Acosia Red Elk, an award-winning artist of the Umatilla people of Northeastern Oregon, shares her journey with dance and healing. Her oral history is framed by Sarah Nguyễn, Director of the Jacob's Pillow Archives, exploring her dance origins and how she guides others toward healing through movement.
Acosia Red Elk, an award-winning artist of the Umatilla people of Northeastern Oregon, shares her journey with dance and healing. Her oral history is framed by Sarah Nguyễn, Director of the Jacob's Pillow Archives, exploring her dance origins and how she guides others toward healing through movement.
[Music begins, composed by J.S. Bach, performed by Jess Meeker]
Norton Owen: Welcome to Pillow Voices, a production of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, with content drawn from the Pillow Archives and the artistic community. I'm Norton Owen, the Pillow's Historian and Founding Director of Preservation. I’m delighted to hand the mic over to my colleague Sarah Nguyễn who will provide the context for her conversation with indigenous dance artist Acosia Red Elk.
Sarah Nguyễn: Hello, this is Sarah Nguyễn and I’m the Director of the Archives, here at Jacob’s Pillow. This episode is taken from an oral history interview I recorded with Acosia Red Elk on July 10, 2026. Acosia Red Elk is an artist of the Umatilla people of Northeastern Oregon. As of summer 2026, Acosia Red Elk has been to Jacob’s Pillow three times. She is an acclaimed performing artist and jingle dress dancer. She has won 10 world championships at the Gathering of the Nations, which is North America’s largest powwow. She’s known for bringing indigenous cultural traditions to audiences around the world.
As the creator of powwow yoga, she developed an innovative practice that blends tribal dance and yoga to promote healing and indigenous approaches to wellness. Acosia Red Elk made her Pillow debut in June 2022, as a part of the Eastern Woodland Dance Program that was co-curated by Larry and Anawan Weedan of the Wampanoag Tribe. She returned in August as a featured guest of Indigenous Enterprise. In 2024, she was awarded the Doris Duke Artist Award. In Summer 2026, Acosia Red Elk performed on the Henry J Leir stage.
My archival scholarship and practice has been inspired by indigenous ways of knowing, and so it was an honor to be able to record Acosia Red Elk’s stories. The feminist, indigenous, and environmental elements to Acosia Red Elk’s oral history really put my own theoretical explorations into tangible and embodied practice.
On this humid cloudy summer morning, the day after Acosia Red Elk performed on the Henry J. Leir stage, we sat outside of Blake’s Barn, the building that houses Jacob’s Pillow Archives. Since we are outside, you might hear some environmental noises, such as lawn mowers. I like to think of this as putting you, the listener, and us Acosia Red Elk and myself into the place that is Jacob’s Pillow, where this type of history is made and preserved.
Acosia Red Elk: My name is Acosia Marguerite Red Elk. My first name, Acosia, is pronounced Aaa-kaa-siaaa. It felt very long, drawn outward. In our languages, something took a long time, or was big, you would elongate the word or make it really big. So Acosia is a word in our Sahapatin Plateau tribe language that describes a young swan, taking its very first flight off water. Aaa-kaa-siaaa, a lot of the elders have that kind of really, that tone in their voice. Akaa, that's how they say it. So yeah, it means young swan rising from the water in the Umatilla language from the plateau tribes.
Sarah Nguyễn: Thank you. That's beautiful. Alright, so now let's start with your beginnings. And so in your own words, can you tell us how dance came into your life?
Acosia Red Elk: Yeah, so I'm from the Umatilla tribe, which is located in northeastern Oregon. It's a part of the Plateau Tribe region. As a kid growing up in, I was born in 79, so I grew up in the 80s. And my mother and daughter, or my mother and father owned an autobody business, and they painted a lot of cars for people. I wanted to take gymnastics. They painted the gymnastics coach's car and I got free lessons. And they would do body and fender work for him every year and I would just get free lessons. So I started out in gymnastics.
Gymnastics was something I loved to do because it taught me about my body. It taught me about having a supple body and a strong body and a controlled body. And I love the idea of the pointing of the toes. And this performance-ness of women's gymnastics. I loved women's gymnastics. Gymnastics reminds me a lot of dance in a certain way, too. So it started with gymnastics.
