Sandra Lamouche
Spirit of the Hoop is about my relationship with the hoop dance. My identity as a dancer, which includes my Blackfoot name Itamspiakii—Happy Dancing Woman which comes from the deer family. It brings to light the spiritual aspect of dancing and the teachings of the hoop dance and how they relate to our past, present and future.
Sandra Lamouche is a Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree Woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta and lives in Southern Alberta with her husband and two sons from the Piikani Nation. She is a champion hoop dancer, an award-winning Indigenous education leader and a two time TEDx Speaker, writer, and choreographer. She received her B.A. in Native American Studies from the University of Lethbridge in 2007. Currently she is completing a M.A. Thesis at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario in Indigenous Studies titled Nitona Miyo Pimadisiwin (Seeking a Good Life) Through Indigenous Dance which examines Indigenous Dance as a Social Determinant of Health and Well Being.
She has over fifteen years of experience in ten international styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hip hop and powwow styles, and the hoop dance. She has gained most recognition as a Hoop Dancer and has been showcased and performed internationally.