Life and times of an Indigenous artist

So it’s 2024 and I started this journey sometime in 1993 in which the internet to my recollection was brand new at the time. There was no social media, YouTube, or email or smart phones like how we have now. With that I’ve had to learn to evolve over the years as an artist through the decades and eras of my life and career. 

Yes things are always improving but there are definitely more challenges that come with that as we evolve into new technology. The good thing about what I do as an artist is that it comes from my Indigenous ancestry and is deep rooted in traditional lifestyle. I’ve always tried my best to keep things authentic as I can with hoop dance and at the same time still be innovative with what I do. 

Staying true to the art of Indigenous style hoop dancing is very important to me and it also shows the people the true meaning and authenticity of what we do as Hoop dancers. Besides hoop dancing I’ve learned over the years to develop my skills in other areas as well such as: music, designing, writing, composing, sewing, speaking, and educational components. All in all add depth to what I do as an artist and gives the people and deeper understanding and appreciation into what we do as artists. 

Moving forward into the future I look foreword to the next phases and eras of my career and hope to keep achieving next level successes in my growth as an artist. The thing that makes me the most proud is to see the next generation continue on this work in which myself and the ones before me have created momentum and have helped to make significant contributions to the overall fabric of who we are as Indigenous peoples in 2024 and beyond. Continuously evolving with the times and remaining true to ourselves… 

Dallas Arcand 2024