And when I was six, I caught on fire and my dress touched the fireplace, and it was a velvet ruffle dress, and it just caught on fire, and I started running, and I ended up burning half of my body with third-degree burns and worse. And so, it was an extreme moment of trauma. It was kind of like it's the story of my life because it set me on a path. It really like. It really like fueled my whole life.
So, if we like start there, that I caught on fire when I was a kid, I became super insecure, really rebellious. I grew up on the reservation, there was a lot of trauma. My dad passed away two years later from alcoholism. He couldn't stop drinking after I caught on fire, and that was really hard for us, and so we just started rebelling really bad.
And I remember I would go to the long house and we would go watch the powwow. And I would see the jingle dancers and I was just so in awe of their pride and their grace and how they just, they weren't afraid to just be out there in front of the people dancing. I was really insecure at that time, so I thought that was so beautiful. And the way that they danced was so proud and graceful. You know, they just looked so strong. I wanted to be a jingle dancer.
And my sister won an outfit, like a shawl and a cape. And a leggings and moccasins in a raffle. And she brought them back. She goes, you can start dancing now. And I was like, Oh my gosh. So I started practicing. I'm a Libra, so I've got to be good at something before I debut. And so I started practicing, and they were working on our home at the time, so everything was moved out of the house, and we were staying in the cabin.
And my sister would come over to the big house with me at night, and we would set up the TV and the VHS and put in the skimitsin, which is the to be the world championship powwow in Hartford, Connecticut. They don't have it anymore, but it was the championship. So I would watch videos of the dancers and I would look at all of their different styles and footworks and transitions and everything, and I would practice them. And my sister would be in there and she'd be like, higher on your toes, pull your shoulders back, lift your head, cover ground, hold fan is. She would always be constantly like kind of coaching me, and I would just practice every night for like hours.
And then she got a dress made for me when that Christmas, a jingle dress. And I opened it and I was like, oh my God, I was so excited. But then I realized, oh shit, there's a powwow tonight and I'm going to have to dance. She goes, now you can dance at the powwow. And I was so nervous. I was like, oh no. I was like, I don't have any feathers. I don't have this. I don't have that. And she goes, the family is getting it prepared for you and they're going to be there to look on. They had a death in their family. And so they were in mourning and being meaning they were coming to look on was they were going to come watch their family dance and they were going to come watch me dance because they made me this outfit.
So I had to dance that and I was really nervous because I hadn't actually entered the arena yet. And I remember getting ready for the grand entry and I was about, I just wanted to make an excuse to like not do it. You know, I was like, do I say that I hurt my ankle? I don't know. I was so nervous. And I am. I entered the arena, and I just remember the first step that I took onto the dance floor. I just like let out a big sigh. And I started dancing out there. And I just remember I started crying. And I'm trying not to let people see me cry, but I could feel this energy coming up. We're in the longhouse and it really echoes, the drum really echoes and all the, everyone's there.
And I remember crying and thinking, oh my gosh, I can't believe I've hated my legs for this long from the fire, the scars that I carried, and my legs were the things that were carrying me out there. And so I had this newfound love and appreciation for my body, no matter what it looked like, but what it could do. And the spirit inside of it that was responding to the call and that was responding to the beat, and it changed my life.
And I missed my stomp. I looked funny. Like, and everyone's like, oh my gosh, we're so proud of you. You look so pretty. Oh, Grandma's heart is so happy seeing you dance. Everyone's just so happy. And I was like, wow, I've just been rebelling and not doing good in life. And I wasn't doing things that were making people proud or even making me proud of myself. And so when I entered the dance circle as a dancer, it changed my entire life. And I became a jingle dancer. And it made me feel good.
And I met my kids' father, who was a world-renowned traditional dancer. He won everyone, everybody knew who he was. And he came up to me at a powwow and he goes, he goes, What's your name? And I introduced myself and he goes, you're going to be the champion jingle dancer of the world one day. And we all laughed and we were like, oh my gosh. And I was like, what? And it was just so neat to hear this person say this. Like he just seen something and it made me feel really good about my dancing because I was really, I was nervous. And so that kind of really helped me want to desire to be a competitive powwow dancer, you know?
