MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Feb. 9, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mark Scarp, 602.251.0283 or mscarp@heard.org
Debra Krol, 602.251.0218 or dkrol@heard.org
DANCER DEFEATS SEVEN-TIME CHAMPION TO WIN HIS FIRST ADULT
HOOP DANCE CONTEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT HEARD MUSEUM
PHOENIX – Nakotah LaRance (Hopi/Tewa/Assiniboine) of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, N.M., earned 241
points to become the 2015 adult world champion hoop dancer at the 25th annual Heard Museum
World Championship Hoop Dance Contest Feb. 8.
This is LaRance’s first adult world championship. His total bested that of seven-time champion
Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi/Choctaw) of Old Oraibi, Ariz., last year’s adult champion, who scored
235 points this year. Fifty-eight contestants in youth, teen, adult and senior divisions competed this
weekend in the Libby Amphitheater. Third place in the adult division went to Tony Duncan (San Carlos
Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) of Mesa, Ariz., who garnered 233 points. Duncan earned the third
spot via a dance-off with ultimate fourth-place finisher Michael Goedel (Yakama/Tulalip/Lumbee) of
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., after the final round of the competition left the two in a tie.
Fifth place went to former adult champion Dallas Arcand (Plains Cree/Metis), of Edmonton,
Alberta, with 224 points and sixth went to Joseph Secody (Navajo) of Page, Ariz., with 207 points.
La Rance won a total purse of $3,500 with the win in the adult division. Davis received $2,500.
World championships were also won Sunday in the senior, teen and youth divisions:

Terry L. Goedel (Yakima/Tulalip) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was the senior
champion with 231 points, earning $2,500.

Teen champion Tyrese Jensen (Navajo/Pima-Maricopa) of Dilkon, Ariz., won with 239
points, earning $750.

And Jaron Yazzie (Navajo/Apache) of Farmington, N.M., repeated his 2014 feat as
champion of the youth category. Jaron’s total was 243 points. He earned $350.
The two-day event Saturday and Sunday featured 65 competitors from the United States and
Canada, with one dancer coming from as far away as the Canadian province of Ontario. An estimated
crowd of 3,500 was present over the two days of the competition.
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; it drew 13 participants.
25th ANNUAL HEARD MUSEUM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOOP DANCE CONTEST
FINAL RESULTS, 2015
Adult Division
World Adult Champion — Nakotah Larance, 25 (Hopi/Tewa/Assiniboin) Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo,
N.M.; 241 points, $3,500
2nd Place — Derrick Suwaima Davis, 47 (Hopi/Choctaw), Old Oriabi, Ariz.; 235 points, $2,500
3rd Place —Tony Duncan, 31 (San Carlos Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan), Mesa, Ariz.; 233
points*, $2,000
4th Place — Michael Goedel, 21 (Yakama/Tulalip /Lumbee), Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; 229
points*, $1,500
5th Place — Dallas Arcand, 36 (Plains Cree/Metis), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 224 points,
$1,000
6th Place — Joseph Secody, 19 (Navajo), Page, Ariz.; 207 points, $750
* Results are of a post-finals dance-off between these two contestants, who tied during the final
round.
Senior Division
World Senior Champion — Terry L. Goedel, 59 (Yakima/Tulalip), Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.;
231 points, $2,500
2nd Place — Lowery Begay, 46 (Navajo), Jonesborough, Tenn.; 227 points, $2,000
3rd Place — Brian Hammill, 44 (HoChunk), Phoenix; 225 points, $1,500
Teen Division
World Teen Champion — Tyrese Jensen, 16 (Navajo/Pima-Maricopa), Dilkon, Ariz.; 239 points,
$750
2nd Place — Ascension Harjo, 13 (Mohawk/Kickapoo/Seminole), Hagersville, Ontario, Canada;
232 points, $500
3rd Place — Talon Ree Duncan, 16 (Apache/Hidatsa/Arikara/Mandan), Mesa, Ariz.; 224 points,
$350
Youth Division
World Youth Champion — Jaron Yazzie, 11 (Navajo/Apache), Farmington, N.M.; 243 points,
$350
2nd Place — Kailayne Jensen, 7 (Navajo), Dilkon, Ariz.; 224 points, $200
3rd Place — Rito Lopez Jr., 8 (Apache/Pima/Hidatsa/Arikara/Mandan), Salt River, Ariz.; 221
points, $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.
-30Heard Museum – Native Cultures and Art
2301 North Central Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85004-1323
602.252.8840 or visit heard.org
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About the Heard
Since 1929, the Heard Museum, a private non-profit organization, has enchanted visitors from around
the world with the art, culture and history of American Indians, with an emphasis on tribes of the
Southwest. With more than 40,000 fine artworks and cultural artifacts in its permanent collection, 11
long-term and changing exhibit galleries, an education center, an award-winning Shop, the Books &
More boutique bookstore, Coffee Cantina and Courtyard Café, the Heard Museum is a place of
learning, discovery and unforgettable experiences.
Exhibit, event and program funding are provided in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Arizona
Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.