilio Sanchez, Andrea Snyder, Sally Sommer, Risa Steinberg, Carrie Stern, Catherine Tharin, Tony Waag, and William Whitener. 

Press contacts: 

Janet Stapleton – 212-633-0016 / stapleton.janet@gmail.com 

Kamila Slawinski – 347-534-6029 / kamila@kamilaslawinski.com 

Follow The Bessies on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: #theBessies / @bessieawards