Because it's our culture, but at the same time, it's a competition, which helps you want to excel at it and wants. It makes you want to differentiate your style from other dancers, and how would you make your style unique by doing the same moves that everyone else does? And so, you really have to learn how to have your own style.
And I found myself on the dance floor, and we started traveling to all the powwows because I ended up into a relationship with this man, and he brought me all across the United States and Canada, and we were powwowing everywhere, and all of a sudden. And I was just winning everywhere. I was like getting first everywhere, and it was fun. I was making money. I was learning about new tribes, new cultures. We were traveling. I was experiencing that. I was getting healthy physically because I was dancing. I was getting healthy mentally and emotionally because now I felt like I was a part of something bigger and a part of something that was very potent and important. And community driven.
It taught me a lot about beats and rhythms, musicality. I didn't even know I was learning that stuff at the time, but it was all there. Um'cause as a dancer you really have to understand those beats and rhythms and breaking everything down and so dancing really changed my life and you know we traveled together like that for like twelve years before we separated and I really built a name for myself there.
And when I moved home, after we separated, my tribe asked me to start teaching dance classes called Daughters of Tradition. And this was like in 2008. And I started teaching classes. And you know what? When I first started like performing with dance groups at like schools and stuff, I was just a dancer. And there was always somebody that was storytelling and speaking. They would just bring the next dancer out. Well, one time the guy turns around and he's like, and we'll let her tell the story. He like hands me the mic, and I'm like, what? And he's like, tell the story of the jingle dance. And I was so nervous, but at the same time, I knew the story. I had everybody used to come sit in our teepee with us and visit with us all the time. My husband had all the elders, all of the like speakers, the, the important veterans, the storytellers, the knowledge keepers would always come to our teepee. And so I had learned all that stuff. And so I had to speak, but I was also speaking really fast.
I didn't know how to speak well until I started, I took the yoga teacher training and I became a yoga teacher. When I became a yoga teacher in 2013, maybe ‘14, that helped me learn to be a public speaker. It helped me learn the anatomy of the body and how to break down teaching dancing better because then I was learning more about sustainable practices and how hard things can be on the body.
Powwow dancing is really hard on the body. And a lot of people end up not being able to dance like that into their older age. And so I was starting to think about the importance of having a sustainable practice as a dancer because I hurt myself dancing, but I kept dancing because I was trying to make money and I was so addicted to competition that I didn't take care of myself. And a lot of people do this.
And so I was just kind of going through a lot of learning about how to really teach dance. As a powwow dance, because most people just be like, turn on the music, let it feel it. And that is a beautiful thing about powwow dancing because powwow dancing is a repetitive beat. Sorry, I'm kind of going on a tangent. Powwow dancing has a repetitive beat. Our beats don't change. In one style of song, it's going to be the same beat for the whole song. There's different types of songs and stuff. So it gives you a chance to really get into a trance. And once you get into that state, that's where the footwork and all the moves come because then you get to start creating your story based off of this foundation.
And so I started really like trying to stylize a really great way to teach dancing. Because when I started dancing, my ex-husband is always like, make sure you're counting your moves. If you're going to do four this way, you've got to do four this side. And then when we started doing this, it'd be like, Okay, do that, but cover ground and then do that move going to the left, to the right, and then do it again, going in a circle, and then again, going in this circle, and then you know. So, we were like teaching ourselves how to do all these different moves in motion, covering ground, going in different directions.
And also we would record ourselves all the time. A lot of powwow dancers do, so that they can really critique themselves and get better. And we he would start to be like, we started realizing that the more time you took on a move, the more people could get comfortable when they're watching it instead of just (articulates a count) because everyone's all about super heavy, incredible footwork, but sometimes it starts looking a little too It doesn't make sense. And so we were really big on your dance making sense.
