Hoop Dancing World Championships 2014

HOOP DANCER WINS UNPRECEDENTED 7TH WORLD ADULT TITLE AT HOOP DANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HEARD MUSEUM

More than 3,500 watch outdoor

A hoop dancer from Old Oraibi on Arizona’s Hopi reservation won an unprecedented seventh adult world champion title Sunday at the 24th annual Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest.

Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi/Choctaw) won the title by capturing 234 points in Sunday’s final round out of a possible 250, besting the second place finisher, Tony Duncan, by 14 points. Duncan (San Carlos Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan), of Mesa, Ariz., also placed second to Davis in the 2013 competition. Davis wins a total purse of $3,500 with the win in the adult division, which is for dancers ages 18-39.. Duncan, with 220 points, received $2,500.

World championships were also won Sunday in the senior, teen and youth divisions:
· Brian Hammill (HoChunk) of Phoenix was the senior champion – for dancers age 40 and older -- with 214 points, earning $2,500.
· Teen champion Talon Duncan (San Carlos Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) of Mesa, Ariz., brother of Tony Duncan, won with 225 points, earning $750.
· And Jaron Yazzie (Navajo/Apache) from Farmington, N.M., was the champion of the youth category, in which dancers ages 7-12 compete. Jaron’s total was 225 points. He earned $350.

The two-day event Saturday and Sunday featured 64 competitors from the United States and Canada, with two dancers coming from as far away as the Canadianprovince of Ontario. More than 3,500 were present over the two days of the competition at the museum’s Scott L. Libby Jr. Amphitheater.
Dancers were judged on a slate of five skills – precision, timing/rhythm, showmanship, creativeness and speed. To earn a spot in the finals, a dancer must survive a first and a second round of competition. Six finalists compete in the adult division’s final round while three each compete in the others. A “tiny tots” division for dancers age 6 and younger is not scored.
 
           
24th ANNUAL HEARD MUSEUM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOOP
DANCE CONTEST WINNERS FINAL RESULTS, 2014

ADULT DIVISION:
World Adult Champion: Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi/Choctaw) Old Oraibi, AZ - 234 pts - $3,500

2nd Place: Tony Duncan (Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) Mesa, AZ - 220 pts - $2,500

3rd Place: Lane Jensen (Navajo/Maricopa) Mesa, AZ - 208 pts - $2,0

4th Place: Nakotah LaRance (Hopi-Assiniboin-Tewa) Ohkay Owingeh, NM - 207 pts - $1,500

5th Place: Dallas Arcand (Cree) Calgary, Alberta - 206 pts - $1,000

6th Place: Alex Wells (Lil'Wat Nation) Mount Currie, British Columbia - 204 pts - $750

SENIOR DIVISION:
World Senior Champion: Brian Hammill (HoChunk) Phoenix, AZ - 214 pts – $2,500

2nd Place: Moontee Sinquah (Hopi/Tewa) Phoenix, AZ - 200 pts - $2,000

3rd Place: Lowery Begay Dineh (Navajo) Jonesborough, TN - 191 pts - $1,500

TEEN DIVISION:
World Teen Champion: Talon Duncan (Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) Mesa, AZ - 225 pts - $750

2nd Place: Tyrese Jensen (Navajo) Mesa, AZ - 216 pts - $500

3rd Place: Tomas I. Hunt (Navajo) Page, AZ - 190 pts - $350

YOUTH DIVISION:
World Youth Champion: Jaron Yazzie (Navajo/Apache) Farmington, NM - 225 pts - $350

2nd Place: Ascension Harjo (Mohawk/Kickapoo/Seminole) Hagersville, ON - 223 pts - $200

3rd Place: Rito Lopez Jr. (Pima/Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) Scottsdale, AZ - 201 pts  - $150                   

High-resolution photos of the competition are available. Contact Mark Scarp, mscarp@heard.org, 602.251.0283, or Debra Krol, dkrol@heard.org, 602.251.0218.