Central Alberta promoter pushing powwow championships to new heights

Mitsuing, a world champion fancy dancer himself, believes he is very close to making that dream come true.

“I’ve modeled this off the UFC; you get the best dancer against the best dancer. We tell the story of the dancers, we have walkout music, and they get announced on stage, like, ‘Dancing out of the blue corner.’ We hype them up,” he says.

The pre-competition press conference and faceoffs at 7 p.m. Friday evening are also meant to look like a mixed martial arts weigh-in event.

“I can fill this crowd with powwow-goers, people who travel for powwow, people who are fans of it, but I want that guy that’s on the edge, who’s saying, ‘I don’t think it’s my thing.’ We’re going to have a live concert with powwow drums — the best in the world, and you’ll feel that bass and the singing,” Mitsuing says.

Patrick Mitsuing, co-founder of Powwow Times. (Image Credit: rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“It does something to you regardless of whether you’re into that type of music. I’ve seen people experience that.”

Mitsuing couldn’t go into specifics, but shared that he’s secured a major streaming deal for next year. The deal would include an eight-part series created all about the art and sport to which he’s attempting to launch a rocket.

There is no limit to the heights that competitive powwow dancing in this style can reach, he truly believes.

Helping that become a reality is bringing in the cream of the crop as far as dancers go, and two of those folks are 23-year-old Tristan Carter and 21-year-old Shundiin Whitehorse.

Whitehorse, who grew up on Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation in Saskatchewan, has been dancing since she could walk.

“I feel confident when I dance, and every time I put my regalia on,” Whitehorse shared.

“I always remind myself I can do it. You just have to dance as hard as you can. When I start dancing, it kind of just feels like all of those nerves or anxiousness go away.”

Whitehorse’s regalia was created entirely by herself, with the beadwork inspired by designs her mom used to create and use.

Whitehorse recently finished second at the large Black Hills Powwow in Rapid City, South Dakota, but the event in Red Deer will have a whole different flavour.

“I think it’s really exciting,” she says of the format.

Shundiin Whitehorse is seen here dancing at the recent Black Hills Powwow in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Image Credit: Jared Allary Photography)

“I think I’m like a little bit more nervous because I’ve never really danced on a stage under lots of spotlight like this. But I’m really excited and happy for this opportunity as well.”

She believes Mitsuing’s efforts to grow the art and the sport into the mainstream are a great idea, and believes it could go a long way to helping preserve Indigenous traditions.

In agreement is Carter, who is from Onion Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, and is in the main event Saturday night. He also competed at Black Hills, placing third.

“This is bringing eyes to our culture and what we can do. A lot of people that have never been to a powwow and they come and watch it, they’re really impressed with it,” he says.

But for Carter, being under the spotlight of this event, or travelling to events around North America, has meant never forgetting three words his grandmother, or kokom, said to him before her passing about a decade ago:

“Never stop dancing.”

“She always took us, me and my little sister and my older sister, to powwows. She asked us if we wanted to dance and she got our outfits made. Pretty much, that’s how I started,” he says.

“I’ve tried to keep that promise that I made to her when she was getting sick there.”

He thinks of what she said whenever the roads seem long, and the dancing becomes momentarily tired.

“If they wanted me to, I would keep doing this until I was old.”

Ticket and event info for Friday and Saturday is at pwtpowwow.com.

Powwow Times will also be livestreaming the event here.

by Josh Hall

Central Alberta promoter pushing powwow championships to new heights

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