And so then I remember one time he's like, do that move 10 times. And I was like, really? He's like, yeah, just do the move 10 times in a row. And then look and do it the other. So we were really starting to like, you weren't even doing all this crazy footwork. And my friend comes and she goes, I don't know what you're doing. But your dancing has changed. And it's so good. And I'm like, we're just slowing down. We're taking our time on the footwork and we're making it last. She goes, and she's a good dancer too.
And when she told me that, it really helped me understand that this was a really potent way to break down your dancing and to take your time as a powwow dancer. Yes, there's an incredible thing about fast, fancy footwork. I love that. But to really like incrementalize it, use mathematics and all those beats and rhythms to make it make sense. And so, powwow dancing. even though you know it's this repetitive beat, um people are really like advancing the way they teach it lately. And so I, I love being a powwow dance teacher. And my dancing is evolving.
Because now I don't powwow as much for competition. Because once I got certified in yoga, I started wanting to go to more yoga trainings. I started getting really, really into healing our trauma through movement. And so everything that I teach, I call my classes movement as medicine. And because when we move our bodies physically, when we're moving energy, when we move, moving matter, we're getting healthy, we're moving, flushing water, blood, everything, but we're also moving energy, we're moving emotions, we're moving through resistance, old programming, limiting beliefs. We're moving through so much when we are moving our body.
And so, you know, my whole thing was like, I'm gonna help Indian country get healthy through yoga and through dancing and that we have to reclaim our health because we have a responsibility to be impeccable with our balance because they expect us to fall as Indigenous people. They want to be able to control our narrative and we need to gain our balance back. And yoga gives you a very balanced body and a balanced life. Dancing gives you a balanced body and a balanced life. And so these things were really important to start teaching to Indigenous people to help us heal from our traumas and our past. And so I started using these things as medicine and sharing them. You know, every time a woman learns something new, they're like, I can't wait to tell people about this. And so I couldn't wait to share it with people.
And I started teaching powwow dance and yoga. So then I was like, oh, well, some people didn't want to try yoga because they're like, we're native, it's not our culture, we think we're appropriating. And so it was like, well, let's reintroduce it in that it's a practice, it can be utilized. Yes, it has its origins and its history, which should be recognized and honored. But it's also a self-practice that you can utilize. You can bring your own culture, your own language into it, and use it in a way, a physical manner, the meditation and all of the mental aspects of it in a mental way to heal and evolve and grow and learn about yourself.
And so I started traveling and teaching powwow yoga. Because some of my friends didn't want to do yoga, but I was like, oh, let's come, we're going to practice powwow dancing.
And then I would create this powwow yoga class where we're doing warm-up, we go into salutations, and then we start doing men's dance, low, it's like being in a squat, it's grounding, it's got this heavy rhythm. Then we do another vinyasa flow, links and posh, it's all flowy, and then we go into women's dance, it's like up, it's lifting, it's fast. And so you're moving through all these different beats and rhythms and tempos and it's a really fun class but it was a way to get some of my friends to try yoga and then other people wanted to powwow dance but nobody has ever taught them and so I'd be like oh come to my yoga class we're gonna add a little bit of powwow dancing in there and so I just kind of like created this thing called powwow yoga.
And I've it's gotten to be really well known. I've traveled all across Indian country, which is the United States, Canada, Mexico, but also over to other countries, Europe, Norway, Australia, to share this practice with people. Because a lot of people will say, well, can I take your class? Because I'm not native, I'm not indigenous. And I'll say, yes, because movement is universal. And we are all indigenous because we are all earth people. And I think giving people permission to embody this and to let themselves feel a beat, a drum beat and rhythm, and to give themselves permission to respond. Because it's a natural thing to do to respond to be in music. And so doing this has helped me feel so connected to people and that it's like, wow, I really found my purpose. And I love giving people a chance to find their intuitive, indigenous knowledge within when they're listening to music or moving in their body.
I'm like, where are you from? I'm not, you know, it's not like I'm saying go be Native American and go practice this Lakota Sioux tradition and, you know, but I'm like, where are you from? Are you from Norway? Are you from Germany? Because people who see themselves as white people don't think that they have indigenous knowledge within them. But in reality, they really do. But it's like, where are you from? Because every country that I've been to, there was old traditional history there where the white people lived like indigenous people. Way before power over and colonization and individualism. And so it's there, it's just so far removed.
And so a lot of like non-native people will say, Oh my gosh, when I heard the drum, I started crying. And I'm like, yes, because that was your spirit remembering. And so I think dance, performance, dance ceremonies, community things like this are a way for us to build bridges through dance and through art to unite the people again. Because we have that responsibility to set our future generations up for success, and we're living in a time of separation and war. And not understanding other people's culture or dances leads to um fear and fear causes separation. Separation leads to war and conflict. And so we do have a responsibility.
And when I won the Doris Duke Award in 2024, which was I'll get into that in a second, but what they said was that it's the artists who are going to keep us close to our humanity as we move more and more into a political and technological world. And I was like, wow.
And um so I started performing more like in, I got asked to travel with Indigenous Enterprise to Australia in 2019. And that was my first trip with them. We were on residency with the Sydney Opera House for a month in Australia. And we performed at many different places around Sydney, but our last week. Was our ticketed sales show at the Sydney Opera House. And so we were the first Native Americans to have our own ticketed show there at the opera house. And it was a really great experience.
And afterwards, they were like, you know what? We really loved you being a part of our group. We need more female, they mostly a male dance troupe. And yet they're all really young too. And so the father who helps them with their admin. And said, he's like, we really want to ask you to come on and be a full-time member of Indigenous Enterprise. And so I agreed and I started traveling with Indigenous Enterprise quite a bit. And that's how the first time I came to Jacob's Pillow was with Indigenous Enterprise.
The Joyce Theater and Jacob's Pillow hosted us to come out here in October and utilize the campus and the facilities and the resources. We stayed at the Derby House. There was like eight of us, and we made our show for the Joyce Theater. We had a one-week residency there. And so that was my first time being to Jacob's Pillow. And I was super impressed with the place. I, nobody was here, like, because it was like Fall time. I think we did a show that time too, but I got to know the people from Jacob's Pillow during that.
And then they invited me back a couple years later to open for the 10-week long dance festival. And so I did an opening jingle dance, but I was just brought in to perform with another group. You know, I was just like a solo artist who was coming in to perform. And I did that here a couple of times.
This time they invited me back to perform again, but this time it was going to be my own show. And so one of the ladies was like, Well, would you like to bring any musicians with you? And I was like, oh, if I brought a drum, the budget would have to be a lot bigger. I'm not sure. I think it might be too much for this.
And I was thinking, okay, well, we just created a film called Guardian of the Land with OPB, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Warm Springs Tribal Member Laurent Kachaya. And it was a film about Sasquatch told from a plateau tribe perspective. And the film was supposed to be stories about Bigfoot, but really it became a history lesson on what our tribal beliefs are around Bigfoot, what our history is, our origins, a lot of the stories that the elders and ancestors passed down, and how we always viewed Bigfoot as the guardian of the land. And we were trying to reclaim this story. And so it became more than just a documentary about stories. It definitely was not that at all.
The producer was like, How do you feel about playing Bigfoot? And I was like, What do you mean? We kind of laughed. You know, I'm like, this sounds corny. I don't know how this is gonna work. He goes, Well, we need to s show something, at least just walking like out through the trees. I'm like, okay. I'm gonna be plateau woman Bigfoot. I was like, we need a bigger budget. We need at least $2,000 to make this dress. We also need a wooden mask. So we need a budget to get this wooden mask carved. And I'm gonna make this dark buckskin dress and I'm gonna be woman Bigfoot, plateau, tight belt, petite woman, but I'm gonna embody the spirit of Bigfoot. So we kind of just created this character.
My mom and I finished the dress in a week and a half. I don't know how we did it. The guy carved the mask in like one week. And we go out there to film, and I'm just walking, and you know, they're way over there. And I was like, Laurent, did Bigfoot dance? Did they play? He's like, I don't know, show me. So I just started, and you've seen the show last night.
So I just started dancing like a men's dancer. And it just felt so good. I mean, we were all crying when we were out there. It was like a golden hour in the forest and Mount Hood. And there was only two of them and one of me, and I'm dancing, and we're doing it. And we go over there to like watch the film, and we're all just bawling. And we couldn't believe like what we just did.
Also, in the film, you'll see Toma say, because he's carving the mask and he talks about how now this is a part of our culture, and it wasn't. Nobody, we did ask elders, is it okay for us to tell the story? We're going to contemporize it a little bit, we're going to go outside of the box. And they kept saying, follow your heart. And so. We created this character.
That's why, when you know, performing on stage, I'm so nervous to do our dances, which you know, our show was Saskatchewan, the Big Foot Dance, Guardian of the Land, Jingle Dance, of course, and then The Eagle Dance. But when I think about that, I'm like, why am I so nervous? Because they can't compare it to anything, because nobody's ever done this Bigfoot Dance before, and a lot of people don't do the Eagle Dance like this.
And so you know, there's a lot of pressure when it's just you or a couple of people, but when you realize that whatever you're sharing, it's not really replicated. And so it's hard for, you know, I had to really get out of my head in that way and be like, you know. Having to trust that it was going to be exactly what it was supposed to be, and that everybody that showed up was supposed to be there and received that. And that even if they didn't have the storyline, that there was something that they felt that was deeply profound. I mean a lot of, I could, we could see so many people crying and so many people came up to sh even men and um It was just really, really beautiful.
So, like, being able to evolve the dance forms, well, let's get back when I did the film. I told Laurent, I'm like, well, now, all of our screenings are going to have to have a performance arts piece. And he's like, oh. So I'm like, ask OPB. Like, I would like to be paid for it. So they were starting to tell us that our budget was too big for this film. And, like, but we were like, no, this is, this is potent. Like, this is, we're all really lucky to get to be a part of this project.
And so I started having a performance arts piece. We got a drummer to compose us some songs. Gen Viev scored our film. We have a soundtrack. Our documentary has a soundtrack. I know. I'm like, what? So our first performance, I just danced to the drum. And then she was coming for our next performance, and Laurent was like, You should dance to this song that she composed for our film. And I was like, How? I was like, I don't, I'm masculine Bigfoot. Like, I don't know how I'm going to do that.
And they really encouraged me to dance to this film that she, or this song that she composed for our film. You know, it's with the violin. It's very like ethereal and like classical. Like, and I listened to it and I was like, you know what? It's kind of a no-brainer. And so it taught me how to diversify this performance arts. You see me get on the ground and I'm like, you know, I had to change it. Up.
And so that really opened the doors for me for expanding what my offerings were as a Acosia Red Elk. Because I've always just been offering powwow dance performance, and I really like, I wanted to offer more. I just didn't know exactly what it was going to be yet. Yes, I knew I was going to do the eagle dance. I've been waiting 20 years to do it, to finally get the right to do it, to finally have the feathers, to finally be in the right stage in my life to, to be able to do that.
And so what you've seen yesterday at the Henry, at the Outdoor Henry Leir stage was that, was this, was kind of this awakening of the performance arts capabilities that I hope to one day bring back to Jacob's Pillow. The first time I ever came here, I knew I was going to come back because I've always wanted, I'm getting older. Um, I've always wanted to step start stepping into the role of choreographer and writing these shows. I have big visions. I can see whole shows in my mind. They're visually stimulating. They are not just powwow dance performances. You ever see a psychedelic blob just making all the, it's kind of like, you know how our regalias all, like all of our regalias either have huge feathers on them or jingles that make it look like you're pulsating. or shawls that flap fringe or bustles that you can rumble or they're just our feather fans.
So I have all these ideas for visually stimulating pieces. And I'm creating a dance company called 7 Gen Dance Company. I created my own like business for my yoga teaching and my wellness stuff and it's 7 Gen.
It represents seven generations, which is a responsibility. Um to understand that our actions today and our reactions to others will ripple into the future and affect the future. Will ripple into all living things and affect the present moment, and also will affect how we feel and what we're going to do next. And so the ripple effect is really, really strong and. I just know that uh when I first came here, I wanted to come back. And I wanted to come back with my new shows. And so Seven Generations was like, okay, I'm going to, I want to call it Seven Gen Dance Company because Seven Generations is our responsibility.
And I think dance performances are a part of the Seven Generation philosophy, meaning that we have to continue to build bridges in a good, very safe way.
Art is a really good way to build friendships and to get to, to get somebody to respect your culture,'cause some people respect art so much, but maybe they have preconceived or stereotypes of your race that was programmed into them by their family. You know, there's a lot of people who come to shows that deep down inside they wouldn't think that they are racist people, but it's programmed into them. But then they see your art. And it changes that. And so it's a really, really beautiful and potent way to change people's perceptions of your culture through your art form.
My whole, I'm manifesting, performing at that stage for an evening show with 7 Gen Dance Company in the future. I really want to get out of this role of being this head lead dancer, and I want to start creating. I want to bring in incredible dancers from the powwow circuit and from home. I'm creating my own program to teach people from my community who will potentially get to be on the show, but also bringing in like world-renowned dancers and asking them to go outside of the box. Most powwow dancers don't like doing things that are outside of their rhythm or be because it's such a traditional art form, too. And so, you have to really like ask people to think outside of the box because now you're gonna ask them to do different movements or to express themselves differently in our regalia.
So I'm really excited to go on this new journey and I won the Doris Duke Award in 2024. You're nominated by peer. You don't even know who nominated you. And I know it had a lot to do with a lot of the shows that I was starting to do with Indigenous Enterprise and getting exposed to bigger stages and more people. And Honestly it was When I first learned about it, I didn't know.
Like, I kept rescheduling the appointment because I had so many things going on and it was just going to be a Zoom meeting. I rescheduled this appointment like two times and finally we get on for the call and I'm just like breaking the ice. I'm just like shooting the shit and finally they're like, Acosia, are you familiar with the Doris Duke Foundation Award? And I was like, no. I thought they just wanted to work with me for something, you know? And they start telling me, and they were like, now I'm sure that you're wondering what this means. And the lady's just like, now, Acosia, you have been chosen out of uh six people out of I don't know I think it's like seven panels that you have to go through.
And they started telling me like what this entails and that, you know, the people that are chosen are some of the most influential. artists at that time and um they start telling me that it entails $550,000 of unrestricted money. And I'm just like going, wait, what? I'm like looking around like, this is not a dream. What is happening? And she was like, just validating. And um telling me that it was real. And I was like, this is crazy. Like, what is even happening? I was like, I feel like Forrest Gump right now. And they were like, oh, honey, honey, you are not Forrest Gump. We've looked back at 20 years of your work, you know, and I was just like, really dumbfounded.
And you know what I used to think? I was thinking, there's going to be a big break soon. I know there's going to be a big break. A big break for me was going to be like $20,000 gig or something, you know, that was really going to help me get back on my feet. And, um I couldn't believe it. And it's still giving, it gives for seven years and it sets you up for success.
And the whole thing was that we we believe in artists so much that we want you to be able to be the best artist that you can be and to continue doing the work that you do because we know that you must be tired. And I'm like bawling. I'm bawling. And to feel valued and to feel seen and appreciated for your work was one of the biggest, most humbling and rewarding moments for me.
And so it really inspired me to create 7 Gen Dance Company and to start to get my wings. And it kind of sounds cliche, but it's like, I can get my wings now. And then all this other stuff started happening, so it's all kind of happening really fast. I'm really moving more into performing arts, diversifying that, creating stories with masks and big regalias that tell a story and um bringing people in. I'm creating something that nobody else has done before in the way that it's done.
So I have this vision of bringing it to Jacob's Pillow and to all these other places too. So just remember, yeah, mark my words. I know it's gonna happen. I just need to take care every day. I'm like, please let me keep living longer so that I can. So that I can perform my Jacob's Pillow. Because I really value this place and I know the potency of the people that are here and the work that's done here and the people who have performed here and trained here and just to be able to come here is a big deal. That's why I said it's like cooking for the chefs. Um yeah.
It's pretty amazing when you really follow your heart and follow your body cues. And I think Catching on Fire really fueled my life journey. And I felt really sorry for myself for a long time. And then I started. I just started like following my heart. And every time I feel guilty about good things happening for me. I have to think back like a lot of the stuff that happened when I was a kid, you know. ‘Cause honestly, sometimes when good things are happening for you, you feel guilty. 'cause it's not that way for so many other of my family members or people in the world right now. Um to have such a blessed life feels like a privilege and kinda makes you feel guilty sometimes, you know. But I've come a long way from all the things that have happened when I was a kid.
I wish my dad could see what I'm doing because he loved to dance. He loved people that followed their dreams and made them happen. And he loved dancing. He wouldn't know. I think he died because he couldn't stop drinking after I caught on fire because he thought he wanted his kids to just be badasses. He taught us, I mean, he trained us in everything. Like they taught us really well. And when his little baby girl caught on fire, he was devastated and I think he was so scared that my life was going to be terrible. I think that he just felt really sorry for me and that he was really worried that my life wasn't going to be and I ended up having a, my life has been so great.
And the movement stuff, the dance stuff, the expressing myself through movement is what really like is making my life this beautiful. And I know that the people who don't allow themselves to respond to the movement and stuff, there's something trapped there. Like my whole, I love teaching people how to break free from that and to get out of their body, out of their head and into their body and to feel the call.
My favorite thing about life is the call and response. Everything, especially dance. The call is like the music or whatever the thing is that you're dancing to. I mean I've seen people hearing the wind and the birds and just doing like lyrical contemporary dance and I think that's so beautiful and um the call and response of life is really the whole reason that we're all here right now. It's so cool. It’s so cool.
Sarah Nguyễn: Thank you so much. Um…[unclear audio]..you actually answered so many of the questions…
Acosia Red Elk: (laughs) Okay.
Sarah Nguyễn: …that were guiding it through, ‘cuz we just started off with tell us how to dance came into your life.
Acosia Red Elk: Yeah.
Sarah Nguyễn: And what I am realizing with you is that even though you kept saying that I am aging, dance is continuously coming into your life in new forms. And you are accessing it through different mediums and modes and people and just ways of thinking that I don’t even see as, is there a mid life or a future. It’s just constantly coming in and moving.
Acosia Red Elk: It’s just constantly developing, evolving, it’s like morphing, it’s like, it’s like a psychedelic blob…it’s like collapsing in on itself and opening again. It’s like that…(unclear word) it’s like the woman energy is building and building and building until it gets so impregnated that it collapses in on itself, turns male and starts gathering and gathering and gathering until it…so it’s constantly going male and female, like this. And I feel like that’s how all of, this, its constantly developing and morphing and adding and creating and there is new things. And you are learning new ways to move to that.
And even like my ankle hurts and so I can’t Jingle Dance as much so the other dances are easier for me to do. Like I can do the Eagle Dance. It doesn’t hurt my ankle. So I can still perform. And I could still, yeah. And there is more, there is more to come. There is going to be so many more amazing and incredible things and incredible dancers that will be exposed to the, to the world through these performances and shows. People are already doing it all over. But um yeah, I really hope that we can bring it to Jacob’s Pillow one day.
Sarah Nguyễn: During Acosia Red Elk’s oral history, she mentioned aging and the many external factors that have impacted her approach, ability, and outlook on dance. In her storytelling, a common thread she mentioned was how dance has continuously stayed, returned, and existed in new forms throughout her life. She has been able to and continues to access expressions of dance through various modalities, people, and ways of knowing and thinking.
What I heard from her is that there really was no beginning, middle, end or past, present, future of dance in Acosia Red Elk’s life journey with dance. But, instead she is weaving concentric circles of movement and creativity which she welcomes us all to explore.
[Music begins, composed and performed by Jess Meeker]
Norton Owen: That's it for this episode of Pillow Voices. Thank you for joining us today. On behalf of Jacob's Pillow, we look forward to sharing more dance with you through the films, essays, and podcasts at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org. And of course, through live experiences during our festival and throughout the year. Special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts for helping launch this podcast series. Please subscribe to Pillow Voices wherever you get your podcasts and visit us again soon, either online or on site.